I ran Cumberland two years ago with some friends (acquaintances), and I recall them having a tiered speed thing. Denoted the different classes by the color of the sticker.
Fastest boats left first - which makes a lot of sense from a safety perspective.
My friends were sandbagging, and dropped down a class from what they really should have run, and yes, we were the first boat at the first card-stop.
I didn't say anything, I was glad to be invited. And, after all, it's not supposed to be a race. And, they own a performance boat, but, they aren't hardcore performance boaters. Running BTTW the whole run, wound up sacking a drive by the end of the run.
Expensive.
When I get my boat back together, I'm expecting to see a top of about 65-70.
I don't want to beat the death out of it to keep with the pack. I'd rather stick with the crowd, pick up a poker-hand, and have a few beers after the run, put my rig back on the trailer, wipe her down, and be ready to go out again next weekend. Instead of spending the entire week tearing down, ordering parts and repairing just to get back on the water.
Love the idea!