What different between desert racing today and 25 years ago? Really nothing, except for crappier tracks as we get squeezed into smaller areas. Enteries in many classes had 30+ vehicles, and unlit recently all classes were at the mercy of the draw. I know it's not popular in BITD but requesting a rear start used to be the strategy of many teams in Score. Some still do it, and while I disagree with that strategy, it has worked for many.
For those who got a poor draw, take it for what it is, change up your race strategy to make a rear start work for you and don't be afraid of using a bumper when appropriate. Think about short pitting, unscheduled fuel splashes at outside pits to keep you ahead and out of the dust, or to get you around someone. Move your main pit to another location vs the main with everyone else. This is what those TT and class 1 guys are doing with a bad start position. There is more then one strategy when racing a designated pit location BITD race. You just have to think outside the box.