4 speed versus auto- which one?

hey guys ive been to the track before...my dad has a manually shifted 727 behind his 440 69 dart track car with a torque converter stalling at around 3500 rpms....I know everyone will say what they prefer, which is cool, but what i would really like to know is what the pros and cons of each one are...I know there are many racers who use manuals still too, so its not like they are totally bad for racing...but anything specific about either that makes them a good choice or a bad choice....like i said the car will be mainly daily driven with track time, but i want to go as fast as i can with consistency

thanks guys
matthew