Pedregons lose the sportsmanship trophy!!

[PJ]

Just because you don't agree with the championship format, it doesn't mean they are not the champions. No where in print will you see the term "charity championship", only in you and a few others (ok, maybe more than a few around here ) minds is that the case.

Actually walk around the pits, listen in the stands, you may be surprised what you hear. There are championships and countdown championships. Yes they are both championships and its not the fault of whoever wins it but there is a difference between the two. Call it an asterisks or whatever, but there are many people, beyond just me and this board, that do not consider them equal. To be honest I feel bad about that. The guys who have won without winning it like Eddie, Tped, Cped, Shoe yr one, Jeg...haven't done anything wrong, but the rules in place allowed them to win what wasn't theirs to be won.



Hell even match races have pitted the countdown champ vs the people's champ with Cruz and Wilk. While that is a great marketing plan it also shows just how laughable it is and how little credibility it has

 

[clwill]

Hey, at least it got the NHRA on Sportscenter for the first time since TPed's fire at Pomona...

 

[Nobody]

.02 from the sidelines

Like anyone cares, but had to get my thought in on this one:

TPed: Hey you've already lost, why not see if you can provoke the competition into a fine or givin up a few points. It's hard to play the heel, but someone has to. Plus for havin game, negative for givin up class. -0

CPed: Not so great move on the about face. "let the chips fall" to john. "cheater" to the camera. -2

John F: WTF??? Bad job on selling the dive. Bad job on composure. Good job working the system as it's defined by the NHRA. -1

ESPN: Way to provoke a fight. What is the reality TV now? Kudos for not cutting off Mike D in mid thought. He gets paid to call 'em. -0
(bonus point for flashing back to the previous dive Jeg's teammate took against him, even though no one seemed to pick up on it. Is this guy such a darling that he's untouchable?) net +1

NHRA: You guys started this, don't act surprised when it starts gettin fugly. -2

I see this as a symptom, not a problem. So, root cause? IMHO you can't have teams in an individual bracket sport and still maintain a high level of competition and sportsmanship. (vis a vie you can't have money in sports and expect it either)
Solutions? : One car per family, until you get enough 4 lane tracks to have a sepaerate "team eliminator". 32 car fields to dilute the team effect (sorry, wishful thinking). Dump the countdown, there aren't enough competetitors besides the top 10 to make this work. If you have to have a "tournament" make it a seperate deal, have it at Indy, and call it the national championship.

Enough rambling, back to your scheduled "debate"

 

[Randy]

You're right, but it's okay to talk that smack with no repercussions? Hmmm....

Sticks and stones...

 

[Gary H]

I guess all the kids can learn from this. It's not about winning or losing, or being a good sport. It's all about the money. And integrity doesn't mean a thing.

 

[Randy]

Tony "Primadonna" Pedregon is an *******.

Period.

This is why Tony and Cruz will NEVER have the following or impact on the NHRA that John Force has had. And that is why Tony is no longer with JFR. And that is why he had to start his own thing.

Can't wait to see Tony and brother Cruz in the announcers booth in a few years. No sponsor in their right mind would support such a jerk.

I'm writing a letter to Tony that I will be posting later this evening.

Hmmm.

I'm sure I can guess where that letter will end up.

A few unbiased non-Kool-Aide drinking facts:

Tony didn't have to leave Force and start his own team. Tony chose to leave and start his own team.

Tony and Cruz have a lot of fans. Probably a few more now.

Cheers.

.

 

[Randy]

Even if it means that you have to see people throw "races".

Ends justifying the means.

"I want my favorite ice cream even if I have to kill you to get it."

 

[Randy]

The fans at both Pedregon brothers ropes combined will not equal the ones at John's pit.

Fan count has officially been rated higher than Mater 'cred. Quick, get me a damp Old Spice towel.

