OH PJ....countdown changes! (1 Viewer)

[MM]

I FREAKIN' LOVE IT! As usual, I'm happy with a compromise.

My problem was always about the cut-down to 4 drivers with only 2 races left. I'm grateful for the change.

a woman happy with compromise....is that legal??

 

[yoda]

a woman happy with compromise....is that legal??

Come on Mike- we all know Kelly isn't just ANY woman- she's SPECIAL!!!

 

[turbo ken]

a woman happy with compromise....is that legal??

It's unheard of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PJ]

Where to start.......

I will agree that this is an improvement over last years debacle. Of course I think drawing names out of a hat would have been an improvement over last year too but I will commend the brass for being willing to make a change. Still not the right one, but at least it is better. Taking away the second cut is at least a move in the right direction. Maybe soon we can drop this entire countdown farce and get back to real racing and championships

On the plus side it does take out some of the luck factor by taking out one of the cuts. Of course you still do not have to be the best car over the season and cars will still be given points to catch up so it is still very much a welfare system. Basically you just have to have a little longer lucky streak then last year.

One of the biggest problems last year was that playoff teams did not have to race each other. Over the last 6 races one of the champs never had to beat any other top 4 player (and only beat 1 top 8). Not much of a playoff to me. Imagine if the Patriots didn't have to play Jacksonville, the Colts or Packers in the playoffs and instead got to play the Lions, Dolphins and Falcons. It's not all the difficult to be #1 when you're not racing the other top cars. It was wrong last year and its wrong this year. I would have rather seen them keep it at 8 and put playoff and non playoff teams on each side of the ladder.


I still do not get what was wrong with the old system. What is wrong with being the best? What is wrong with going out and earning every point on the track? If you are the best by 1 point or 100 points at least you know that you are the best and didn't need a points handout to win. My issues with the countdown are still the same. To accept the countdown is to accept that the NHRA Championship does not mean greatness anymore. If you want to be entertained by false championships go watch wrestling. Can you go up to Robert, Rod and Greg and tell them you were entertained enough so its ok that they weren't the champs? Were you entertained enough knowing that if you went to several races last year, you still paid full price to watch teams in test mode as their coutndown spots were clinched? Were you entertained watching a team lose over 1/2 of its first round races still walk away with a championship. Were you entertained enough to see race after race be questioned about diving? I wasn't and had given up watching by the end of last season.

I believe the sponsor carnage we have seen this off-season is due to many factors and yes I believe the countdown is one of the reasons. When you make a joke of your own championship system, when you eliminate TV time for over 1/2 of the field and companies see you following someone else's failing system it doesn't breed much confidence to get or stay involved.


Now I wonder if we should start betting on what changes will happen next year to it? Will drivers earn bonus points entering the countdown based on race wins? Will they allow the top 16 in? When you have a broken, illy planned system constant change is needed. THE only right change is to stop the countdown. Sadly I imagine that at best we are still 2-3 seasons away from returning to a true championship system.

 

[Kelly]

Come on Mike- we all know Kelly isn't just ANY woman- she's SPECIAL!!!

Awww.....I'll take that as a compliment!

 

[luxexpress]

Although I am not in favor of a "playoff" format, this one makes a lot more sense than last-year's crapshoot and addresses most of the seriously unfair elements - top ten, only one cutoff, and leading the points during the regular season is worth a one-round bonus when the second phase begins. I'd suggest sending everyone else home for the final phase - making it a true "playoff" - but the Torco pullback may take care of that anyway.

I agree. IF they HAVE to have a playoff, this is 100 times better than last years fiasco.

 

[Jet]

Now lets see if HD Partners will step up the purse so the Pro winners get 7 figures and all the rest of the Top 10 get 6-figures. Well.......I can dream, can't I?

 

[mick]

i like it.
brings some excitement back to indy, as has been lacking recently;
although i wish indy would also award extra points and/or money.

 

[Sandy]

I FREAKIN' LOVE IT! As usual, I'm happy with a compromise.

My problem was always about the cut-down to 4 drivers with only 2 races left. I'm grateful for the change.

I'm with her !!

 

[Nitrohaulic]

"designed to build upon the excitement and success generated from last year's inaugural season"

Give me a break, get rid of it. Lipstick on a pig!

I like Billy's reply to that on the other board.

Yeah. but at 2 am when the bar is closing you want the one with the lipstick!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nitrohaulic]

a woman happy with compromise....is that legal??

Mike. Remember that little thread in the Lounge? (Wink, wink, nod, nod.)

What's she REALLY saying?

 

[PJ]

You know maybe this was their plan all along. Realizing that most fans would be against any type of manufactured, contrived, realtiy tv-esque countndown that they made the first year so bad that way any change they made in year 2 would be perceived as good and people would accept it then.

Nope still a bad idea and not needed in our sport. Where are the sponsors and major interest that this was supposed to get them running for....oh thats right they are running AWAY!!!!

 

[Nitrohaulic]

You know maybe this was their plan all along. Realizing that most fans would be against any type of manufactured, contrived, realtiy tv-esque countndown that they made the first year so bad that way any change they made in year 2 would be perceived as good and people would accept it then.

