Real Classy Cruz!!! :( (1 Viewer)

[tonycpe]

I see we have a bunch of cry babies posting . Nothin wrong with what Cruz said.

 

[fatcat]

Does it bother anyone besides me that the # 5 qualifier lost to the #12 qualifier, by smoking the tires, on a 10 degree cooler track in the 1st round.

 

[d'kid]

Does it bother anyone besides me that the # 5 qualifier lost to the #12 qualifier, by smoking the tires, on a 10 degree cooler track in the 1st round.

In A Word NOPE!!!

d'kid
hardcore AAA fan

 

[willy]

Does it bother anyone besides me that the # 5 qualifier lost to the #12 qualifier, by smoking the tires, on a 10 degree cooler track in the 1st round.

Doesn't bother me any more than what Cruz said.

Geez..gonna be a long winter.

 

[d'kid]

I'll drink to that David

d'kid

 

[megadeth]

This thread is too funny! It's entertaining to read peoples comments who really should educate themselves about the sport of drag racing. Whether a cheap shot or not, drag racing is a professional sport just like football, baseball etc. Players make comments (cheap shots if you want to call it that) all the time to one another. It's called being competitive. Competitors may talk a little smack to motivate themselves. Doesn't mean it's personal. I can tell you that whatever comments were made did not bother Force based on the conversation I had with him this evening. John is a class guy and a Champion! When you beat the best it's very gratifying. When a camera is stuck in you face it's not easy for some to have the correct words on spur the moment.

As far as the countdown format, like it or not, it is what it is. Every team had the same opportunity! Cruz had the best car the last 6 races. Period.

I spent a few minutes over in Wilkerson's pit this evening. I told him he had a great season and had the best car all year. No one can argue that. He didn't have a good car when it counted. Tim is a class guy. Anyone that can own, drive, tune AND be successfull..... hats off to em'!

It's a good thing when you are called a whiner and nobody likes you. That means you are winning!

I don't mean to bash anyone or take up for anyone either. Just some opinions that may shed some light for some people.

Have fun at your keyboards!

Dickie Venables

Not to change the subject.
Any word on the validity of the gate left open on Tony?

 

[Bullard Anderson]

It seems like everytime there is a chance that a good old fashion slugfest/rivalry could develop many of the peeps absolutely explode.

Why not just sit back, put your feet up and say, "This could get good."

 

[PJ]

I have no problem with a rivalry and talking smack. Fuller and Shoe jawing back and forth is great. It just seemed really odd to call the guy classy and thank him for standing buy you, then calling him greedy and a sponsor stealer. granted both ends of that may be true. It just seemed really odd the way he did it.

 

[downtime]

Unless someone has actually been standing in front of a very large audience, in a state of complete amazement, and been expected to say the "perfect words", I would comment that hindsight is 20-20... None of us are perfect, and I know in the rare instances that I have been called on suddently to say something in front of an audience, be it as a wedding, IT industry event, called to a podium for whatever reason... The mind tends to go blank and it is a monumental struggle to try and balance appropriate humor with some sort of inciteful commentary, not overstay the invitation, and remember everything and everybody that has allowed me the priviledge, and I have a fair amount of experience in being in such situations... Cruz is a drag racer, not a public speaker. He would not have said so many good things if he did not mean them so his attempt at humor would be high on my forgiveness list.

Congrats to ALL the winners and competitors.

 

[jackass]

Dickie... i'm with you this has been some fun reading...lol...

in case some of you don't know.... some teams have people whos job is nothing more than to go through the pits and seek out company reps to try and convience them they can do them better.... money wise or exposure wise... part of the GAME.... in drag racing and all other forms of sports.. not just motorsports...

Cruz's comments were some great tv.. the old addage... Bad exposure is better than no exposure.... and Bad exposure last longer than good exposure..... this will work for both Cruz and Force all winter long....lol


Billy

 

[Jake]

Cruz may have had the best car the last 6 races, but what about the first 18 races??? Yea, didn't think so.
This whole countdown format i would imagine was conceived to help the lesser funded teams (everyone else) compete with John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing to win a championship. It's funny now that one of those smaller teams, Tim Wilkerson, lays an ass whoopin' on EVERYONE the entire season and loses it to a team that had the best car the last 6 races of the season. Good Stuff!!
There is a difference between talking smack to motivate yourself and making comments about someone's business practices(which IS personal), the word tact comes to mind, and Cruz doesn't have it.

 

[67 Cuda]

I did not really like what Cruz was saying but I think in the situation (Just finished winning a race, not much time to get your act together) he was just saying whatever was going thru his head. I am sure he would have said everything different if he had an hour to think about it. I will bet he will sound a lot different at the awards ceremony. It is a shame that people get a mic put in their face without giving them a chance to think. Some people are much better talking under pressure then others.

