Updated Countdown vs Old Points

[Dave]

I can't stand the Countdown myself. I'm not saying the old point system was without flaw. Sure under the old system a team on occasion would dominate and wrap up the championship before Ponoma. It's not as exciting as being crowned at the last race but they earned that luxery. I always thought the world championship is a reward of a season long efforts. IMO the chase takes that away. I don't comprehend how you take away points and also re-level the points. That minimizes your earlier accomplishments. I've heard Pedregon would only be 18 back of Capps in the old system but you have to consider the "test mode" some of the leading teams went into. The numbers are skewed. I have always looked forward to Pomona. Even if the some of the championships were already decided there were the remaining top ten to be settled. This year I don't care. I feel like I've been robbed of a potential great ending. Just my $.02

 

[blackbeard]

thats the difference, under the old system the guy with the most points would go into the final race in the lead, now he has the most points but has no chance of winning the championship going into the last race.

it doesn't matter. capps won't win it under EITHER system

 

[Cymon Sez]

it sure beats having the championship locked up in september and all the rest of the races mean squat.

Tell that to the ones that can't improve beyond ninth place.

 

[dragstats]

Matt would be 55 points ahead of Andrew if I did my math right!!! DAMN IT!

you did your math correctly:
Old New Old Points
1 3 Smith 1214
2 1 Hines 1159
3 - Sampey 973
4 2 Ellis 925
5 4 Llewellyn 847
6 - Treble 799
7 - Stoffer 776
8 - Krawiec 766

 

[kingcobrafan]

it sure beats having the championship locked up in september and all the rest of the races mean squat.

Except now, as long as you can finish at least eighth, Pomona 1 thru Reading mean squat.

 

[mike]

it doesn't matter. capps won't win it under EITHER system

Ummm, if Capps just stays a round ahead of Brother Tony, yes he would win under the old system!

 

[Sully]

Now you have your chance at the championship locked up by September and the flawed two-race finish almost guarantees that the champion will be the driver earning the most points in the second Vegas race.

The racer leading the points going into Pomona almost always wins the championship - that's why Tony Schu's finish last year was so amazing. It's very tough to make up a two round or more deficit when there are only five rounds-worth of points in play at Pomona and one of those rounds merely requires qualifying for the final event.

In other words, the race for the championship has been reduced to a one-event crapshoot. Win Vegas and you should be able to cruise to the title.

The idea was to keep things close by eliminating the leader's points advantage twice, late in the season, but as Dave Connolly showed in the second phase, or Tony P showed in Vegas, even that level of manipulation does not necessarily ensure achieving that objective. In the case of Funny Car, the contrived championship is a lot less exciting than it would have been under the old system.

 

[Billy]

i agree with that plan alan. but i would like indy to be the last race before they reset the points. kind of makes indy more important that way

I like that Indy is the first one - then Indy has less to do with the Countdown and more to do with the history if Indy (and drag racing in general).

 

[Sully]

Why does the countdown have anything to do with the importance of Indy, one way or the other? The U.S. Nationals are important enough to stand on their own, regardless of the season championship system.

As I have said several times, one of the things I do not like about this year's system is that NHRA's PR effort appears at times to be much more about the Countdown and much less about each of the events. The effect is to diminish the importance of the events, casting them as a convenient background for the Countdown rather than standalone items of significance. When I read the Sunday (Monday at Indy) event wrap up, I expect to find out who won the event. I can read the points table to see what effect the event had on the points - or I used to be able to. The Countdown seems to require a lot of explanation and emphasis.

 

[vegasnitro]

it doesn't matter. capps won't win it under EITHER system

I agree ... I like Ron Capps, but this is certainly not the first time he has spit the bit coming down the stretch.

 

[Rexfiles]

I agree ... I like Ron Capps, but this is certainly not the first time he has spit the bit coming down the stretch.

Maybe they are still in "Test Mode"

REX

 

[Rajunz]

Honestly, I hope Fuller goes rounds on Sunday,
I hope Tony Ped goes rounds on Sunday,
I hope Greg Anderson Goes rounds on Sunday
and I hope that Hines goes out first round and Matt Smith wins it all............

Not my favorites to win, but because if that all transpires, then all of the tears cried over the Countdown all year would have zero justification!

 

[d'kid]

Honestly, I hope Fuller goes rounds on Sunday,
I hope Tony Ped goes rounds on Sunday,
I hope Greg Anderson Goes rounds on Sunday
and I hope that Hines goes out first round and Matt Smith wins it all............

Not my favorites to win, but because if that all transpires, then all of the tears cried over the Countdown all year would have zero justification!

Lance,
Bottom line with me has been the Hype as opposed to the race at hand... they could reset points every other race all season, I don't care... Do the points recap after the Game, not in the first inning or at half time, or every other basket...

Run the playoffs by themselves if that's all that matters... we're in post season play now... only the playoff players should be playing...

but that's just me...
I was an Angel Fan for years... playoffs or not...

congrats to Tony P... Robert was my first choice, then Ron, Mike Ashley and John...

T/F was Melanie, then Dixon, Hillary and Doug K...

