20+ years of "Building 904/727 for drag racing use"

Hello Chris......I did want to pick your brain in regards to low/reverse band applied in 1st gear in a 727 transmission. I have two different 727 transmissions with reserve manual valve bodies and one have the low/reverse bands applied in 1st gear and the other does not. I am in the process of building a street strip 68 Dart with a 470 that should be around 600 hp and 600 tq. To be honest, I kind of like how the 727 without the low/band applied in 1st gear drives as there is no engine braking below 20 mph and I have made the mistake of accidentally down shifting the transmission with low/reverse band applied in 1st gear coming up to traffic lights on the street, which wasn't fun as it locked up the rear wheels. I have read the issues associated with not having the low/reverse band applied in 1st which is putting more strain on the sprag which can lead to failure. (At least that is what I have read). My question to you is, is there a way to safely have the low/reverse band not applied in 1st gear as to not have engine braking in 1st under 20 ish mph, or do I just need to deal with this type of operation so I can be safe with launching the car in 1st when I do go to the track. Thank you in advance for your insight!
The safest scenario is to have the L/R band applied in 1st gear as to provide more sprag protection. You just have to make sure to not go into first gear at higher speeds.