Nitro Parity (2 Viewers)

[We Bad]

A recent National Dragster (issue 25, dated December 13, 2013) has an article about parity, (page 94). In the article they use 2013 season statistics to demonstrate that there is parity in the professional ranks.

I looked at some other statistics in that same issue.
There were 48 Nitro races contested in 2013 (two, T/F and F/C, in each of 24 National events).

Team Schumacher won 23 titles, almost half of all contested.

Team Force won 8 times and Team Alanabi won 8 as well.

The top three teams accounted for 39 victories out of 48, or just over 81 %.

To recap: One mega team wins almost one out of every two national events, the top three teams win more than four out of every five national events, and of course both nitro world championships.

 

[cephus]

that totally sux, and we wonder why

 

[flapjack]

The teams may have won a lot, but if you break it down by drivers, what are the numbers? 23 wins for DSR, but how many are from Antron? How man from Tony? How many for Spencer? Ditto for Al Anabi. That's what I want to see. Just because it is a mega team doesn't mean there is parity within the team. I'd have to check the numbers, but alBalooshi won at most two, but the rest were Langdon's, and those wins were enough to beat out DSR's multiple wins (because no one car in the DSR camp did as well as Langdon). I think the parity is getting better, and will be even closer next year as more teams adopt the technology that came out in 2012 (I doubt all teams were on the large valve cylinder heads, or had the latest clutch technology).

 

[Huge]

Just think how many more cars there might be and how many different champions there could be if there were only 15 races a year, and Top Fuel Dragsters had a 4.00 breakout number and Funny Cars had a 4.20 breakout number. That would fix just about every problem in nitro racing except attendance and track length. The biggest problem is that most fans and racers probably wouldn't like it. So, maybe what we have now isn't as bad as we think it is.

 

[None]

A recent National Dragster (issue 25, dated December 13, 2013) has an article about parity, (page 94). In the article they use 2013 season statistics to demonstrate that there is parity in the professional ranks.

I looked at some other statistics in that same issue.
There were 48 Nitro races contested in 2013 (two, T/F and F/C, in each of 24 National events).

Team Schumacher won 23 titles, almost half of all contested.

Team Force won 8 times and Team Alanabi won 8 as well.

The top three teams accounted for 39 victories out of 48, or just over 81 %.

To recap: One mega team wins almost one out of every two national events, the top three teams win more than four out of every five national events, and of course both nitro world championships.

Nitro Top Fuel and Funny Car have never been about "parity". It has always been about biggest,badest fastest. Get to the finish line first or go home. If you want parity go with the soccer Moms and get in line because everyone gets a ribbon.

 

[Raconteur]

Look at the results of parity in IndyCar racing.

 

[Sandman]

Unfortunately this is what happens with all kinds of racing now that technology exists and can be bought by the highest bidder. Money buys wins. Those little guys we all love, Densham, Dunn, Zizzo and such have about as much chance as winning as they do winning the lottery. Even second-tier teams like Vandergriff and Pedregon that sneak in a win on occasion are really also-rans in reality. I predict we will not see anyone but DSR, Force and Al-Anabi win a championship in any fuel class until drastic changes are made to lessen the percentage money has on racing. Nobody pays to see predictable racing and that's exactly what the nitro classes have become.

 

[sammi]

NHRA's 800 pound gorilla is the fact the they have created a very small world of pro racing that generates little or no excitement, save the actual watching of a fuel car go down the track. The NFL eats NHRA's and NASCAR's lunch because of the way they constantly generate new heros and fresh story lines. With auto racing so hell bent on creating an increasingly smaller closed loop of race winners, football is rapidly drawing away sponsor money and fans. I really expect to see 8 car fields in t/f and f/c by 2016 at the latest.

 

[N2Nitro]

NHRA's 800 pound gorilla is the fact the they have created a very small world of pro racing that generates little or no excitement, save the actual watching of a fuel car go down the track. The NFL eats NHRA's and NASCAR's lunch because of the way they constantly generate new heros and fresh story lines. With auto racing so hell bent on creating an increasingly smaller closed loop of race winners, football is rapidly drawing away sponsor money and fans. I really expect to see 8 car fields in t/f and f/c by 2016 at the latest.

Lets bring back "how many miles John forces pit bike goes during a race" theres the excitement...