PSB... Matt and Karen

PS... EE and Jeg

and I will still watch the races, still attend a couple of times a year if I can... last couple have been Richmond only...

d'kid

 

[PJ]

Honestly, I hope Fuller goes rounds on Sunday,
I hope Tony Ped goes rounds on Sunday,
I hope Greg Anderson Goes rounds on Sunday
and I hope that Hines goes out first round and Matt Smith wins it all............

Not my favorites to win, but because if that all transpires, then all of the tears cried over the Countdown all year would have zero justification!

You have just pointed out why the countdown sucks, thanks for helping out

 

[Rajunz]

You have just pointed out why the countdown sucks, thanks for helping out

No PJ, you just pointed it out.

Look at all of the threads that it generated all season long, look at all the rivers that were cried, it generated buzz that's for sure. Like Earnhardt told Jeff Gordon, if they're booing, you're doing something right. Most enjoyed the extra dimension that it brought along this season.

 

[PJ]

No PJ, you just pointed it out.

Look at all of the threads that it generated all season long, look at all the rivers that were cried, it generated buzz that's for sure. Like Earnhardt told Jeff Gordon, if they're booing, you're doing something right. Most enjoyed the extra dimension that it brought along this season.

by that thinking then we should require someone to crash at every race since that is the only thing that ever really gives nhra any media attention. Just because people are talking doesn't mean its good.

 

[Rajunz]

by that thinking then we should require someone to crash at every race since that is the only thing that ever really gives nhra any media attention. Just because people are talking doesn't mean its good.

And just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's bad either.

As far as media attention, that goes back to NHRA, sponsors, teams and yes, even fans not doing enough to promote the sport. Having some sort of a playoff system, like every Major League Sport out there, was implemented with the intention of doing just that.

 

[yoda]

No PJ, you just pointed it out.

Look at all of the threads that it generated all season long, look at all the rivers that were cried, it generated buzz that's for sure. Like Earnhardt told Jeff Gordon, if they're booing, you're doing something right. Most enjoyed the extra dimension that it brought along this season.

I don't think their intention was to generate a buzz on DRAG RACING INTERNET CHAT ROOMS... News flash- we talk about drag racing here pretty much every day...

The Countdown has already turned out to be a dismal failure, not due to the racers that will be crowned on Sunday, but for the fact that, with the exception of a rash of high profile accidents, the sport has never achieved any additional Press attention that was promised with the reasoning for the rules overhaul.

People keep saying that "Rome wasn't built in a day..". This isn't Rome; it's not a society- it's a sport, with highly paid "leaders" that are to supposed to have an accurate plan of attack in place in their day-to-day operations of a multi-million dollar entertainment entity. The actions (or lack thereof) of the sanctioning body to achieve their goal of more press due to additional drama has been handled about as well as those that are handling Brittney's career/ train wreck...

 

[Rajunz]

I don't think their intention was to generate a buzz on DRAG RACING INTERNET CHAT ROOMS... News flash- we talk about drag racing here pretty much every day...

The Countdown has already turned out to be a dismal failure, not due to the racers that will be crowned on Sunday, but for the fact that, with the exception of a rash of high profile accidents, the sport has never achieved any additional Press attention that was promised with the reasoning for the rules overhaul.

People keep saying that "Rome wasn't built in a day..". This isn't Rome; it's not a society- it's a sport, with highly paid "leaders" that are to supposed to have an accurate plan of attack in place in their day-to-day operations of a multi-million dollar entertainment entity. The actions (or lack thereof) of the sanctioning body to achieve their goal of more press due to additional drama has been handled about as well as those that are handling Brittney's career/ train wreck...

Well, if you want to get serious about it Martin, it's pretty darn hard to dispute anything that you just presented. Let's hope that HD Partners can bring a little more to the table.

 

[yoda]

Personally, Lance, I don't want anymore attention for this sport- no more trying to be a NASCAR red-headed step cousin; no more trying to attract "fans" that are just looking for the "next popular thing...

I WILL NOT pay to listen/ watch the drags unless I am there- PPV is so against what this sport is all about. Enjoy that we get on average 5 hours of pretty decent coverage on race weekend...


I care not to suffer through getting anymore crappy reserved seats because all the good ones were all given to corporate industry that couldn't care less about the racing, and are excited about just having another "best seat in the house" at ANOTHER sporting event they are being sucked up to by someone at..

I am tired of most of our most talented drivers being placed on the sidelines because they can't come to the table with millions of dollars to get themselves a seat... The fact that a former world champion and several Top 10 finishers are sitting without rides is like Gretzsky, Elway or Aaron being told in the day that they couldn't play because they couldn't pay.. The sport has gotten too expensive for the best players to be a part of it? That is absolutely ludicrous..

I would be happy sitting in stands packed with my fellow 'Maters and folks from other boards, surrounded by knowlegable, informed true FANS of the sport, with a smattering of interested newbies thrown in for good measure. People that know that drag racing has a history before AND after "Big Daddy"..

But since none of this is about what I want , and I am told that the direction is to bring in more fans, revenue, sponsors, press, then I expect that the people implementing this plan actually execute it, as opposed to their same 'ol "If we build it, they will come" procedure that the recent NHRA is becoming notorious for (If I see one more freakin sky-box...)..

Off your duffs, Glendora- make this Countdown thing everything you promised it would be.