Newspeak & the NHRA (1 Viewer)

[nick name]

I'm not sure if anyone noticed a sentence that is appearing in the official NHRA releases from Las Vegas. While it's expected that those who work for NHRA would put the best possible face on the new points system, I was really amazed to read:

Utilizing the final-elimination-round concept synonymous with the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, where winners move on and losers go home, the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship features three distinct periods during the 23-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series when competitors will be eliminated from the championship hunt in a playoff-style format.

Sorry, but that's offensive to me. Yes, winners move on and losers go home is the way it's always been and a big part of what USED to make NHRA so immediate and exciting.

How that corresponds to the new arbitrary "playoff" scheme is totally beyond me. Maybe they're trying to say that each race still has a winner and a loser. We should give thanks for small miracles, I suppose.

Only being semi-facetious, I'm getting a vision of Tom Compton's floating head on Motel 6 vision, intoning "War is Peace".

Sorry, just a bit of some Monday morning grumpiness.

 

[PJ]

I get more and more po'd the closer the season gets. This new points system makes me sick.

 

[DragFan2]

Dan, I'm not sure what your beef with that statement is. Is it because there are actually only 2 points (not 3) during the season when you are eliminated from the Championship hunt? My understanding is everyone is in the game until the end of the Maple Grove race (prior to Indy) and then the chop to the final 8 occurs. Then after 4 more races, there is another chop to the top 4 cars, and after that, it's fair game as to which of the top 4 wins the Championship. I know PJ gets disgusted even hearing about the format, and I can see you are on the same page as him. There are 3 distinct periods during the entire season under the new format, but only two points where competitors are eliminated from the Championship hunt. The way that statement reads, there are 3, and that is not correct in my opinion.

 

[john]

PJ isn't the only one that's disgusted, you can read it anyway you want, it's still reads crap.

 

[MM]

I get more and more po'd the closer the season gets. This new points system makes me sick.

PJ you've been much to quiet about your disgust with the new points system....you should be a little more vocal......

 

[PJ]

I'm actually to the point where I break out in convulsions when somebody mentions it

 

[nick name]

I suppose it's the connotation I read that it's a natural extension of what we've done for years and that nothing has changed.

I totally understand the tiered concept. My objection is that is ISN'T "winners move on and losers go home" since after a certain point in the year not all racers will be allowed to be winners and move on. Other racers will be losers but will still have a chance to move on.

That's the difference in a nutshell, and my distate with the statement stems from the impression that we're just going to do what we've always done. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There was always a shining purity regarding drag race competition. You line your car next to mine, and we'll see who's better today. You might be better the next time we race but there was a reason we kept track. The racer who was consistently the best against all comers would be the champion at the end of the year.

Yes, I know this is beating a dead horse, but no one has ever answered a couple of questions I had.

When Force was on his way to putting up his amazing string of championships, should we have made him run 80% to give the other racers a chance and make things more interesting?

And the second part is when Glidden or WJ were kicking everybody's butt in PS, should they have had to carry an extra 100 pounds so as to make for close competition?

There would have been a huge firestorm had either decision been made. I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how this new points system is any different than the scenarios I've outlined above.

If they were wrong, and they truly were, then this Survivor-meets-WWF scheme is every bit as wrong.

Dan, I'm not sure what your beef with that statement is. Is it because there are actually only 2 points (not 3) during the season when you are eliminated from the Championship hunt? My understanding is everyone is in the game until the end of the Maple Grove race (prior to Indy) and then the chop to the final 8 occurs. Then after 4 more races, there is another chop to the top 4 cars, and after that, it's fair game as to which of the top 4 wins the Championship. I know PJ gets disgusted even hearing about the format, and I can see you are on the same page as him. There are 3 distinct periods during the entire season under the new format, but only two points where competitors are eliminated from the Championship hunt. The way that statement reads, there are 3, and that is not correct in my opinion.

 

[Fireball]

I'm actually to the point where I break out in convulsions when somebody mentions it

So stop mentioning it.....it's a done deal, give it a rest already. You guys act like they pulled the plug on drag racing altogether. If it works, it works. If it's a bust, they'll modify or do away with it. Either way there will still be some great side by side racing which is what we are all in this for to begin with.....right?

"Don't sweat the little Sh#t......and it's ALL little sh#t"

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Maybe, to be fully truthful it should read as such:

"Utilizing the final-elimination-round concept synonymous with the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, where close (like horseshoes and hand grenades)is rewarded with welfare points they didn't earn, to wipe competitive slates clean creating equality then starting over where winners move on and losers go home and all the non-qualifiers lose their sponsors from lack of exposure but are still allowed to race for fun and blocking purposes, the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship features three distinct periods during the 23-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series when competitors will be eliminated from the championship hunt in a playoff-style format similar to NASCAR (our heroes) which format is already being altered, reconsidered and re-vamped."

 

[nick name]

Doc, I like it. Wish I'd thought of it.

Ah, to be the lunatic voice crying out in the wilderness - at least I'm not out here alone.

 

[Four Kalitta]

I'm actually to the point where I break out in convulsions when somebody mentions it

I know a good doctor!!!

 

[FalconRacer]

I just want to know in what playoff format other than NASTYCAR is the out of contention teams still allowed to come in an knock off a team in contention??

I do believe this is a WWE battle royal scenario.. OOPS Triple H was eliminated but here he is back with his sledge hammer eliminating other contenders.. and we all know that stuff is FAKE..

 

[Johnny Mopar]

So stop mentioning it.....it's a done deal, give it a rest already. You guys act like they pulled the plug on drag racing altogether. If it works, it works. If it's a bust, they'll modify or do away with it. Either way there will still be some great side by side racing which is what we are all in this for to begin with.....right?

"Don't sweat the little Sh#t......and it's ALL little sh#t"

Great point Richard. It's obvious that the point system won't change this year, and doubtful that it will change for a couple years. NHRA will allow this system to run for a minimum of two years before they even think about tweaking, changing or eliminating it.

The only thing we can do is accept it and see how it all works out.

 

[Rollout96]

Maybe, to be fully truthful it should read as such:

"Utilizing the final-elimination-round concept synonymous with the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, where close (like horseshoes and hand grenades)is rewarded with welfare points they didn't earn, to wipe competitive slates clean creating equality then starting over where winners move on and losers go home and all the non-qualifiers lose their sponsors from lack of exposure but are still allowed to race for fun and blocking purposes, the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship features three distinct periods during the 23-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series when competitors will be eliminated from the championship hunt in a playoff-style format similar to NASCAR (our heroes) which format is already being altered, reconsidered and re-vamped."

LOL!!!! I love it!!