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Mopar to ya'!
Johnny Mopar

I’m not suggesting they were scripted but I believe one of the questions was something like ‘How does it feel to get some revenge after last years final event and losing the championship to Schumacher?’ I believe the same sentiment was eluded to by Paul Page in the build up to the final.

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Personally, I liked it and I saw nothing wrong with it. You could tell by the tone of his voice there was no malicious intent.

These guys just can't win with some of you. If Fuller had gotten out of the car and said "We really appreciate Tony and that whole team, they are all the best" you people would be on here crying about how everything was too PC and how the sport needs rivalries like the olden days. So Fuller gets out of the car and gives some good-natured ribbing to team DSR and there is a thread on here with people crybabying about how it was unwarranted?!?!?

GIVE ME A BREAK. Can't have it both ways folks ....

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I am suspicious of everyone's agenda, especially my own.

Exactly.

I've raced all of the Fullers more than a few times and although they are very competitive, Rod, Tony and Bob are all first class competitors.

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Thank you Andy!!!
And I AM NOT a DSR fan!!!

Never understood that when something like this comes around, i.e. the opportunity for a nice verbal/on track rivarly, more ppl don't embrace it. This is good stuff. Sometimes I think we need to take off our $30.00 team Tshirt, or $89.00 replica nhra team jersey, back away from the keyboard and realize we aren't part of the team. I can say this because I've been guilty of it in the past. Do you want honest emotion or do you want "Thanks CAT, David Powers, Rob Flynn and goodnight."

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I never thought that being an optimist would piss people off so much.

Rivalries are good, I wish more racers would throw a little "stuff" out there when they are being interviewed. The sentences full of sponsor-mentions get really old.

I loved Doug Herbert's comment about his son saying that Tony S. "the sarge" couldn't even carry a sergeants' lunch pail. I have nothing against Tony S., but comments like these sure liven things up in an interview!

I was also impressed when Shawn Gann went off on NHRA about his new cylinder head not being accepted because Suzuki was NOT the official motorcycle of NHRA. ESPN should be aware that guys that are racing for the love of racing, and not bowing to sponsor etiquette, can and will say anything on camera! Jim Head, Larry Morgan and Connie Kalitta come to mind. I wonder if Shawn was invited to the NHRA trailer for a spanking for his comments?

It cracked me up. My husband is a huge Star Wars geek (not fan, geek, like he knows more about Star Wars than a grown man should) but he had stepped into the kitchen to work on dinner before the top end interviews so he didn't hear the comment. I told him what Fuller said and in light of his geekdom it was very funny. We had a good laugh together over it.

Personally I was rather pleased to hear Fuller roll with that question about revenge in the way that he did. As a journalist I was like, 'Ooh, that's a money quote. Love it!'

There are often complaints about Gary asking too often 'how do you feel?' so now we get this fairly ballsy question (IMO) that goes out of his typical top end interview formula and we get this great, candid, provocative response.

And I think Bobby Bennett's piece he linked to certainly helped shed a little light on the comment and added some facets to the win that may have been overlooked. I suggest anyone who hasn't clicked on the link to do so.

I agree with you. Another person that comes to mind is Whit Bazemore. He may have irritated people, but he said what he felt and didn't bow to anyone. I had talked to him on several occasions, and he is a very nice guy. I miss him not racing. He had a very real passion, and sometimes that comes across wrong on camera. Remember when Warren Johnson had that 'punk' comment a couple years ago, and that didn't go over so well either? I guess it depends on the person listening how it sounds to them. I always thought Warren was a grumpy guy until I sat next to him at an autograph session in our area many years ago. He was very polite, kind, and very business oriented. He was miffed at the cost of printing and shipping for the driver hand out cards. His reaction to this bit of information that he had just received was just how mine would have been. However, if someone had stuck a camera in his face at that moment and asked about the cost of postage, it probably wouldn't have been well received. This is how he earns his living, and he is dead serious about every aspect of it. Anyway, after sitting next to him for a couple hours that day, I had a new regard for him as a person.

Did anyone else catch that?

May I also say - realize that you aren't that person (unless they are posting on here, and most do not). So, it is no sweat off your back. Really.

When they attack your favorite driver, are you going to take it personally? Man, I hope not. I hope your life is not THAT tied up in NHRA Drag Racing. I love it, but I still have my own life. Let Tony and Rod deal with it.

DLB

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Proverbs 17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. 28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Excellent, Lori! That's WJ in a nutshell.

Also remember the WJ/Geoffrion burndown and the Hoffman/Force rivalry.

Sometimes I wonder if the popularity of wrestling, reality shows, and NASCAR points out that a lot of the public no longer has the ability to see a difference between real personalities and those that are created for entertainment value.

Jeff, I guess you don't remember all the flack Don took at Seattle back in '04-'05? From Oakley Over lane choice between 2 of his drivers!

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Shift for Brains!!!!

I'm all for outspoken drivers and not the typical PC bs that normally gets shoved down our throat. And lord knows I'm not a WJ fan at all but his persona is "all business" I just think he should be a little more fan friendly persay but I understand it. As for Whit, he came off as a crybaby whiner and thats why 9 out of 10 people cant stand him. I've talked to Whit several times and he's always been nice and gracious but there's something about him and a tv camera that turns a switch on in him. And I know alot of people dont like Hot Rod, but Rod is a very nice guy and means well. I know the alcohol people cant stand him but thats ok, b/c what he said was true. I pull for Hot Rod, I hope he wins the championship. He deserves it after last year. Not everyone can be John Force, Gary Scelzi, Clay Millican, etc in front of the camera's and we should all know that.

Of course he doesn't because it blows his theory into pieces. Hell, if winning and kicking the living hell out of the TF competition for the last 4+ year’s means Tony is the dark side, so be it and sign me up. Rod can talk all the smack he wants and it will not mean much to Tony until Rod can actually take the #1 from Tony. If Tony and DSR is the dark side, what do you call John Force's domination over the 90's and early 2000's?

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http://www.myspace.com/kb301

Kinda reminds me of The Von Erich's Vs. The Freebirds!!!

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It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
Niccolo Machiavelli