 

[Muddy]

JFC.....wake up and look around! It happens everyday in the business world. Wal-Mart tries to take Target's customers/suppliers, Advance auto parts tries to take O'Rilley's customers/suppliers etc. If your doing a good job, providing a reasonable ROI, living up to your contract and kissing the right people then your contract is safe. If not then you get what you earned. Sponsorships are not untouchable in motor sport's, TV shows, charities or any other form of endeavor. I can't find where its written that drag racing is different than anything else.

 

[none]

Did any of you think that he meant "Greedy" in a good way. As in if you don't do your job (Like win the championship) you could or would lose it to the guy who does. And nobody has won it more than Mr Force and company.

Just my 2 cents..... Flame on ....

 

[mick]

19 years.......force(14), pedregons(4) and scelzi(1).

anybody named pedregon can say whatever they want.
they're now gettin' it done as owners, just like force.

 

[Rexfiles]

19 years.......force(14), pedregons(4) and scelzi(1).

anybody named pedregon can say whatever they want.
they're gettin' it done...........as owners, just like force.

Yup, and that thing Cruz said?

BFD.

It's between those two, and I really doubt there will be any problem.

And the rules..........thems the rulz.

Any one of them had the same chance.

i see nothing wrong with it at all.

REX

 

[Travo]

His Force / sponsor comment appeared to me as a poorly executed attempt at humor... he simply didn't pull it off. His positive remarks FAR outweighed this, anyway.

I stop reading the thread at this page. Im not a fan of Cruz. BUT..... I agree with Tom 100%.. Congrats Cruz. Congrats Tim. What a great season for FC..(what better then 5 guys having a shot at the final race).. hope its Jack, Robert and Tim doing battle next year!!!!

Travo

 

[Travo]

I have no problem with a rivalry and talking smack. Fuller and Shoe jawing back and forth is great.

AND... They shook hands and hugged when it was all over.. YOU CALL THAT SPORTSMANSHIP. Nothing wrong with a FRIENDLY Rivalery

Travo

SRY if i misspelled anyhting.. no time for spell check.. lol

 

[Wes]

There was a time when driver interviews gave you a small taste of how much fun it was (is) to drive a particular race car, how exciting it is to be involved in a tight race, and enticed new fans to attend an event to get the full experience. Now drivers seem to side-step any description of a given pass, they can't even see their opponents' cars (tall bodies and small windows obstruct any view of the other car), and rather than put butts in the seats many have resulted to "shout-outs," inside jokes, and emotionless droning of the littany of sponsors on the cars. And in some cases, our drag racing drivers sink BELOW the level of other profressional athletes and talk smack.

Whether what was uttered by the Funny Car Countdown winner is indeed true or an incorrect manifestiation of emotion the point is that none of it need to be aired on TV, spoken over a PA system, or in placed in print (ink nor electronic). What needed to be stated was how awesome it must have felt to win the championship and how much said driver loves driving a fuel funny car and how great his crew/team is...and so on. It's sad that our drivers have been programmed to no longer show true emotion and excitement on the TV broadcasts...the sponsor list is priority number one. When one of the drivers is overcome by the emotion of the moment, harmful words slide out....apparently because they are so out of practice in being themselves.

Words mean things. They are a permanent and lethal weapon when used used in a manner other than directed. Words and statements are a direct correlation of thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. How they come out of a mouth or a pen might not directly mirror the internal roots, but there is always truth in the intended meaning.

One final thought. We-drag racers-are not like any other form of sport. We are not on the same playing field as professionals in the NFL, NBA, NASCAR, Formula 1, Monster Truck, MLB, WWE, field hockey, LaCrosse, beach volleyball, water polo, or futbol. I'd like to think that our stars are above the poor displays of humanity examplified by the players in the rest of the sporting world. Just because they can't act like adults doesn't mean that we get a free pass to do so.

 

[none]

First off let me say I'm not a fan of Force or Cruzer.
Dickie V was right, Cruz had the best car the last 6 races,according to the countdown rules(which i hate)that got him a championship,right wrong or indifferent it's his.
As far as Cruz's comments about John Force,Man alive,the guy gave him some real props there,he said some very nice things about John.He did call him a sponsor stealer,but you also have to remember these are not just guys that pay the bills by racing they are pretty good sized corporations that have some enormous expenses to cover not the least of which is payroll,fuel,semi payments,building payments,taxes,etc,etc you get the idea.It's a dog eat dog corporate world. Business steal customers from each other all the time,it's racing's version of that.OK I'm done ranting.Feel free to go ahead & rip me a new one.