Russell v. Goodyear, settled (2 Viewers)

[vegasnitro]

This has to rank as one of the most ignorant and insensitive posts that has ever made it's way onto this forum...and that's saying a lot. It appears that when the providers of brains were handing out the basic package you must have been under a restraining order to stay away yourself. rjs

WOW, it appears I have touched a nerve. All of you haters are more than welcome to go back through my hundreds of posts and find any time I have been out of line on this board. That's what I thought.....

Perhaps I should have kept my comments about Julie to myself as she certainly wouldn't come on here to defend herself and if I am to be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn't be as blunt or uncooth to say such a thing to her in person, but IMO she got what she wanted all along.

 

[vegasnitro]

Hey Chris, F___ YOU!!!
I'm truly sorry there is this split between the "Russell family" and Julie but no matter what, Darrell loved her and she was HIS wife!!! That fact can never be changed!
You CAN'T imagine what she's gone thru and I think you're an ass for typing that last paragraph!!!

I have nothing to do with the Russell family or Julie, nor do I assume to speak for anyone but myself.

I do not doubt for one second that Darrell loved her very much.

You are correct, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a spouse as I have never been married.

I also do not doubt for one second that Darrell would have wanted no part of the lawsuit. Perhaps I took it too far by saying she should never be allowed near anything to do with the NHRA.

I hope you feel better after typing your little angry faces, because I don't feel better about any aspect of this situation, and that's where my original post was coming from.

PS I edited the insensitive comments from the original post. Though my feelings on the matter are unchanged, I should have stuck with the ramifications of the suit, rather than editorializing about the plaintiff.

 

[Shaggy]

Ya know, Chris' comment might have been insensitive buyt he DOES have a right to voice his opinion...Maybe you guys that like to jump everyones case about what they type might be why more of the pros will never come here...Some people like to know what people really think, not what others tell them to think...

 

[__]

This has to rank as one of the most ignorant and insensitive posts that has ever made it's way onto this forum...and that's saying a lot. It appears that when the providers of brains were handing out the basic package you must have been under a restraining order to stay away yourself. rjs

Totally agree. That post was as ill-informed as it was ill-conceived. Just because someone has the right to say stupid things doesn't mean they have to.

"I also do not doubt for one second that Darrell would have wanted no part of the lawsuit." Wrong. You know that Darrell's parents and brother did not want to be part of the suit. You know nothing of how Darrell would feel. Stop projecting your personal opinions.

None of us know the terms of the settlement and even less know anything about Julie Russell. Darrell loved her. That's all I need to know.

Sam, Ray is also right. Your post needs to go as well as the one that quoted it. Do the right thing here.

 

[insider]

i want to say this and no more on this and i dont like hearing he died doing what he love and the risks as per the shoe it was the tire that blew and the strut went through fact

 

[Demon]

Ya know, Chris' comment might have been insensitive buyt he DOES have a right to voice his opinion...Maybe you guys that like to jump everyones case about what they type might be why more of the pros will never come here...Some people like to know what people really think, not what others tell them to think...

Good post Eric,and you are 100% correct.There are some wannabe moderators here that think they need to tell people how to post.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

It never ceases to amaze me, after all this time, that this deal continues to fester.

There are no gaurantees in life, folks. We make decisions every day, and sometimes, unfortunately, those decisions have ramifications. Darrell, like many of us, chose to drive a race car, and although they're few and far between, history has shown that there are potential ramifications to that choice.

Everybody needs to get off of Goodyear's ass, I can tell you that. There have been so many ridiculous posts over the years regarding Goodyear's negligence that I've lost count. Some of you act like these guys sit around all day with their thumbs in their asses while these accidents continue to happen. They lose money on fuel tires. Do you actually think they would continue production on a product line that garners this amount of negative press while in a losing proposition?! LMMFAO!!! That's ludicrous! They continue to make the tires because there is, and always will be a market for it. The cars are quicker and faster than when Darrell passed, yet those drivers are still saddling up on those Goodyears, aren't they? And I'll tell you something else, they always will. You could sit all of those drivers down, tell them that every time down the track there is a 50% chance (which we all know that figure isn't even close) that they could suffer a crash, and I'll bet a very large portion of them would still saddle up. I know I would.

