yoda
Nitro Member
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!!!
Great post MartinThe C/D was put in place EXCLUSIVELY to generate move 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..
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
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!!!
I'd like to know how long Paul Miller has been following the sport of Drag Racing?
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??
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?
But Since you've been watching for ages also, then surely you can see this new points deal is BS!
I know the Champs have a pay increase this year, TF and FC get $500k this year. Actually, everyone in the top 8 has a pay increase this year and the total point fund has increased by roughly $210k. To answer your question TF/FC 9 and 10 received $16k and $15k, PS 9 and 10 received $8k and $7.5k, and PSB 9 and 10 received $3.2k and $3k. So yes, the dollars are really insignificant.
And yet, compared to other racing series champions around the world, it is a sad pittance... NASCAR Champs take home 10 times that much, and have national coverage of their awards ceremony... I assumed that was the direction the Association was going with the whole change of theme (at least with the press coverage of the Series leaders), but as I said before, here we sit, struggling to get recognition still...
The Countdown gets a lot of NHRA media attention, so much so that the individual races are now almost afterthoughts. The special races, like the Top Fuel race this weekend, are virtually ignored because they play no part in the countdown and the national events themselves are just backdrops for the Countdown.
I would think that the tracks and the race sponsors would be objecting to the shift in focus - even the pre-event publicity has become mostly about the Countdown. The race itself is secondary and event winners are not featured in the post-race story unless they are also in the Countdown.
I may be in the minority, but I always thought each race was something special and the season-long championship was an honor that went to the driver who did best in all the events, not just four or two.