Top end Fireworks (3 Viewers)

[Jeff]

The nitro cars operate on the edge and the crew chiefs are paid to have their toes hanging off the edge. Knowing 65/35 doesn't tell you what the track will hold .... you need a baseline .... and their prediction was almost all for more than what the NHRA delivered. The NHRA seems to pretty consistently start with marginal prep and then builds to somewhere pretty near excellent .... the Friday fans probably deserve to have a better chance at Q1 being something more that a crap shoot. If you start a little too tight you can certainly back off easy enough and the crew chiefs will likely do a better job giving the fans a show they expect and deserve. Now if you don't want people to show up on Friday, then you are clearly seeing the formula for that.

If you aren't all over your stuff, you probably like a track that's less than what you'd expect .... a marginal track is a great equalizer, but only in the short term.

Just my opinion....

 

[Cliff]

This race was a perfect example of why NHRA should have night racing.

 

[stitcherbob]

Langdon said of Cruz in one of the interviews exactly what I had been thinking...

"I think he needs to keep focus on his crew chief job because he seems to have a lot of issues with his crew chiefs in the past, and fires them at the end of every year. If he doesn’t make the Countdown I’d hate to see him fire himself.”

 

[Nunz]

Well other than Q1, which isn’t an entirely uncommon scenario at the beginning of an event, I think this turned out to be a great race. I was there Fri-Sat, and it was crazy hot and humid, so I expected Q1 to be a bit hit or miss. But as the weekend progressed, IMO this turned out to be a successful event all the way around. I just finished up the finals on TV, great racing! And strong crowds all 3 days.

 

[none]

I'm with Shawn on this this one. It's funny how Cruz is chastising him for pointing out the obvious that we all saw. Oh, and Cruz: Don't say that someone is the "weak link" when you're not in the top 10 and haven't won a race yet. But I wouldn't expect less from someone who's sponsor should be Kleenex.

Kleenex, huh? Guarantee you don't have the matso balls to ever go into his pit and tell him that. Your anti Pedregon, JFR lovefest has been apparent ever since you signed up here.

 

[maxcackle]

https://www.facebook.com/64205041409/posts/10157577478131410

Shawn is an ass pure and simple he’s the whiner I remember him saying Leah took his ride at DSR FO

 

[swervin]

Langdon said of Cruz in one of the interviews exactly what I had been thinking...

"I think he needs to keep focus on his crew chief job because he seems to have a lot of issues with his crew chiefs in the past, and fires them at the end of every year. If he doesn’t make the Countdown I’d hate to see him fire himself.”

That could very well be part of the contract between Cruz and the crew chief, like coaches that dont get the team to a championship, you're out.

 

[vegasnitro]

This makes the next episode of the "Nomex Effect" must listen.

 

[Paul]

This race was a perfect example of why NHRA should have night racing.

My fingers are crossed for a night race at Chicago next year.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Kleenex, huh? Guarantee you don't have the matso balls to ever go into his pit and tell him that. Your anti Pedregon, JFR lovefest has been apparent ever since you signed up here.

And their ain't nothing wrong with being a Force fan. Pedregon has showed his @$$ many times over the years.

 

[none]

And their ain't nothing wrong with being a Force fan. Pedregon has showed his @$$ many times over the years.

Did I say there was anything wrong with being a Force fan?

 

[Jack]

I have been lucky enough to have been to 100 plus national events in my lifetime. I cannot come close to counting the crappy Q1's I have seen when the weather gets steamy. When ETown was in July there were numerous 100 degree air temperature days with 140 plus degree track temperatures and smoke shows in the early qualifying sessions were just part of the event. I quess what I am saying is one bad Q session does ot make or break an event. They got it much more competitive after that the crew chiefs adapted and it ended up being a pretty damn entertaining race. As for Cruz and Shawn, hell I enjoy a little back and forth venom every now and then.

