Pro Stock "Qualifying" (1 Viewer)

[ZWeinstein]

If not for the Countdown, this thread wouldn't likely exist. To me, the issues raised here about sandbagging, etc, are directly related to the position the countdown puts people in. Had the points not be reset Enders probably would be long out of it by now (certainly not in a position to make these goings-on even occurring).

Yet one more reason the countdown doesn't work and doesn't and hasn't in any way fulfilled the notion of helping small teams stay in it. With respect to the main topic of this thread, it's made things clearly worse.

Teams have been sandbagging/throwing races long before there was ever a countdown. Force/Pedregon, Kalitta, CSK team, KJ with the #2 engine against his dad at times, if you want to even go back further, look at Gary Beck and Larry Minor. The countdown is not the reason teams sandbag against each other.

 

[Jack]

A few races back in the countdown...Billy had a better car than Steve and then has his worst light of his career against his son...I don't know if I would say that they haven't raced that way before. They can all deny it up the wazoo...but we aren't stupid.

The only reason I brought up that race was the connection between the two teams. Been repeatedly mentioned that Tatums car is a clone of Steve's and team Torrence spent time on getting the car set-up for Tripp to compete with. Hopefully it SAS a mechanical issue but..........

 

[twostep]

It's one thing to sandbag qualifying as many times team do a half pass, test new parts or tuneup or skip runs so you're not trying to win. Elims is a whole different thing. To me, throwing a race is unconscionable. I predicted "something" would happen to Troy's car since he had 2 hundreds on her in round 1 and 2. Hopefully karma will deny Erica the championship. And I hope she has to deal with a lot of heat the next two weeks. Glad to see Dallas come up big.

You'd think TC would have at least tried to do a decent job of throwing the race but no, he made it blatant as all hell. For crying out loud, leave a little late, shift a little early, something other than pushing in the clutch pedal at 1200 feet. And while I hesitate to call someone a liar when I wasn't there and not privy to the facts, let's just say that I don't believe what Erica Enders said for one second, although one could hardly blame her for not saying "you damn right there were team orders; Richard told Troy he was off the team if I lost that round..." although that very thing was likely an unspoken possibility.

I'm rooting for Anderson to win the championship and being as he's 81 points up with one race left, even with 1.5X he's definitely holding the high cards.

 

[z28]

You'd think TC would have at least tried to do a decent job of throwing the race but no, he made it blatant as all hell. For crying out loud, leave a little late, shift a little early, something other than pushing in the clutch pedal at 1200 feet. And while I hesitate to call someone a liar when I wasn't there and not privy to the facts, let's just say that I don't believe what Erica Enders said for one second, although one could hardly blame her for not saying "you damn right there were team orders; Richard told Troy he was off the team if I lost that round..." although that very thing was likely an unspoken possibility.

I'm rooting for Anderson to win the championship and being as he's 81 points up with one race left, even with 1.5X he's definitely holding the high cards.

I think Coughlin did a bad job of red lighting and then had to do something else

 

[stitcherbob]

Is it still called “team orders” if Mama K says to Steve “you’ve won enough, let your dad Billy have some for a change!”

This was a fictional account …. The names were supposed to be changed to protect………me

 

[camaro]

. . . . . Richard told Troy he was off the team if I lost that round..." although that very thing was likely an unspoken possibility.

I'm rooting for Anderson to win the championship and being as he's 81 points up with one race left, even with 1.5X he's definitely holding the high cards.

i'm willing to bet that definitely didn't happen. if Erica wins the championship, they make about $200K, i'm guessing Jegs is paying Elite, 4 or 5 times or more, that amount for the rental of that car, so i'm guessing it was a voluntary dive !!

 

[Al]

I reserved comment until I watched the entire event (that I pvr'd). Again, I don't have a problem with qualifying strategy but throwing races I don't like. Troy said he would do whatever necessary and he did. But a big point is that Richard Freeman said the teams came to him with this plan. If he and Erica had the integrity that they claim they have, they would have responded with "we don't operate like that".

 

[Mustang]

I'm rooting for Anderson to win the championship and being as he's 81 points up with one race left, even with 1.5X he's definitely holding the high cards.

He WAS up 81, TC’s “malfunction” helped to cut that lead to 32. Greg deserves this one this year, if karma exists at all EE will go out in round one at Pomona. (Extra points for poetic justice if Greg is somehow the one to do it.)

 

[DanTheFan]

I reserved comment until I watched the entire event (that I pvr'd). Again, I don't have a problem with qualifying strategy but throwing races I don't like. Troy said he would do whatever necessary and he did. But a big point is that Richard Freeman said the teams came to him with this plan. If he and Erica had the integrity that they claim they have, they would have responded with "we don't operate like that".

