Tony Pedregon Not Getting A Fair Shake? (1 Viewer)

[Rat]

I was all for Tony and his statements about how the short turn around ruined his chances to appear in the semi's. It hurt his team and STP big time. I can see they want to go live, but is it worth pushing to go live if it's getting to the point where quite a few teams can either hardly get up to the line or not even appear. Was going live better when there was single run in the semi's?

Weather issues I can understand the reduced time and if the turnaround is short than at least the reasoning is clear, but when the push is to just go live for tv, I feel that the NHRA should see that unless all teams make a perfect run, if they need more time give them the normal amount, these teams pay too much money to be yanked of any round win.

Races cannot to live on tv in a fixed time slot unless every team is issue free. You want live the NHRA has to make a channel on tv or espn3.com all day.

 

[mick]

live tv sports are hugely popular to the masses, have reliable predetermined
playing times and neilsen ratings to back up the committment to 'live'

then there are niche' market sports that will provide a smaller yet stable
neilsen rating regardless of time slot (ama supercross, nhra, olympics,
auto road racing, UFC, gymnastics, poker, etc.).....tape delay broadcasts
maximize content to interested viewers in a time slot with perhaps a lesser
price point and IMO allow me to enjoy a full sunday and end the weekend
with sunday evening nhra entertainment....perfect.

 

[.]

Gray and Hight both made it, and they ran after Tony in the 2nd round.

 

[Randy]

Might be interesting to do a fan poll (the fans that showed up at Las Vegas that is). I heard the announcers say more than once that the schedule was basically all about live TV. Kinda like looking forward to and showing up to eat at a nice restaurant and hearing the waiter say "Hurry up and eat your steak. We have other people who need this table so we gotta get you outta here by 6:00." Like the bums rush, no time to enjoy yourself.

 

[Rat]

Gray and Hight both made it, and they ran after Tony in the 2nd round.

but that's apples to oranges....tony is the only one who had serious motor issues. A 31 at 281, that was not a tuned down run.

 

[Rat]

Might be interesting to do a fan poll (the fans that showed up at Las Vegas that is). I heard the announcers say more than once that the schedule was basically all about live TV. Kinda like looking forward to and showing up to eat at a nice restaurant and hearing the waiter say "Hurry up and eat your steak. We have other people who need this table so we gotta get you outta here by 6:00." Like the bums rush, no time to enjoy yourself.

Exactly my point. A live show in my opinion is not worth it if you have to axe a team from the shot at the win. But here is what we don't know, would tony of made it in the normal 75?

 

[none]

According to Drag Race Central, round 2 first pair was at 1:11 Tony was second pair, so at three and a half minutes a pair and no hold up from the first pair, Tony ran at Approx 1:15. The semi final round ran @ 2:32 again according to DRC. By my count that is 77 minutes. Not taking a side, just doing the math.

Alan

 

[Pete]

According to Drag Race Central, round 2 first pair was at 1:11 Tony was second pair, so at three and a half minutes a pair and no hold up from the first pair, Tony ran at Approx 1:15. The semi final round ran @ 2:32 again according to DRC. By my count that is 77 minutes. Not taking a side, just doing the math.

Alan

There you go again, applying logic Alan!

 

[.]

but that's apples to oranges....tony is the only one who had serious motor issues. A 31 at 281, that was not a tuned down run.

It was the slowest run of the round if you take out Jeff Arend's smoker. But, lets play it the way you say. I will give T-Ped the benefit and say that the grenade cost him some ET and MPH.

They were told they had 60 minutes to turn around, right?

That is AFTER the last run of the class for the round. He puts it on kill. And grenades it. Now, while he is getting towed back to the pits and starts his tear down. Gray and Hight are still sitting in staging, not moving because the Safari is cleaning up after T-Ped. They make the call to fire em, and T-Ped, with extra time because of clean up, STILL can't?

Nuh-uh. It isn't like the 3 other teams had more time than him, then he might have a complaint. But he had considerably more time than 2 teams and still couldn't make the call. He actually got a better shake than Hight and Gray.

