My brother and I have been talking for a few years about what could help, and your first idea is spot on with what we have been talking about. One of the main reasons everyone has a hard time understanding Comp is the index system. Specifically, how it plays out to the casual fan in the stands. I have a hard time following along from the stands, and I know what I am looking at. The casual fan knows the fuel cars are fast because, well, they are loud and fast. The PS cars have that record number and it's easy to relate to that as the performance measure, but the system is so complicated and the numbers are only on the boards for a short amount of time, by the time you may have figured out if a particular run was good the next pair is going down, and you have to figure it all out again.
Take, F/D for instance. Current index (class) is 8.59, record is a 7.88. The index would become 7.90. Only way I hit the index is if I go 7.89 or quicker (which is BAD fast). Then the fan in stands would see my 7.89 as a BAD run because the index was 7.90.
It would make it easier to understand, and thus, possibly, help someone on the fence about the class start to participate. Plus, it's just a simpler system....