We noticed an exhaust tick coming from the race car and it's pretty easy to see where the leak is coming from. Looks like the #2 and #4 exhaust ports aren't sealing well the the header.

Last night we pulled off the carbs and header and it was clear that the gasket is destroyed. Now, the question is, what type of gasket should be used here? Typcially I remember exhaust gaskets having the metal inserts, but this one didn't. In our new gasket kit, we have both an intake/exhaust manifold gasket with the metal inserts and regular gasket without the metal. For what it's worth, the metal gasket didn't have provisions for injectors, but the plain gasket did.

So, the question is, why is there a difference?

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'79 280ZX LeMons racer
'79 210 LeMons racer (future L20 candidate)

MSA sells both, one is for headers and the other is for stock exhaust. Metal inserts are for headers.

Oyyyy.....the last time I bought headers from MSA, the gasket that came with them had no metal insert. Maybe you should give them a call. Personally I would just go with whatever gasket I had that was the thickest.
Also, while I had the car apart, I would check the mating surfaces on the manifold and headers to make sure they are flat; they can warp sometimes and cause leaks.

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71 on a rotisserie, two more in pieces in my shed...and a 69 1600 waiting for me to get to it

Correction: I just looked in the gasket box I have, and it's the metal gasket, meaning I used the other for the correct application. So The stock header gasket, Does NOT have the metal inserts. Sorry.