I have 4 gauges i can check whilst racing, I do my best Marty Feldman impersonation if I hear a miss or anything out of the ordinary during a run. Fuel Pressure. Oil Pressure. Water temp. Vacuum. these 4 guages are peace of mind for me when racing as before I enter the stage beam, I check the gauges, if the run is going well then I don't look, but i still check these 4 guages when in the braking zone. If they all showed what i was expecting then its the usual checks between rounds, if not, then i have some investigation to do. I don't consider these dead weight, to me they're insurance.