We've beat the fact to death that Darrell's immediate family, Julie excluded, didn't support legal action. They, like Darrell, knew the inherent dangers within the sport. I think we're long overdue in putting this stuff to rest.

Sean D

 

[Buddy]

The cars are quicker and faster than when Darrell passed, yet those drivers are still saddling up on those Goodyears, aren't they? And I'll tell you something else, they always will.

Sean... NHRA makes the Fuel guys run Goodyears... They have no choice but to "saddle up on those Goodyears"... So that is not them choosing, it is them obeying...

I also have to agree that as someone else said "wanna-be mods" need to not be "wanna-be mods"... I personally come to this site to discuss issues, not to see what people want people to say... Whether or not I find a comment distasteful, I like to know what people are thinking... How are we ever going to be right if we never let someone be wrong?

CJ Curtsinger

 

[Nick Name]

Let me explain why NHRA mandates Goodyears. So Goodyear will continue make those money losing tires, so we can still have nitro cars.

There is a very good chance that Goodyear wanted out and NHRA convinced them to hang in there by granting them an exclusive. It blows me away that there are people on this board that think Goodyear is making a pile on money on fuel car tires, and probably paying NHRA off for the privilege.

The racing tire business has never been a money maker. That is why they moved all but the fuel tire manufacturing to South America.

After Darrell's accident, Goodyear insisted that NHRA instigate a minimum tire pressure and wing, or they were probably going to walk.

And others of you think that these smaller companies have a better racing tire lab than Goodyear, and could make a better fuel tire, what a joke.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Sean... NHRA makes the Fuel guys run Goodyears... They have no choice but to "saddle up on those Goodyears"... So that is not them choosing, it is them obeying...I

CJ, your point about the rules is taken. However, the second part of your paragraph illustrates perfectly what I'm saying. They do have a choice. And I don't want to hear any contract and sponsorship committment BS. They're not forced to "obey" to anything. If these tires are that bad and put your life in an amount of danger that you're not willing participate without reservation, then retire. But you'll never see that happen because, like all of us that drive, it's what we do. And with the exception of extremes, we accept the possibilities of what can potentially happen................just like Darrell did.

If we didn't, we wouldn't do it.

Sean D

 

[Wayne]

Freedom of speech/expression is wonderful, especially on an internet message board. Personal attacks are not!

Chris; I'm glad that you have your personal opinions.
Thank you you for removing that paragraph. Thank you for letting me express my feelings on the subject.

It's all good!

Wanna be mod Wayne

 

[Buddy]

CJ, your point about the rules is taken. However, the second part of your paragraph illustrates perfectly what I'm saying. They do have a choice. And I don't want to hear any contract and sponsorship committment BS. They're not forced to "obey" to anything. If these tires are that bad and put your life in an amount of danger that you're not willing participate without reservation, then retire. But you'll never see that happen because, like all of us that drive, it's what we do. And with the exception of extremes, we accept the possibilities of what can potentially happen................just like Darrell did.

If we didn't, we wouldn't do it.

Sean D

Sean, I couldn't agree more with you... You finished my thoughts on this matter...

Just to clarify, I don't think Goodyear would intentionally put out a defective tire... I understand they lose money on Fuel tires, but they get exclusive rights to all the Pro classes which I think is quite a bargain... I would like to see more companies allowed to sell their tires to the pros... That way they can choose what is best for them, and it may end up being goodyear...

CJ Curtsinger

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Just to clarify, I don't think Goodyear would intentionally put out a defective tire... I understand they lose money on Fuel tires, but they get exclusive rights to all the Pro classes which I think is quite a bargain... I would like to see more companies allowed to sell their tires to the pros... That way they can choose what is best for them, and it may end up being goodyear...