 

[ZWeinstein]

While Shawn's post on twitter may or may not have been the best way to vent about the track prep and as a fan I can appreciate is opinion. I want to see cars get down the track and put big numbers on the board. I feel like the top fuel crew chiefs out there are too smart to all struggle like they did in Q1. Yes I know funny car put on a good show in that same session but with low et being a 4.20 something was not quite right. I also think it is ironic how Cruz called out what Shawn said when just last year Cruz was complaining about track prep when he was having a tough time blowing bodies off and blamed it on the lack of prep on the top end.

 

[mole]

WE ALL KNOW IT COMES DOWN TO THE TUNE UP....THE WEATHER....AND THE TRACK PREP......GOTTA TUNE FOR THE TRACK....WETHER IT'S CLUTCH...BLOWER...TIMING.....WHATEVER......I LIKE THEM BOTH....BUT... I THINK SHAWN COULD HAVE WORDED HIS POST BETTER.......AND I THINK CRUZ COULD HAVE SHUT HIS PIE HOLE CONSIDERING HIS PAST AND CURRENT PERFORMANCE.......

 

[Leebone]

I like Cruz, but he must’ve had a hard on for Langdon .

Geez, poor Shawn!

 

[Jeff]

Why is he being singled out for something most everyone else felt the same about? .

IMO, It's just an old school Pedregon trying to get into Langdon's head. Cruz was 11th, Langdon 10th in points. They will have to race sooner or later, and Cruz was trying to distract him and make him think about it in the meantime. Shawn let it work...

And as for Langdon complaining? He has a right to his opinion, as do all of you. Let's face it, that is what some people on here are doing...
And that also explains why TP was beating the drum about racing the track, kind of unprofessional... Just my opinion of course...

Oh BTW, when my wife saw the top end deal, she said, "what is up with that, are they 12 years old?".
She is a casual fan who watches sometimes...

 

[mikebcurve]

IMO, It's just an old school Pedregon trying to get into Langdon's head. Cruz was 11th, Langdon 10th in points. They will have to race sooner or later, and Cruz was trying to distract him and make him think about it in the meantime. Shawn let it work...

And as for Langdon complaining? He has a right to his opinion, as do all of you. Let's face it, that is what some people on here are doing...
And that also explains why TP was beating the drum about racing the track, kind of unprofessional... Just my opinion of course...

Oh BTW, when my wife saw the top end deal, she said, "what is up with that, are they 12 years old?".
She is a casual fan who watches sometimes...

You could very well be right about getting into his head. Guys like him that have been around know how to play the game. You probably would get into Langdons head off track easier than on it. The more they showed it the more I realized it was childish but it wasn't really that big of a confrontation. We've definitely seen worse.

 

[FABMAN]

No wake up crew chiefs and do your jobs! Stop crying about not enough glue, the track is the same for everyone. You know what I think is funny, so many yearn for the way it used to be. Well back in the day, there was no track prep at most tracks and the top funny car racers would manage to get down whatever track they were given.

But Fuel cars/dragsters ran much slower then. Unfortunately tracks have to prepped in order to keep race safe for drivers. What happen this weekend wasn't entertaining 1 or 2 cars making it down track is not a good.

 

[ironpony]

Cruz is out of the point by 120 plus, he is done. He is whining, frustrated, done.

 

[Joker]

I actually agree with both of them somewhat. As a fan, it is a shitty show when none of the cars are getting down the track. I dont pay good, hard earned $ to see car after car smoke the tires. And if they could do something to help like track prep, then in my opinion they should. Ofcourse, it was also just Q1 and he should have given it a little time.

I do like the fact it gives the little guy a little even playing field on race day. And I agree with Cruz, everyone has the same track, deal with it. Its all about the tuner anyways most days. Whether its perfect conditions or not but especially when its hot, humid, and nasty. The main thing I agree with Cruz about, (I cant believe I'm actually agreeing with a Pedregon) is the way Shawn went about it. You dont post on social media about it. Thats for sure. It doesnt make the sport look good. It doesnt help bring fans or sponsors out. You do need to respect what you do for a living. I completely agree with him about that.