You know, oddly enough, it did look like a drag race...
When one of the HRA's copyrights the term "Drag Race", then it will be ok for them to go mole wacking on all the media outlets. Until then, if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck....
Although blurry, it looked like a 5.0 Mustang in one lane, a GM box body in the other, both in the brief glimps we saw looked like they had all the trappings of a weekend bracket bomb (hi-rise hood scoop, larger rear tires, maybe a burnout at the start of the tape there?..), and from the news accounts, it sounds like a grudge match between rival factions..
I don't condone it, but to call it a drag race is what it was- remember, the history of the sport was created from the streets, and it was called a drag race LONG before it ever saw a track... Until someone makes the terminolgy specific to the sanctioned sport, what those guys were doing WAS drag racing. Stupidly, on the street, but still performing the action as defined by Websters..
Now, whenever they use the term incorrectly, like in the case of Critchley, or when 2 cars that are going around and around for 500 miles get fender to fender (finally) for the last 100 yards, THEN I'll agree- let's flame on the media...
You can use all the technicalities you want, Martin, and I respect your opinion, but the bottom line is this kinda' crap needs to cease.
I get tired of hearing all of this "one car in one lane, another car in another lane, racing in a straight line so it must be a drag race" BS. We already have enough people whining about how the internet and boards like this aren't doing anything productive for our sport, well this kind of $hit isn't either. Modern day drag racing is done in a safe, organized manner. There is no excuse for these morons that are crashing stuff up on the roads to be doing what they're doing. There are sanctioned drag strips all over the place that are very cheap to participate at that level, so all the street racers (Which is what they need to be labled in the media) that are doing this need to pull their heads out of their a$$es and start doing this stuff where they should be.
As for the media's continued ignorance on the subject, all I can say is that the sport itself has evolved, so there is really no excuse for the media's vernacular not to follow suit, period.
Sean D
Well, Martin, we're just going to have to agree to disagree when it comes to my reference of a technicality.
I don't disagree with the "definition" of a drag race, but rather the context in which the ignorant media continues to utilize it. Having knowledge of the fact that we have opportunities all across this country for sanctioned and very well organized events for drag racing and not identifying the difference when reporting the street racing idiots that cause this kind of havoc is nothing short of irresponsible on the part of the media as far as I'm concerned. There is a difference between the two, regardless of what Webster has to say, and it's time to identify it. If nothing more, out of simple respect for the efforts of Wally Parks.
I'm hearin' ya', Martin, but it doesn't piss me off any less.
Sean D