Torque converter - Old-school tech question

Another silly question from the newbie.

Back in the mid 80's I built a Pontiac 400 with a THM350. The cam was designed for 2500-6000 RPM power, and even with Rhode's Lifters, it still didn't really come alive until 2000 RPM. It consistently dogged out before coming back screaming. But that dog caused a lot of lost races.

So, when the clutch packs from the stock rebuild gave out, I purchased a race-prepped version, and then added a 2,000 RPM stall torque converter. THAT woke it up! The engine could rev up to 2,000 freely while I held the brakes just firmly enough that I could feel when the rear tires were starting to break free. Then, you drop the brake and stomp the gas fully and it screamed from the second you launched.

OK, now to my actual question. It hit me earlier today that in the 80's we had lock-up converters, for better gas mileage, but they still sold looser versions for performance. But now, I haven't read about anyone using them as a fairly cheap performance mod.

What is today's modern perspective on looser torque converters, and does anyone use them on post 2000 performance cars?