NHRA's big problem

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overdriv
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NHRA's big problem

Postby overdriv » Tue Sep 08, 2009 12:09 pm

I've been a Drag race fan for over 45 years and followed NHRA and about any other sanctioning group that reported 1/4 mile racing. But since NHRA has become televised it has been my link to the sport. I try to go to at least one race each year and usually it's the US Nationals even though the Madison race is closer, I just like the Indy race.

Times are bad and they have cut the ticket prices to $20 for general admission in an attempt to fill the stands. They are still far from full. A lot of reasons I believe.

I wonder how many people are disenchanted over the multi-car teams within the same classification? I always have been. I just got back from the "Big Go" and got to tell you, it was sickening to me to see the JFR spectacle, a team for who I cheered, for so many years when he was just John Force and Austin Coil, and they were kickin ass and taking names.

Now John has sold his sole to the corporate devil and must perform or else. He's got bill to pay you say, so does everyone else. Would any of the other multi-car teams done the same thing as JFR did Monday? Probably, but the point is, as good as John Force has been for NHRA and the sport of drag racing, and as much as he has helped it, he and his multi-car team dealt a bad blow that has badly bruised the sport. It stunk to high heaven Monday when John took the dive. If you don't agree, that's fine, I respect your opinion. But I was there and I have seen the stats of his previous runs in the past few days, and I seen it. I thought it was blatant.

I blame NHRA for not controlling the growth of the multi-car teams in the same classification. But then NHRA isn't really a sanctioning body now that they have been sold to investors and are just a business putting on a show to make money. It looks like competition, but it's really just a show. I guess I just need to get over it and not expect anything more than a entertainment, kinda like NASCAR.

Rant over, sorry just needed to vent a bit. I still love drag racing but not NHRA .
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Postby WCB » Tue Sep 08, 2009 12:46 pm

Everyone has a right to their opinion.
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draglist
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Postby draglist » Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:42 pm

NHRA either has to ban multi car teams or live with the consequences. With all due respect, it is incredibly naive to expect any sports entity with a multi million dollar investment in a championship series not to take every possible advantage. You do not leave these things up to chance. Do football teams "freeze" the kicker? You bet. Do basketball teams intentionally foul opposing star players? Yup. Do baseball players bunt and sacrifice fly to advance their teammates? Of course. [Thanks, Curt Swartz.] Do hockey players slam one another into the boards to prevent offering their opponents a clean shot at the puck? It wouldn't be hockey without it. These strategies are parts of those games. And anybody who expects to get a 'clean' race between racing teammates when there is so much on the line is living in a fantasy world. The only way to stop this is to ban multi car teams and even then, there would be no way to police any deals that the different teams made with one another. You take the rulebook and make it work to your advantage. That's drag racing and all other sports. If you don't like it, petition NHRA. Those are the guys who write the rules. bp
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Postby Zappy » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:00 pm

These strategies are parts of those games. bp
Right on, you can't police it, so no point trying to rule against it. We have a "TEAM" sport now, like it or not.

overdriv
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Postby overdriv » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:10 pm

I guess I'm naive enough to expect NHRA to police their ranks. I believe it's against the rules to take a fall.

And yes it is a multi-billion dollar business and it didn't use to be, and I guess that's what I miss. It's just a show, the competition is secondary. I can live with that, just don't tell me just because money is involved it's ok, because it's not OK to cheat. Sorry I stepped on any ones toes.

With all due respect, if you think what John Force did Monday was ok, then you are living under a different set of values and sense of fair play than I. And I know I'm not holier than thou or anyone else, but I know right from wrong.

Oh, BTW, I don't like the 1000' fuel racing rule either. ETA: Sorry that sounds argumentative and I didn't mean it to be.

May I rephrase that to say, What do you guys think of the 1000' fuel rule? I know full well why they imposed it, I'm all for safety, just think thay need to go back to 1320'. Fix the tracks that are dangerous or don't race there.
Last edited by overdriv on Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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overdriv
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Postby overdriv » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:11 pm

These strategies are parts of those games. bp
Right on, you can't police it, so no point trying to rule against it. We have a "TEAM" sport now, like it or not.
Or not.
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Postby bandit » Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:33 pm

Larry Minor vs Gary Beck :lol:
Nano!!

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Postby WCB » Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:23 pm

Motorsports has always been a team sport....

Bandit..LOL..I Love it.

History repeats itself......(always does)

P.S.
My money's on Force if fists fly :lol: ( don't let age fool ya)


Congratulations Ashley ! 8)

And..despite all the keyboard wizards predictions..Tony Schumacher hauls ass ..With or Without Allen Johnson 8) 8)
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Postby Maritime Drag Racing » Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:53 pm

As long as there are multi car teams and multi million $$ sponsors to be satisfied I don't think we'll see the end of it either. But it surprises me how that same "all for the team" philosophy does not seem to work nearly as good over at NASCAR. There has been a good many times in the past dozen races when letting a teammate by to give him a few much needed points toward the chase just didn't happen. Granted there's 43 of them and I know their points structure is a lot different than NHRA's but those guys just seem to be more aggressive in furthering their own interests(teammates be damned).

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Postby WildcatOne » Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:52 pm

Well, here's my take, I was listening to the audiocast and I knew exactly what was going to happen. I didn't expect Tony to say anything, but he did and that's OK. Tony beat Cruz at Brainerd and he could have taken a knee. He would probably still have the points lead? Bandit's post is great...KJ let WJ beat him at I believe Englishtown a long time ago, when WJ was in contention...he had a sticker on his window that said "Hey, at least I have a job!" Scelzi took the bad lane at Seattle a few years back and let Bazemore beat him so he could remain #2 in points. Angelle Seeling had team orders in Houston to let John Myers win and she did something I'll never forget. She did her burnout, pulled over to the side of the track, got off the bike and stood there next to it while JM made his pass...instead of faking it. That took guts. She got in dutch with the team for that but she wasn't going to purposely lose on track.

What I'm getting at is all of the above posts are true and correct; however controversial it might be, it's been going on for a long time and unless the multi-car teams are done away with, in a heck of a pinch like yesterday was with the points countdown at stake for one of JFR's richly-sponsored team cars, they did what I expected them to do.

I don't know why I was surprized about Tony's reaction, but I was. I also have learned through my own experience that when somebody says something that is accusatory and the accused person blows up and attacks, then what the accuser said was usually true, considering the source. Tony was a JFR driver and he knows team orders. It's not fun to see John Force throw a race, but the fireworks afterwards were almost worth it!

I miss 1320-foot racing, but I still love the sport. Something will get worked out permanently one way or the other. One can only hope. Cheers, WC1
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