YellaBraick, I don't think hansbuddy really means 'ban' alternators, its just that us short track circle jerks only run about 10 lap heats and 20 lap mains so a good red top Optima will have plenty of juice through the night, and then some, so why drag around a power robbing alternator if not needed, the same reason as your strip car...?
I disagree though that an HEI will lose any juice or power, that is until the battery is nearly dead...?
Get rid of the Proform and buy a really good balancer, before the ring comes off that Proform and goes through your radiator... I've seen it happen... :O(
Yes hansbuddy, nearly every SBC engine I have ever raced in circle track, no matter what size or configuration, have all dialed in right at or close to the 36* mark. My freshly dynoed 406 made no more recordable power or torque from 36* thru 40*, so we set it back on 36. You can push your luck trying more, but why take the chance burning down all your hard earned money...? There are enough other things you can break to make your wallet cry, don't chance it for just a small fraction of power that you probably can't put down onto the track anyways...?
Do you know how traction control device works...? It picks up wheel spin and sends a signal to retard your distributor timing to trim off power and slow down engine response so your tires stay hooked up when you can't control your lead foot. That's why traction control is higly illegal in almost all circle track sanctioning bodies, with very heavy fines and long suspensions if caught with one...!
Remember that reliability, consistency, and smooth driving is what wins almost all races, and you can't win if you don't finish, so it is better to err on the side of conservative in circle track racing, and learn to be a winning driver instead of an exibition of power. Any great dirt circle track driver will tell you that "slower is faster"... meaning put an egg under the gas peddle and one under the brake peddle, and finish the race without breaking either one... :O)