I cant shoot without a grip. Ive shot gripped for 10 years now, and there is no other way!
You can. Conditions change, and that knowing your camera. Learn it, and work it. When I shoot cheer across 4 different halls none of them are lit the same. So as I race from hall to hall catching teams I have to change setting on the fly. And out door there shouldnt be a whole lot your changing.
What mode are you shooting in?
You know a polarizer will only give you the blue sky you want whens it 90 degrees to the sun. You need to learn fill flash and exposure compensation, and you can have blue skys every shot. (That would be more pit work, not launch shots) Stop by the shop one evening and I could go on for hours about what you need to know.