 

[Randy]

Hey Drew, if I remember right at Norwalk I believe it was, didnt ole little Wilk lay down for Tasca? So I guess you have to say F*CK Tasca and Wilk now too huh? If the shoe fits.......

You are missing the point. It's a well known fact that laying down for the good of the team is happening and will continue. It's when someone gets in your face and says it ain't so is where the problem lies.

 

[Sophia]

I'm a big Pedregon Racing fan and I left with my Pedregon hat in my pocket after seeing all that crap. All Cruz and Tony had to do was shut up...all the fans could clearly see that John threw they race but instead they had to make themselves look bad by publically trashing him. They had a chance to change the outcome and JFR put both their butts on the trailer, period.

It sucks John did it so blatantly but if he wanted to go up to the line with 4 flat tires and his trailer hooked to the back of his car....it is HIS CAR! I was ticked off when John did that but man my emotions swung when I got home and watched all they said about him on TV. That was LOW!

 

[Tom]

Tony Pedregon T-shirts make AWESOME shop rags, especially when you spill Castrol on the garage floor changing your oil like I did this morning.

 

[Randy]

I Loved it! The pedrigons are just jealous little asshats!

I hate em both!

GO TEAM FORCE!

Wow.

.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

A 14-time Champion and ambassador to the sport steered his Ford Mustang hard right on drag racing's biggest stage all because the AAA Mustang team couldn't make the Top 10 in the first 3/4 of the season.

Lost in the shuffle here is that John didn't feel the US Nationals trophy for himself was something he wanted!!!! But yeah, I guess he's got enough of those.

Just wanted to make sure I had the story straight!

 

[.]

Tony Pedregon T-shirts make AWESOME shop rags, especially when you spill Castrol on the garage floor changing your oil like I did this morning.

I'm sure they're heartbroken. They still got their money.

 

[Randy]

I see a fine coming, and it's T-Ped who should get it, he was the one who instigated the thing, T-Ped was the one who walked over to the other side of the return road to shoot his mouth off, and pushed John to get it started, T-Ped should have stayed on the other side with his car, and cried like the whining little baby that he is.

"I'm sorry I voiced my opinion. The First Amendment doesn't apply on the return road."

"I'm sorry you charged me in a threatening manner and shoved two NHRA officials who thought you might have lost control of yourself, and that you took a swing at one of them for your elbow."

"I'm sorry my chin got in the way of your fist."

Yep.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

"I'm sorry I voiced my opinion. The First Amendment doesn't apply on the return road."

"I'm sorry you charged me in a threatening manner and shoved two NHRA officials who thought you might have lost control of yourself, and that you took a swing at one of them for your elbow."

"I'm sorry my chin got in the way of your fist."

Yep.

I echo your thoughts Randy! I want this type of fun every race!! It's just plain good!!

 

[Randy]

I just read the article on CompPlus and if Tony or Cruz were calling Force a cripple, then good riddance to them. What a bunch of scum bags.

I'd like to hear from someone besides Force on that one.

.

 

[Randy]

I don't remember how much of a lead Tony had two years ago before the countdown, but who would even call Cruz's championship a real championship. Cmon Wilkerson was on fire last year, give me a break.

And the championship was won under the current rules with no diving. I don't understand your point.

 

[Randy]

What race were you watching Paul, T-Ped was the lunatic that started it (he went out of his way to start it), he's the one who should be fined.

I prefer grape flavored Kool-Aide myself. And you?

 

[mike]

You are missing the point. It's a well known fact that laying down for the good of the team is happening and will continue. It's when someone gets in your face and says it ain't so is where the problem lies.

with the rules NHRA has in place one has to say "it ain't so" even when to anyone with a few function brain cells it's obvious "it is so" ...

NHRA (and most other racing organizations) should probably give the fans more credit...as long as there are multi-car teams I think most rational people will understand that, on occasion, a team will do what's best for the team even when it's distasteful...and trying to enforce rules about "team orders" just makes everyone involved look even worse