CJ Curtsinger

I totally agree. That's why I get so fired up when I read some of these posts that continue to point the finger at Goodyear and use the word "negligence" while doing so.

To add to what you said about exclusive rights, CJ, I never have agreed with this type of format. I think you'll find, no matter the venue, that when there are exclusives granted, product quality/development suffers because there is no incentive. I will say, however, I don't believe that to be the case here because these accidents are more motivation to create a better product than product competition ever could.

Sean D

 

[willy]

Ya see! Things have a way of working out..if people hash it out and be adults.

We can all disagree..but to be able to disagree without resorting to petty, sophomoric banter/bashing because an intelligible response can't be found is a good thing.

Look at it like a formal debate. One side gives their view..then another view is offered. There are some views/posts that wouldn't be allowed in a civilized debate..for various reasons..like not sticking to the topic..personal attacks, etc.

Nobody can dictate how another person is supposed to behave or respond to a thread. However..there should be rules of just plain 'ol common decency.

And I think the Mater is doing fairly well at that..for the most part.

 

[HEMI6point1]

I deleted my post earlier.

Next time I'll think more.

 

[Buddy]

To add to what you said about exclusive rights, CJ, I never have agreed with this type of format. I think you'll find, no matter the venue, that when there are exclusives granted, product quality/development suffers because there is no incentive. I will say, however, I don't believe that to be the case here because these accidents are more motivation to create a better product than product competition ever could.

I have always agreed that exclusive rights aren't good for the users (typically)... As you said, when you know your product will be bought no matter what you put out do you really want to dump millions into making it better? Yet, at the same time I don't think Goodyear can slack too much just because if anything goes wrong with the tires its "their fault"... I know Goodyear is making sure their tires are safe as I have seen them inspect tires left and right from people having issues... Over at ITA people were talking about this about 9 months ago... Issues that were brought up ranged from Medlin to Will to Russell to various Alky racers having issues... Something I want to know though, is what Goodyear gives NHRA to get these rights? They aren't an official sponsor, they don't sponsor a race... All they do that I know of is pay contingency, which only gives NHRA $5,400 a year... Anyone know the details?

CJ Curtsinger

 

[Nick Name]

Something I want to know though, is what Goodyear gives NHRA to get these rights? They aren't an official sponsor, they don't sponsor a race... All they do that I know of is pay contingency, which only gives NHRA $5,400 a year... Anyone know the details?

CJ Curtsinger

Probably agreeing to still make the tires.

 

[Buddy]

Probably agreeing to still make the tires.

I don't know if thats a serious answer or not ... Does anyone know around how much they lose per set of tires?

CJ Curtsinger

Edit: Reread your previous post... So I see its a serious answer, but I don't know how accurate that is... I don't know the inner workings of the tire industry, but has anyone asked if M/T or Hoosier wanted to get involved?

 

[TJ]

Can anyone here show us the proof GOODYEAR is losing money on this deal....Shelby tires, who sells fuel slicks for GOODYEAR, says they make quite a profit....Check w/ an authorized dealer and look @ the w/d prices direct from GOODYEAR, doubt they'll show w/d prices to a customer, but the mark-up @ most stores is 60%....GOODYEAR is not in business to lose money or to break even...

Heard thru the grapevine Julie might have settled for ESQ fees paid and the formal report from the NHRA...

 

[vegasnitro]

However..there should be rules of just plain 'ol common decency.

That is where my original post failed. As a general rule, I try not to type anything on here about someone unless I have absolute facts or if I would not be afraid to say whatever I am typing to that person's face. I failed on both counts and I am somewhat embarrassed by the backlash. My thoughts and opinions on the matter are unchanged, but I do want to apologize to the other Maters for "going out of bounds" on the field of common decency.

I would also like to extend an apology to Julie Russell (just in case this ever gets to her), though I vehemently disagree with most everything she has done since Darrell's accident that in and of itself does not give me the right to be downright rude or question her motives. None of us will ever feel her pain, and no matter what sum she was paid in the settlement, it probably doesn't add up to what she lost.