my swap is getting under way and im looking toward the feature. i am def gonna get a couple of events under my belt with the new engine and tranny before i go and mod it. but what im wondering is what the street mod e36 m's have done engine wise to be competitive national??

Well mainly supercharged ones. After that, heat soak could definitely be a problem at autoX's as you aren't moving a lot between runs (especially if you want to run A/C between runs :)) so intercooler, aquamist, oil cooler, anything that can help the system stay cool and also help increase boost safely.