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In order to be successful in a crate class, do you need to have the small quick change rear, the low drag transmission, the low drag hubs etc.? If you were going from a limited class with a built motor to a crate and didnt change anything other than the engine, Would you/Could you be competitive say at a Charlotte race or the Virginia Motor Speedway race?
short answer: No, that stuff is not necessary to be successful and yes, you can be competitive in a big show.
long answer: The "crate-specific" equipment is almost never a disadvantage. For it to be a true advantage though, you must have that "crate-specific" equipment, have the perfect setup for maximum corner speed, be on the correct gear, the correct tire, the perfect track condition, perfect power delivery and the driver never makes a mistake....... If you can do all of that you will lap the field. Outside of that, there are plenty of things a team can work on to improve their program without buying a bunch of lightweight low-drag parts. You'll probably still lap the field.
The same is true for engines - blueprinted and what-not, etc.
Last year, Allen Brannon dominated a RUSH tour race at Winchester (VA) in a car that he literally plucked his aluminum super motor out and dropped a crate in, bolted on the spec tire and spanked the best in the northeast. Oil tank, pump and lines still hanging in the car. Now the guy has turned 460,000 laps there and he has good fresh equipment but there was nothing "crate-specific" about it.
Rambo just won the Fastrak Nationals race with a "BOX STOCK" Crate...Never blueprinted or touched by ANYONE. Just as JTSjet said...with enough experience its not REQUIRED in order to be competitive.
None of that stuff is required to be up front in crates. It certainly won't hurt to have as much lightweight components on your car as possible... I've got a few things on mine and plan to do a few more over the winter, but part of it is just replacing worn out parts with new, lighter parts.