How can this be fixed?

[Raconteur]

What problem, the system is working... This incident has raised modern NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to a level of awareness unequaled in recent years, and nobody DIED!

Jeff Wolf’s take: JEFF WOLF: It's only cheating when the other team does it - Sports - ReviewJournal.com

Jeff Burk’s take: ::rag Racing Online:::Burk's Blast - A tempest in a teapot or a sea change? - 9/10/2009

Steve Kaminski’s take: Force-Pedregon feud heats up NHRA Funny Car - The Finish Line

ESPN: Tempers Flare At The U.S. Nationals - ESPN Video - ESPN

Autoweek: NHRA fines John Force $10,000 after argument at U.S. Nationals: AutoWeek Magazine

That’s Racin (NASCAR): NHRA fines John Force after altercation at U.S. Nationals | www.thatsracin.com

FOX Sports: Force accused of tanking race at Indy - Auto News - FOX Sports on MSN

INDYStar: Force fined $10,000 by NHRA | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Louis Brewster: At least NHRA places value on qualifying - DailyBulletin.com

An unenforceable "diving" rule is the problem.

 

[haagar]

and There's nothing wrong with a little teamwork - NASCAR News - FOX Sports on MSN

 

[AAFA-Freak]

I think Greg's thought of going back to the World Finals is best 1.
Bring all classes back to div RACES then div racers top 5 qualify for world finals. 35 cars for qualifying 32 spots !!

Move race to midwest area. travel cut back and have at it for all the marbles.


WOW I just woke from a dream NEVER MIND

 

[clwill]

What problem, the system is working... This incident has raised modern NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to a level of awareness unequaled in recent years, and nobody DIED!

<snip>

An unenforceable "diving" rule is the problem.

And nobody was on fire or being life-flighted out.

I agree, one person's "diving" is another's "teamwork".

 

[PJ]

Darr makes a good point with all the press, but when it makes your sport look closer to WWE then a legitmate sport then press isn't a good thing.



I have a buddy who I have been trying to get to come to the track. As I was leaving Indy he calls me, he was actually watching the coverage. His repsonse, "I thought this was a sport, but things are fixed like wrestling and boxing why do you bother? And the John Force guy is an &#&$()#"

Well thats one almost, coulda been fan that we lost through this....I can't believe its the only one

 

[bukweet]

If it went back to division top 5 went to the World Championship, can you imagine the increase of spectators at the local levels when the divisional Fuel Pros are in town for the points race?
Pros have to declare a division and attend all races there,and only there for points. A multi car team could run 4 cars in 4 seperate divisions. No diving worries until the World Championship.
The down side is the down time from oil downs is back on the sportsman racers again. Smaller versions of "The Big Show".

 

[Raconteur]

Darr makes a good point with all the press, but when it makes your sport look closer to WWE then a legitmate sport then press isn't a good thing.

PJ, are you sure this is evidence of WWE or simply returning emotion and humanity into an otherwise extremely Politically Correct racing series? I hope you will reconsider this event with Force & Pedregon to be a good thing, it elevates NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to another Media level, and it is perfect timing for the motorsports media in the Charlotte area for the event at the Bruton-plex next week.

Here's another example:

In the Sprint Cup Series, there's a fine line between teamwork and cheating - ESPN

 

[Speed1288]

What problem, the system is working... This incident has raised modern NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to a level of awareness unequaled in recent years, and nobody DIED!

Silver lining I suppose

 

[PJ]

PJ, are you sure this is evidence of WWE or simply returning emotion and humanity into an otherwise extremely Politically Correct racing series? I hope you will reconsider this event with Force & Pedregon to be a good thing, it elevates NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to another Media level, and it is perfect timing for the motorsports media in the Charlotte area for the event at the Bruton-plex next week.

Here's another example:

In the Sprint Cup Series, there's a fine line between teamwork and cheating - ESPN

Oh I am all for emotion coming back. I don't care if the driver love or hate each other and trash talking and games being played is fine by me, but when the accusation and the attention this has brought is about someone taking a dive for another, then it brings into question the integrity and credibility of our sport. People, especially non fans, aren't seeing some emotionally charged incident, they are questioning how many of our races are fixed.

Nascar has guys banging into each other during and after races, thats fine. Other sports have smack talk and tempers flairing....ever see an Ozzie Gillen interview?? This is far different, I wonder if I will see Don King walking the pits at Zmax....

 

[Dave]

I don't really think this can be fixed. The countdown does not really work well in Drag Racing. Two go down, one comes back. One race, one shot, that's it. The countdown kinda works in Nascar, but certainly not in Drag Racing. The countdown is probably the biggest contributing factor to the disaster. If they ran for year long points like they used to, nobody would care if Force beat Robert because Robert would have no shot at the title. Neither would cruz for that matter.

I never liked the fact that Force (the owner) made his team cars lay down to benefit him. When Larry Minor (the owner) layed down for Gary Beck or Dick LaHaie, it didn't bother me. Minor was the boss and he was helping his drivers, not himself, not being greedy. Force was helping Robert, not himself. I'm OK with that.

I'm almost afraid to mention this idea because NHRA might like it. It would completely ruin the sport, but it might put an end to the diving issue. The way to take care of the divers, is traction control. You could not smoke the tires with it. You'd probably even be able to drive the car out of the groove and it would still stick. Like I said, it would ruin Drag Racing, but the dive issue would go away.

