I think one thing that a lot of "should have gone with Intamin" takes are missing is... Cedar Fair owns another Intamin accelerator coaster that's been a huge pain in recent years.
In March 2022, Xcelerator at Knott's went SNBO for the 2nd time in only 5 years. The first closure lasted 8 months, the second closure would last almost 2 years. So while CP was planning for a Dragster renovation during the 2022 season, it's sister coaster was facing even more long term downtime while waiting for the manufacturer service department. That, plus all the other issues with Dragster, had to have influenced the choice to find another supplier.