Weak entry list for Winternationals (1 Viewer)

[Pete]

Maybe not the correct thread, but these past 10 or so years have been awful for car counts and I'm not going to get into it again.
My thought is this...NHRA wants to keep 24 races because it fits their business model, fine. For the most part, there have been enough regional teams to round out the fields. Why don't they go back to a "divisional style" format for the pro's. Here's 18 races (+6 countdown) and we'll take your best 13-14 of the 18 or something like that. If a team needs to replace a 1st round loss, no problem, go to the next national and try.
I'm a proponent of 8 car fields and run on Saturday (2 day race), but if they want to keep current format, thats fine with me. I don't mind singles...they have them anyway

As for Steve, I like the guy a lot. I like attitude with my racing. But, if he's known what the sanction was, then he should have taken care of it.
Back in 2006 at a big matchrace in Epping, the stands were packed and I was in the semi's of a Super Street race. I knew my competitor and was NOT going to stage first. We sat for probably 5 minutes...the fans went crazy, cheering, jumping up and down...for sportsman cars! It was awesome...needless to say, he staged first and I won...he jumped out of the car on the return road and stepped in front of me. I knew what was up and we were way down in the dark at the top end. I shut my car off and he came over and opened my door...no sooner did I get out and he swung at me. We tussled around for a while and, well, I won that one too. The ambulance guy walked over and put some bandaids on him, patted us both on the shoulder and we shook hands...done.

The moral of the story is, racing is ridiculously emotional. Most people will never understand what it takes to do this, even on the sportsman level. The only reason anything was done to Torrence was because the TV cameras were turned on and it was probably on the big screen at the track...they had to for sponsors. If those ever loving financial backers were not in place, I'm quite sure nothing would have happened to him.

 

[mick]

From Pomona during Big rig parking on Wednesday.
After the Cameron Ferre blunder. NHRA hit Torrance with a 25K fine and anger management course completion requirements, before they would accept Steve's entry. Requirements were not met. So Steve was never entered. Nevertheless, Both cars were planning to race until this past weekend, when the Torrence team tested at Phoenix and met with NHRA officials. After whatever discussion took place, Billy told the crew to lock up everything, leave it there and fly home to Indy. Semi - team cars Scott Palmer and Jeff Diehl are just following suit and supporting Torrance.
No matter who you are you are never bigger than the sanctioning body. To be continued.

wow. no comment.

 

[Dave]

Okay so what I don't get is.... This place, and many others, blew up with rage against Torrence following the world finals. Now, he's not entered for the winters and its another big uproar as to why and he should be out there and the Champ shouldn't skip races and it looks bad on the sport. Uh. Weren't you the same ones that wanted him stripped of his title and fined and suspended? Why aren't you happy he isn't out there? This place should be thrilled! Torrence MIA after finals fiasco! Whatever reason he's not there, all the haters should be happy they don't have to see him, right?

 

[Professional Fan]

Okay so what I don't get is.... This place, and many others, blew up with rage against Torrence following the world finals. Now, he's not entered for the winters and its another big uproar as to why and he should be out there and the Champ shouldn't skip races and it looks bad on the sport. Uh. Weren't you the same ones that wanted him stripped of his title and fined and suspended? Why aren't you happy he isn't out there? This place should be thrilled! Torrence MIA after finals fiasco! Whatever reason he's not there, all the haters should be happy they don't have to see him, right?

Watching this play out might be more entertaining than a WJ-Scott Geoffrion staging duel. I'm sure it's a matter of principle for the Torrences, not money. Steve/Billy could sit out a while and still make the countdown.

 

[Huge]

The one thing I can say is that the nitro pit looks like a ghost town with out Torrence, Palmer, and Diehl. But it did give DSR some place to park their water trailer. That being said it just isn't near as much fun here with out them.

 

[twostep]

I'm not one that didn't want Torrence back. I simply expected that team to be responsible for Steve's obvious, and serious, mistake at the Finals - including the $25K fine and completion of an anger management course (which was probably the point of contention; I can see the Torrences flipping the bird to that requirement). A shame there's only 11 TF cars going down the track this weekend, and NHRA certainly plays a major role in the declining car counts - but they're not wrong in meting out punishment to Steve Torrence. If he and his old man decide to boycott races, it's their call - and their loss. Life goes on; I enjoyed nearly 50 years of drag racing before I ever heard of CAPCO.

 

[Jack]

We do not know for sure the reason for their absence so it's still an assumption. Also, were fines and anger management classes handed out in the 2017 pit fight between Tanner Gray and Richard Freeman? That would be a recent president setter if yes.