When autocrossing, we pull up to the staging line with the mechanical floor shifter in second and launch in 1st. After leaving the line, we tap up into second gear using our paddle shifter, then hold second gear for the rest of the course. Three pedals or two, there is very little shifting involved in autocross, so an automatic works just as well as a manual plus you have the added benefit of torque multiplication with the converter.

We won a Year One autocross cup with the same car that ran 9.98 ET. Automatics are your best all around solution if drag racing is part of your game plan.
/Steevo