I've been wrenching for a while and I still don't feel I have a grip on this subject. But here's how I rationalize it for myself, what relationship it has to real physics is beyond me. Torque is directly related to the stroke of your crankshaft which somewhat relates to the definition of torque(the lever) but it's more complicated. The longer the stroke the more torque you can make. My crankshaft has a 3.75" stroke, the size of the motor is 379CI or 6+ liters or there about. If I enter a corner with another car that makes the same amount of HP but using a smaller motor(hence shorter stroke) and we're both running at the same RPM I can put a couple of car lenghts between us. If it's a short straight away and I have to start braking again then I'm getting ahead. If it's a long straight and he has more HP but less torque then he will start catching up to me because I'm going to run out of steam.

-Mark
12 Gig Blue
http://www.geocities.com/legoland0/