Nope still a bad idea and not needed in our sport. Where are the sponsors and major interest that this was supposed to get them running for....oh thats right they are running AWAY!!!!

I remember when a Texas tanker outfit I was contracted to bought a Jersey tanker outfit and merged them. It was all downhill after that. They apparently thought they could pay northeastern people southern wages, among other mistakes. They swallowed a poison pill and the corporate types weren't about to break them back apart as, I believe, that would basically be the same as publicly admitting to a mistake. Of course, then ANOTHER company bought that one when we thought we couldn't go any lower! (and we did!)

You have to wonder if NHRA will ever go back to what the majority consider to be the best points system?

 

[d'kid]

You're right PJ... I think it's a major Improvement , but only the top ten at the last 7 races, with eight car fields... That would make Indy the last race of the season, TBA as the first race of the Post season...

But, I still like the Idea of dividing the Country into 8 divisions and the winner of the Division goes to the play offs... a one race deal for all the marbles...

Two catches, You and your team must be based in the division you claim. Multi car teams must race each car out of a different division...

d'kid

 

[Rooster]

Bobby...one single round loss of racing did not decide the 2007 F/C champion.
Those cars did not perform as well as Tony P and he is the 2007 Champ and he earned it on his own. Hight had a chance but did not seal the deal..
Hired drivers do not impress me as much as grass roots owners who do well..

Well Terry, I will guarantee things would have probably been different for Tony if John hadn't crashed in Dallas. Remember? He won the race on a bye>>>>>..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MM]

Mike. Remember that little thread in the Lounge? (Wink, wink, nod, nod.)

What's she REALLY saying?

thanks for reminding me Ron!! gotta keep them Women-ese skills sharp

 

[kingcobrafan]

You know maybe this was their plan all along. Realizing that most fans would be against any type of manufactured, contrived, realtiy tv-esque countndown that they made the first year so bad that way any change they made in year 2 would be perceived as good and people would accept it then.

PJ, as much as I hate to say it, I think the countdown's here to stay, with only tweaks being made to it as opposed to scrapping it altogether. No way Glendora's going to throw egg on their own faces. At least Indy's not a welfare race this year.

Nope still a bad idea and not needed in our sport. Where are the sponsors and major interest that this was supposed to get them running for....oh thats right they are running AWAY!!!!

Still waiting for so much as a thimbleful of that increased exposure/interest myself, besides what NHRA manufactured on their countdown-only race telecasts.

 

[Gordon]

One of the biggest problems last year was that playoff teams did not have to race each other. Over the last 6 races one of the champs never had to beat any other top 4 player (and only beat 1 top 8). Not much of a playoff to me. Imagine if the Patriots didn't have to play Jacksonville, the Colts or Packers in the playoffs and instead got to play the Lions, Dolphins and Falcons. It's not all the difficult to be #1 when you're not racing the other top cars. It was wrong last year and its wrong this year. I would have rather seen them keep it at 8 and put playoff and non playoff teams on each side of the ladder.

Unfortunately, no matter what Glendora does from here on out, somebody will have issues with the points system - whether we go back to the old style or continue to tweak the current system. That said, I agree with PJ, to a point.

Playoffs are a part of every major sports league - Baseball, Football, Hockey, etc. Why not NHRA? Why are we so special? Teams have great regular seasons all the time but fail to win the season championship once the playoffs start.

But in my mind, here's where PJ is right: in the other sports, playoff teams only face playoff teams once the post-season starts. So, once the "playoffs" start, NHRA should institute a ladder with the top eight (playoff cars) on one side and the bottom eight (remaining cars on the grounds who qualified well enough to get in the remaining eight) on the other side. Why? Because anyone can beat anyone else on any given Sunday (See: Miami Dolphins, 1-15 record.) But, a 12th or 13th place car should not be in a position to eliminate a playoff car - ever! If the Patriots lose today, or next week, or two weeks after that, 16-0 won't mean much - BUT AT LEAST THEY WILL HAVE LOST TO A PLAYOFF TEAM!

The other gaping hole/issue with this system is team orders. Even NASCAR can hide them (a little) because of the way they earn points. In a playoff system, diving WILL ALWAYS be an issue and it softens the final standings when it's even suspected. However, it was an issue before the playoff system, so what are ya gonna do?

Bottom line: I'm not 100% against a playoff season, but make it a TRUE playoff.

Oh yeah... and I'm going to watch anyway.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

thanks for reminding me Ron!! gotta keep them Women-ese skills sharp

And Kelly knows I'm just funnin' with her.

(That, or she's thinking "What does he REALLY mean by that?")

 

[Nitrohaulic]

You know what I like about the Countdown?

Counting the old mater, I've been here since 2004. I know where the political leanings of some people here lie and how some of us are 180 degrees apart in them. This is something that most of us come together and at least agree on "THAT'S WRONG!" and that we arrive at those beliefs using similar reasoning.

The fact that, along the Countdown way, I've witnessed many Countdown supporters go after the PEOPLE they disagree with instead of just what they disagree with them about, the same as I've seen many of the people I'm politically opposed to do, just makes it all the more special! Those people couldn't find a better way of reinforcing the beliefs of those they disagree with if they tried!