Guess I haven't been paying attention and now need to figure out how this is going to work. Search at NHRA.com yields no results. Any help would be appreciated! - Jim

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"The Counterfeiter"

just ask PJ

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August 13, 1973 - March 23, 2007
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Top eight are now just ten points apart per position, all have just one free oildown credit regardless of how many clean runs they have made, all eight in each category are guaranteed four qualifying runs at each event or will be seeded into field. Otherwise, no change, still qualify sixteen cars, earn the same points as before. It's not a playoff, it's just an artificial leveling of the top eight and an exclusion of the rest from top eight possibilities. If you like hype and contrived "reality series" you'll love the countdown. It's Socialism at its best - penalize the over-achievers, reward the mediocre, and call it competition.

You said it perfect Larry. I've tried to just roll with the "Chase". It's here and we're stuck with it. However I just looked at the points and it hit me like a 2x4. I'm a huge Capps fan and to actually see the points lead that he has EARNED (up until now) gone is just so wrong. That also goes for all the top teams in the points as well. I'm not going any further I've already derailed the thread.

The way JF has been running, Capps' lead was dwindling away,anyway! Seriously, who's to say how he would have been running if he hadn't "clinched", so early?
Considering the size of NHRA fields compared to Nascar, this "count down" did nothing but undermine the true competition, IMHO.
The thing I found most unlikeable about it was that it allowed teams to come to races and not try their best to win. GA, said that "testing" was over and they were glad to have their car running well again.
That meant some guys won rounds they wouldn't have, which skewed the points, in any event!

Capps and Ace seemed to have the train back on the track at the Indy test session - should be interesting but not nearly as interesting as watching Force with the bit in his teeth under the old championship points system.

Thanks Larry - I really like the Socialism reference! But, if I understand this, we're down to four after Indy and then have three races before it's down to two at LVMS. Are the two teams in each class who garner the most points at Memphis, Dallas and Richmond going to be seeded as the top two?
Still no link to the format at NHRA.com - can you imagine how confused the casual fan is going to be when they tune into one of these races?

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"The Counterfeiter"

It's not the top two. It's the top four in each class that will still be eligible for the championship going into Las Vegas.
You old guys are just going to have to let it go. This is the system now, so you might as well accept it.

After all the thousands of words that have appeared here on the subject, Larry hits it on the head with ten.

That statement exactly describes why I'm so opposed to the new procedure.

Get used to it? Maybe, after a long while. Agree with it? Not unless somehow I forget the things I've found important in life.

perfectly stated

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Actually, NHRA really missed the boat on this one. If they truly wanted a drag-racing-style countdown, they would have made the rest of the season a true playoff - the eight qualified teams would be featured in a series of eight-car races during the "post-season" (they have already declared the "regular season" over). That would make a nice 3.5-hour package for live TV coverage and they could charge increased ticket prices (just like all the other sports with playoffs).

Also, there would be no constant nattering about "team orders" the way there will inevitably be with the current format, where the drivers that failed to make the countdown are permitted to race against those that did. The current countdown format ensures that every time a contending racer defeats a non-contending teammate, there will be cries of "dive" and the championship will be forever viewed as "tainted" by those who think that team orders determined the outcome. For that matter, what's to prevent a heavily-sponsored, contending team from paying off an under-funded, non-contending opponent in order to get those valuable 20 points? After all, by narrowing the margin between the contenders to just 10 points per position, one or two rounds could easily determine the "champion."

We've already seen the drivers in eighth-place in the points get way more ink than the points-leaders and we've seen the points-leaders go into test mode once their position in the countdown was secure, so now get ready for phase two, the diving competition.

Why a series of eight-car races? Just follow the NCAA basketball format and have one event with eight-car fields in a single-elimination format.

Jim

Follow the money...

Actually, the ADRL beat them to it - their championship is determined in an eight-car "Battle For The Belts." Certainly more of a drag-racer's approach than the current NASCAR clone.

Ahhh, because that's what we have every bloody race... how about a show with only winners from the season invited.... seeded by number of victories in the real season... however they do it, it should only be the eight best from the first 22 races... don't count points, just wins/ runner up, and most rounds... that way we can have diving all season, NOT

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