I hear you... I don't race the 1/4 but if I did, auto all the way, and the manually shiftable automatics are pretty OK around a track too. I just enjoy shifting and have never owned a car with an auto, so the 6 speed seemed like the right choice.

The Crossfire shifter feels pretty rock-crusher solid (and nice and crunchy, too) seeing as how it's the same basic transmission as the Wrangler. I bet it'd survive. Don't drive a Lotus with your rock crusher grip, though, you literally will rip the steering linkage right out of the center of the car. The weight reduction definitely went a little overboard there.