Talked to my engine guy this AM. Legit shop. Do a lot of engines.

Everything he does gets a crank trigger. If the rules don't allow it, distributor is locked. None of "that springs and weights stuff" for many years.

Drag race uses ignition, Grid, whatever for retard, if needed for tire management, nitrous, etc..

Dirt uses crank trigger locked with no gadgets. Some of them will also use a locked distributor with a pickup to run a separate system (box, coil) set up at 4 or 5 degrees retarded they can switch to for when the track slicks up. Or they will slip a restrictor under the carb to take some power out of it before they go out.

That's all I'm saying.