That should be fun to prove in court... I thought that one belonged to Bob Lani...

A media confrence called for this week?? Don't you think they should have been on the horse the SECOND that people's livelyhoods started getting affected by this thing (read: Melanie's feet being nailed to the NON-PAYOUT floor when she and others in her situation couldn't PROGRESS any further, no matter how well they did DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE RACING SEASON?? At that point, this whole thing should have been in high gear- they had 17 races to have their ducks in a row, just as the racers had the same 17 races to make it in or not...

I am over the fact that someone that may or may not deserve it will get the big check and the ring... like the pro-C/D folks are saying: Everyone out there knew what the deal was, and they had a choice.. Race here or race somewhere else, but don't whine about rules that were in place... My gripe is that this was "shoved down our throats", as it has so eloquently been described by so many, as opposed to it being force-fed to the masses that we, as the long time fans, had been told it would be by Glendora.

Preaching to the choir is always a useless act- if anything, the whole thing may just put some long term fans ON that bus to see-ya-latersville... The Countdown was supposed to bring new fans to the sport, but it seems the only reason "all the new fans and additional media sources all of which are talking about DRAG RACING now" may have anything to say about the sport is because of two tragic and one near-tragic accidents and the fact that Papa John happens to make good lookin kids...
I saw NO additional coverage of our sport this year- nothing out of the ordinary...I was at the WR Grace building in the late 70's when they had a fleet of pro teams parked in their plaza- this year's GMA with the girls before the "Summernationals" was only different because it was SHORTER in legnth and had TV cameras- something that any 14 year old with a camcorder and a membership to YouTube can do and get more viewers...

The C/D was put in place EXCLUSIVELY to generate more external coverage for the sport, and NHRA has had all year to do that, yet here we are at Vegas2 with the same amount of national coverage (none) and a bunch of people that all love the same thing bickering with each other here.. Not to mention that there will be some teams next year that will be running on LESS of someone elses moola because of all this- for everything from lack of "post-season" coverage (everything past Indy) causing sponsors to renegotiate their ROI deals based on TV coverage, to EIGHT teams that got nudged off of the season ending $$ teet because they don't pick up the Association's bonus check on the big stage, based on where they finished IN SEPTEMBER...

If it was all about the media (it had to have been- the racing seemed just fine before..), then someone has got a lot of explaining to do as to why they shouldn't be tossed under the bus

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a.k.a. 98percentnitro

http://www.myspace.com/relentlesslightingdesign

the best description i heard was at Dinner in Charlotte recently... they comapred the NHRA's Countdown to a bi-polar cry for help.....lol....

Billy

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www.myspace.com/bwrsp
www.imdra.com

...only because Jeggy is local...
The Columbus Dispatch : Coughlin getting all caught up in playoff frenzy

LOL......

Good post up there, Martin.

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--Medicated for your safety!!--

Lance.. The horse has two more races to go before it even reaches the first finish line... Nobody is beating a deceased nag here- but thanks for the input and the new .gif!!!

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a.k.a. 98percentnitro

http://www.myspace.com/relentlesslightingdesign

Great post Martin
I will admit to getting up on the tire, I like to hang out here and meet folks when I can because I'm surrounded by non motorsports/drag racing/car people. I apologize for the Kool Aid crack, but until I can get drag racing results when I pick up the Stars and Stripes I won't be convinced, so we'll have to agree to disagree.

S/F
D

Serious question here DeVallion,

Was it (drag racing) in Stars and Stripes before the countdown?

REX

No Rex, NASCAR, IRL, ChampCar & F1, but no drags, in all seriousness, I never liked but was hoping it would generate mainstream buzz. The only time I see drag racing coverage in the Denver Post/Rocky Mountain News is when the Nats are at Bandimere.

D

The system is in place, Paul. No doubt about that. The champions will be the champions that are crowned on the stage at the end of the year.

However, my hard-earned tax dollars are going to illegal immigrants kids in our school system...or worse yet, giving free medical care to illegal immigrants being allowed to have their child on my dime, in a hospital I helped pay for...and then getting welfare that I fund because that little one is now an American Citizen, and is entitled to the welfare. Remember, just because something already exists as the rules, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do...

However, rather than just offer up another suggestion as to the momentum/velocity/trajectory with which to throw the NHRA under the bus, why doesn't the NHRA offer some way to use local racers with a nice looking race car and friendly smiles put up a display at the local Walmart (or whatever) for a Saturday before a national event...then offer that race team free admission for the weekend to that national event to race. Folks going in and out of Walmart, Home Depot, or wherever will get the opportunity to see the race cars up close. The reality is that the average person doesn't know much difference between a S/C dragster and top fuel. Both are long, with big engines in the back. It's the chance to talk racing, let the kids see the cars, hand out NHRA printed schedules, and maybe even signed hero cards that will get these kids crying to dad to take 'em to the races. This will have more effect on the masses that are not familiar with the sport than discussing the points-system on ESPN2 when the race fans are already tuned in...and would cost substantially less than air-time on TV. Say...5-10 teams do this per national event...and you're spending under $5000 (what NHRA would have made for car/driver admission fees) for advertising that has the potential to reach countless numbers of people in the community?

Just an idea...

one way to measure the success of any new program is to ask the people who are impacted most by it to give their opinions. And from what I hear from the fans and drivers -- hardly anyone likes what happened this year. From the pro drivers with the exception of Ron Capps [who may get stung by the countdown] no one has a positive opinion. And it seems that very few on this forum are in favor of it.

LOL......who are you kiddin'

That poor horse started gettin' a beatin' the day it was born.

If it ain't dead by now I don't know what would be

REX

Here's what the 'outside' media said in the Oct 8 LA Times.... note, the 'Countdown' is referred to as a 'two race championship'. Nice

"Four-time series champion Gary Scelzi earned one of four berths in the two-race championship, beating teammate Ron Capps in the Funny Car final Sunday in the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Dinwiddie, Va.

Scelzi, who jumped from sixth to second place, was joined in the winner's circle by Top Fuel's Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock's Dave Connolly, who has won five straight races overall to take the No. 1 seeding.

Capps secured the fourth and final berth in Funny Car with his semifinal win over Tim Wilkerson. Tony Pedregon and Robert Hight will be the other two finalists.

The drama in Top Fuel played out in the first round when Brandon Bernstein ousted Bob Vandergriff to cement his position in Top Fuel's final four. Larry Dixon, Rod Fuller and Tony Schumacher are the other three finalists.

In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson will be seeded second and the Pro Stock final four was filled out by No. 3 Jeg Coughlin, who drove his way in with a first-round win Sunday, and Allen Johnson, who clinched the fourth and final berth.

The top four drivers who remain alive in the Countdown to the Championship will have their points reset in 10-point increments, from 3,030 to 3,000, before heading to Las Vegas (Oct. 26-28) and Pomona (Nov. 1-4) for the two-race championship."


Who knows? Perhaps the SoCal readers are sophisticated enough to read into the story, but I'm pretty sure the 'new fans' the Countdown has created, are still scratching their heads at the points reset, two race Championship, etc.

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Jackee Allen-ProStockJunkie
"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress." -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

Several folks have made mention that #9 and #10 were "cut-out" of the final purse because of the countdown. Wasn't it a pretty insignificant number $$?? I mean like round money?

To answer your question, I have been following the sport since the first national event I attended, Englishtown 1989. I was 11 at the time and I was hooked after having the chance to meet with Kenny Bernstein and then he went on to win the race (his last in a FC). Why do you want to know??