 

[Sandman]

Agreed. The thing with stick and ball sports, like it or not, is that the talent of the athlete trumps all. Money is the by-product generated by winning and winning is really what matters. Lots and lots of current sports heroes came from nothing but desire and raw talent. Racing (which I love BTW) is just the opposite. People who have made already made their fortune blow it on racing. For the most part we cannot relate to them on any level. We sit and watch supremely skilled drivers (Dixon, Mike Dunn, Phil Burkhart, JR Todd Cory Mac, Hot Rod Fuller, etc, etc, etc) lose quality rides because someone else brought more money and bought the ride. NHRA has let the rules get so far out of hand that not even average wealthy people can afford to run a fuel car without corporate backing willing to throw good money into a shrinking audience. So what can be done to fix it? I can't say for sure, but I know this much, maybe drag racing would be better off without "professionalism" as the measure of success. Like it or not, the money is going away from racing and maybe the upshot of that will be the loss of "manufactured" interviews, sponsor pandering and putting lesser drivers into cars just for money. Like Mike Dunn once said about John Force's "I gotta business to run" comment: fans don't pay to see a business run.

 

[Cymon Sez]

The good ole days of any "average" Joe sowing up to Lions with his "Top Fuel Dragster" to race the other HUNDRED dragsters that day are long gone and yes that is what has happened to the Big Show/Business today. This really sucks because when I was little thats just what I wanted to do!

 

[T.Smith]

Hey Jim, don't bury us yet!

Unfortunately this is what happens with all kinds of racing now that technology exists and can be bought by the highest bidder. Money buys wins. Those little guys we all love, Densham, Dunn, Zizzo and such have about as much chance as winning as they do winning the lottery. Even second-tier teams like Vandergriff and Pedregon that sneak in a win on occasion are really also-rans in reality. I predict we will not see anyone but DSR, Force and Al-Anabi win a championship in any fuel class until drastic changes are made to lessen the percentage money has on racing. Nobody pays to see predictable racing and that's exactly what the nitro classes have become.

 

[Toejam]

A recent National Dragster (issue 25, dated December 13, 2013) has an article about parity, (page 94). In the article they use 2013 season statistics to demonstrate that there is parity in the professional ranks.

I looked at some other statistics in that same issue.
There were 48 Nitro races contested in 2013 (two, T/F and F/C, in each of 24 National events).

Team Schumacher won 23 titles, almost half of all contested.

Team Force won 8 times and Team Alanabi won 8 as well.

The top three teams accounted for 39 victories out of 48, or just over 81 %.

To recap: One mega team wins almost one out of every two national events, the top three teams win more than four out of every five national events, and of course both nitro world championships.

 

[Toejam]

Today's Mega team Strangelhold problem was Started by John Force! NHRA Buckled as they always do when St. John decided he wanted to add 3rd and 4th cars to his team! Yet the Force fans blame Don Schumacher......the Irony!

 

[Larry jr.]

Look at the results of parity in IndyCar racing.

Or Nascar.

The real reason for the "super teams" is you just can't afford to start out on you're own in fuel racing anymore, the people who have been involved the past 20 years don't know any different, its just a job to most doing it .

Racing is expensive.

 

[You!]

Force was in high school while Schumacher had three active funny cars.

 

[Huge]

Today's Mega team Strangelhold problem was Started by John Force! NHRA Buckled as they always do when St. John decided he wanted to add 3rd and 4th cars to his team! Yet the Force fans blame Don Schumacher......the Irony!

Joe, Larry Minor had a multi car team way before Force or Schumacher. I could care less how many cars are on a team...the points are on the driver not the owner and there is a different driver for each car. It may be far in between, but it sure feels good when you beat a big dog team.

 

[Cymon Sez]

Multi car teams did exist but weren't a problem until JFR added a second car. When Larry Minor had a multi car team there was still a rather large car count that was active and competitive. When JRF added Tonys car the car count was rapidly dwindling and proceeded to make things worse(yeah it was adding cars) but it was an effect that would have devastating long term effects on the sport. John adds a car so to keep up Shoe adds a car as does Don P then Jerry shows up with two and it just spiralled from there.

 

[Sandman]

Hey Jim, don't bury us yet!

Bury you? Far from it, I cross my fingers every time an underdog team comes to the line. I think any real fan likes to see a fresh face in the winner's circle and guys like your whole team, who has real jobs during the week, are exactly what I pay to see and can relate to. Does that mean I hope the rich teams cars will break? No. But nothing gets me as happy as seeing an under-rated team go a couple rounds or take out a heavy hitter with a shockingly good round. You know, like when you guys dropped the Army car last year. Haven't been that happy about drag racing in a looong time.

 

[You!]

Multi car teams did exist but weren't a problem until JFR added a second car. When Larry Minor had a multi car team there was still a rather large car count that was active and competitive. When JRF added Tonys car the car count was rapidly dwindling and proceeded to make things worse(yeah it was adding cars) but it was an effect that would have devastating long term effects on the sport. John adds a car so to keep up Shoe adds a car as does Don P then Jerry shows up with two and it just spiralled from there.