Bingo .... Erica wasn’t probably technically correct in that there were no team orders ... just a wink and an understanding.

 

[Nitro Cane]

If GA goes to the Semi's its all his ? Correct? EE would need him to lose Rd 1 and win the race most probly.

 

[Mustang]

If GA goes to the Semi's its all his ? Correct? EE would need him to lose Rd 1 and win the race most probly.

Unfortunately no. He’s only up by 32 now. With Pomona being 1.5x points that’s a very slim margin

 

[mick]

a round is worth 30pts @ pomona. if erica gets enough little Q points to close margin to 30 or under........then she only has to go one rnd. better than greg. not sure who would get
the nod in event of tie.

 

[ol21stud]

With GA typically getting more of the qualifying points, the Elite team will be doing the "Qualifying Shuffle" that GA and the KB Team introduced a couple years ago. GA will most likely increase that 32 points to at least 40 by Sunday morning's 1st round. Erica would then need to go two rounds further to win the Championship.
So with the exception of Erica, I expect Team Elite will be running to the 1000' in qualifying and "curling" the finish line for qualifying spots at the bottom of the ladder.

 

[mgty3whlr]

It's strategy and Elite is desperate right now.

 

[Pete]

the PS final was great. good wait. stage. both great r.t.'s. both stellar runs. happy for dallas........positioning in qualifying tactic is hard to do and can appreciate when achieved.
if the championship check at end of year was a significant value, i would understand the laying down practice, but for what they run for, i do not.

I have no issues with teams working together to a common goal, but just don't bold face lie about it. Many years ago, Connie had to race Scott in TF...only Scotts car came to the line. They interviewed Connie and he said something like "Well of course I'm not coming up here, Scotts in the championship hunt, that makes no sense". Don;t sugar coat it folks, were adults, so be open and its a moot question from there forward

 

[mick]

I have no issues with teams working together to a common goal, but just don't bold face lie about it. Many years ago, Connie had to race Scott in TF...only Scotts car came to the line. They interviewed Connie and he said something like "Well of course I'm not coming up here, Scotts in the championship hunt, that makes no sense". Don;t sugar coat it folks, were adults, so be open and its a moot question from there forward

i totally remember that. i believe it was in brainerd.

 

[M Jones]

I have no issues with teams working together to a common goal, but just don't bold face lie about it. Many years ago, Connie had to race Scott in TF...only Scotts car came to the line. They interviewed Connie and he said something like "Well of course I'm not coming up here, Scotts in the championship hunt, that makes no sense". Don;t sugar coat it folks, were adults, so be open and its a moot question from there forward

Isn’t there a rule about taking dive in competition ?

 

[*******]

Isn’t there a rule about taking dive in competition ?

LOL, good luck enforcing that. Darn it, we ran over a screw in the staging lanes and now have a flat tire at the ready line. Oh well, guess I can't run

 

[GumbyWVU]

Teams have been sandbagging/throwing races long before there was ever a countdown. Force/Pedregon, Kalitta, CSK team, KJ with the #2 engine against his dad at times, if you want to even go back further, look at Gary Beck and Larry Minor. The countdown is not the reason teams sandbag against each other.

I didn't say the countdown was the reason for sandbagging. My point was - and I thought it was pretty clear - this thread wouldn't be here if not for the countdown, that Enders & Co. would not have been in a position to do what's being alleged (or Greg in the past, or whoever) because the points would not have been reset to make her close enough to "do" this. The Countdown has not contributed anything positive and has enabled this stuff to continue in a different manner. Take it away and there's no shennanigans with qualifying.

When did Gary Beck and Larry Minor get reset in points with 6 races to go? And those other examples are just part of the semi-fiction of the NHRA history. I don't believe that any sponsor would sit by and watch their guy throw it.

 

[Professional Fan]

I didn't say the countdown was the reason for sandbagging. My point was - and I thought it was pretty clear - this thread wouldn't be here if not for the countdown, that Enders & Co. would not have been in a position to do what's being alleged (or Greg in the past, or whoever) because the points would not have been reset to make her close enough to "do" this. The Countdown has not contributed anything positive and has enabled this stuff to continue in a different manner. Take it away and there's no shennanigans with qualifying.

When did Gary Beck and Larry Minor get reset in points with 6 races to go? And those other examples are just part of the semi-fiction of the NHRA history. I don't believe that any sponsor would sit by and watch their guy throw it.

Don't understand how you can make the statement "The Countdown has not contributed anything positive." Because of the Countdown, every pro champion will be decided at Pomona. There are great battles in every category except Top Fuel. Without the Countdown, all the championships would have been decided at Vegas except maybe FC, making Pomona just another race. As others have mentioned, races were thrown before the Countdown existed so you can't blame the Countdown for the origination of thrown races.