If you know what you are doing and have lots of spare matched P/L sets and rods, you can do like the Top Fuel drag racers do...use mostly all nitro, a dash of methanol and replace pistons / rods after every round.
You can also just use 0 - 5% nitro with a high compression head and a specially sized pipe and get outstanding performance that way.
Shimming the head and prop selection are your "tools" for controlling the heat and ignition timing when tuning. Controlling the heat generated during the run is assisted by adequate oil content and perfect mixture control. The best advice in general is to use the least amount of compression, nitro and propellor that gets the job done and makes you happy.