 

[PJ]

According to Drag Race Central, round 2 first pair was at 1:11 Tony was second pair, so at three and a half minutes a pair and no hold up from the first pair, Tony ran at Approx 1:15. The semi final round ran @ 2:32 again according to DRC. By my count that is 77 minutes. Not taking a side, just doing the math.

Alan

seems that answers it right there, he had enough time. New crew and such may need time to work quicker but not nhra's fault. Even if they left him on the track for 5 minutes as he claimed. The clock doesn't start until the end of the round. Just another T-Ped whine fest

 

[.]

Exactly my point. A live show in my opinion is not worth it if you have to axe a team from the shot at the win. But here is what we don't know, would tony of made it in the normal 75?

He didn't get axed. He didn't have a "team" experienced or qualified enough to turn the car around in time.

Lets just say it. Force went to NHRA and said "Screw T-Ped over".

 

[Professor Dave]

They went live because the show was going to be over by seven PM come hell or highwater. ESPN had the final four in women's BB at seven and the ESPN2 had first Sunday Night Baseball Tonight and Sunday Baseball starting at seven as well. Drag racing is far behind either of those in viewership, so John Force could have been doing backflips for the 2011 Funny Car Championship and NHRA still would have been cut off. That's why the show had to be over by seven.

 

[TooTall999]

I'm beginning to think that Tony probably was a whiner while with Force racing and John let him win a championship to shut him up...T-Ped, if you can't take playing at the national level, pack it in and go nostalgia racing or something...

 

[force fan]

I'm beginning to think that Tony probably was a whiner while with Force racing and John let him win a championship to shut him up...T-Ped, if you can't take playing at the national level, pack it in and go nostalgia racing or something...

Why? Is NFC any easier????

 

[.]

Why? Is NFC any easier????

I won't speak for Mr. Keech, but I don't believe it is "easier".

But, in financial terms, it isn't as demanding. Same with sponsorship pressure.

So, you tend not step on it as much, and while at a meet, let alone an early round, if you break something, minor to some teams, but not others, you might put it in the box and watch a little earlier than a big show team would.

Live to run another day.

 

[Rat]

okay fair enough if tony really had 77 minutes and he's *****in about the NHRA not getting the cars back to the pits fast enough and then his crew not running on all cylinders, maybe it's a case where he was pissed at the crew not having ability but having the outside appearance of protecting the crew and denting the NHRA. If that's the case, in a rare instance, NHRA is in the right and did give him a more than fair shake.

 

[hotrod]

I deleted the show after watching it so I can't go back and look at it, but I could swear that Tony said that his team was new and that they just didn't get the job done. I never felt like he was whining. I think he was just sorely disappointed and possibly embarrassed that he let his new sponsor down.
He did mention the five minute wait but I think that he felt that if he had gotten off of the track in a timely manner that he may have pulled the turnaround off. These guys need every minute that they can get, especially if they have any problems at all.

 

[Ma Green]

If you watch the top end guys when a car stops on the track, they are there right away, pushing them off the track. They never hold anyone. The only holdup might be if Tony got out of the car to check the damage, thus slowing the process down.

If Tony hired inexperienced crew members, that's his fault. There are plenty of competent, experienced guys around. And, if I were them, I'd be pissed about being thrown under the bus! Plus, I doubt he was offered any assistance from other crews, which they do for almost everyone else. Perhaps he's made his own bed.

It's never Tony's fault....remember that.

Oh, and please don't send him to NFC!!!

 

[Johnny Ringo]

Maybe if he and his brothers would pay Pat Foster's widow, his Karma might improve.

 

[Jer]

According to Drag Race Central, round 2 first pair was at 1:11 Tony was second pair, so at three and a half minutes a pair and no hold up from the first pair, Tony ran at Approx 1:15. The semi final round ran @ 2:32 again according to DRC. By my count that is 77 minutes. Not taking a side, just doing the math.

Alan

Is it 75 minutes to get your car ready or 75 min till the next run??? It would have been fair to give them there normal time,so what if the live show is behind,just inetrupt the schedule on espn2 like they do to us ALMOST ALL THE TIME.