Dave

 

[haagar]

I'm almost afraid to mention this idea because NHRA might like it. It would completely ruin the sport, but it might put an end to the diving issue. The way to take care of the divers, is traction control. You could not smoke the tires with it. You'd probably even be able to drive the car out of the groove and it would still stick. Like I said, it would ruin Drag Racing, but the dive issue would go away.

Just curious, why do you think it would ruin drag racing?

The crew chief would still have to make the power, keep the engine running the whole track, a person with a better clutch setup that doesn't use the TC as much should still make a faster pass. If a car did drive out of the groove it may not smoke the tires, but TC doesn't make traction it just gets the most out of what is there so it would still slow the car down.

Edit: You would also have to tune the TC to allow the proper amount of slip at the right places down the track.

Biggest downside I can see is no more pedal fests.

It is already legal in the ADRL and it is pretty hard to notice any difference unless you are really paying attention for it.

I really wish they would legalize it in the dirt cars around here because I am sick and tired of listening to people whine that everytime someone wins they are using TC. IMHO the cream still rises to the top even with TC.

Sorry for the semi-threadjack.

 

[Toejam]

PJ, are you sure this is evidence of WWE or simply returning emotion and humanity into an otherwise extremely Politically Correct racing series? I hope you will reconsider this event with Force & Pedregon to be a good thing, it elevates NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to another Media level, and it is perfect timing for the motorsports media in the Charlotte area for the event at the Bruton-plex next week.

Here's another example:

In the Sprint Cup Series, there's a fine line between teamwork and cheating - ESPN

Could you imagine how much more press this would have gotten had Punches been thrown???

 

[Dave]

Just curious, why do you think it would ruin drag racing?

The crew chief would still have to make the power, keep the engine running the whole track, a person with a better clutch setup that doesn't use the TC as much should still make a faster pass. If a car did drive out of the groove it may not smoke the tires, but TC doesn't make traction it just gets the most out of what is there so it would still slow the car down.

Edit: You would also have to tune the TC to allow the proper amount of slip at the right places down the track.

Biggest downside I can see is no more pedal fests.

It is already legal in the ADRL and it is pretty hard to notice any difference unless you are really paying attention for it.

I really wish they would legalize it in the dirt cars around here because I am sick and tired of listening to people whine that everytime someone wins they are using TC. IMHO the cream still rises to the top even with TC.

Sorry for the semi-threadjack.

After reading your post, I think you do make a good point. Aside from no more pedal fests and the occasional upset, traction control might not be that bad after all.

Dave

 

[Porkchop]

OK, I've been trying to thing of ways to fix this for a while. Here are a few(probably stupid) ideas I've come up with.

1. When team cars race, award no points for that round of racing.

2. When team cars race, split the points. Each team gets 10 points no matter the outcome.

3. This one just came to me last night. Run the full schedule just like now.
However award points at say, only 16 of the races(this number could be tweaked a little). Have a neutral 3rd party like they have for contests randomly pick the events that count after the season is over. This way "teams" wouldn't know when to dive since it might not help if the event isn't drawn at the end of the year. Single team cars and teams that race straight up would never have to worry about this.

I know there are flaws in these ideas so go ahead and pick them apart. The system in place today is flawed too, so don't be too hard on me!

Im just gonna say "Are you freakin kidding me"!!!

 

[Porkchop]

Are YOU PEOPLE HEARING/LISTENING to yourselves? Its rediculous some of the things you all are saying!!!......If you all know the "answer" why arent you in charge?

 

[John Farce Racing]

Im just gonna say "Are you freakin kidding me"!!!

Well that was a constructive post...........

 

[Bill]

Where is it written that the NHRA racing season needs a points chase?

I can't see the value in it at all.

What if they took the "championship" money (such as it is) and awarded it in payouts all season long, so the same amount of money got distributed to the racers, but there was no "BIG WINNER" (national points champion) at the end of the season?

They could do like they originally did, and make the "World Finals", last race of the season winner, the "National Champion", if they felt compelled to have such an award... maybe make that the biggest-paying race of the 24.

No more absurd, "Countdown;" no more "DIVING" and no more drivers accusing each other of throwing races... The reason to take a dive would disappear with the points.

They could get back to real racing, and forget all about POINTS.

I realize this is anathema to the suits that conjure up this ridiculous "POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP" B.S., but what they have now, is so eaten up with multi-faceted problems, some of which seem not to have any real solutions, maybe a new direction is what needs to be taken.

The NASCAR envy that has created this debacle needs to go away.

NHRA is not NASCAR, and never will be. What works for them, won't necessarily work for NHRA, and I think that's being proven pretty decisively, as we speak.

NHRA didn't always have a points race; maybe the old ways are best, in this case...

 

[I was NITRO BREATH]

PJ, are you sure this is evidence of WWE or simply returning emotion and humanity into an otherwise extremely Politically Correct racing series? I hope you will reconsider this event with Force & Pedregon to be a good thing, it elevates NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing to another Media level, and it is perfect timing for the motorsports media in the Charlotte area for the event at the Bruton-plex next week.

Here's another example:

In the Sprint Cup Series, there's a fine line between teamwork and cheating - ESPN

you think fighting and cheating are good things??? Destoying the credibility of drag racing in the national press is good Darr??? Maybe you should get into politics. Or maybe take Comptons job