I am by no means an experienced racer. But based on what little I do know, I submit the following:
1. The NHRA Rule Book does state that each category has a minimum weight, but to the best of my knowledge does NOT specify when and how often a car SHALL be weighed. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
2. I agree with Randy - when racing for $100,000.00 dollars, you should hit the scales no matter what - as a matter of caution against this type of deal.
3. That said, if Tony's car is typically 40 lbs. over the minimum, then it's safe to assume they were relatively close to that 'standard' on the semi-final run of the shootout too.
4. Which leads me to the statement from Tony about Cory Mac getting a warning in the past. Given #'s 1 & 3 above, I would think that should've held true here too. Furthermore, if it is proven (video or otherwise), then as far as I'm concerned Graham Light owes everyone (racers, fans, sponsors, etc.) an apology. As in all forms of sports, motor driven or otherwise, I ABSOLUTELY HATE when anyone other than the team(s) determines the outcome - and that's exactly what Graham did here.
5. I don't know if it was Melanie herself, or one or more of her crew members who made the accusation, but making such an statement ("we saw them removing weight") after getting spanked, seems, at best, a little odd. If they were TAKING WEIGHT OFF, that would defeat the purpose of running light, wouldn't it?!
In closing, Congrats to 'Hot' Rod Fuller - I'm thankful he wasn't involved (directly) in the controversy. He ran a helluva race and given he ran the better part of the season on David Powers' dime, it's good to see the money go to that team...
One more thought: Wheras I enjoyed the footage, those conversations between Don Schumacher, Tony Schumacher & Graham Light should've been private and none of us should've been privvy to them. As a carrier air traffic controller I've spoken to my fair share of ticked off aviators & IT'S ALWAYS IN PRIVATE - regardless of who's wrong. Praise in public and punish in private. What was said between them, should've stayed between them... particularly given the volatility of the situation - though I thought they all handled themselves professionally.