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What i would do about drivers Throwing races (3 Viewers)

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Jon. No disrespect here, and I am not making a judgement here. You are the Senior Editor for a site I respect. I've read your writings and I have enjoyed them. But, your asking me to "grow up" when expecting integrity in my favorite sport. I would expect a writer like yourself, "with the power of the pen", to be demanding legitimacy in the sport he covers. Also, in my eyes, you have a responsibility to your readers to cover the sport for it's betterment and seek to protect it when something is clearly wrong. Proving it really isn't the issue here. I believe that 95% of competent NHRA fans believe John Force left on the sound of Robert's motor then drove left. I could be wrong on that percentage. I believe that if I were in your position, writing a piece to curtail this decision making process on diving from ever being a possibility in any mega-team camp would be the correct step. Just to dismiss it, tell me to "grow up" and that it can't be proven is a rare route for a journalist. We are talking about the integrity of a sport. To me that is very important. I hope it is to you as well. Throughout the history of America journalist's have made news by shedding light on wrong doings, and uncovering injustice and the public has been the beneficiary. In the "country" of Drag Racing intentionally throwing a drag race is a major crime, but the "Big Dawg" continues to get away with it.

Registered member said:
Paul Sapienza's first sentence is absolutely correct: "... it can't pe policed before the race, & it CAN'T be proven after the race." I'm sorry if this is angering people, but grow up. Every form of motorsports that involves a team, i.e., more than one car owned by the same entity, from Formula 1 on down has diving. Most of the time it's done subtly, others not so much. There was one F1 race this season in which one team car was far superior to the other, and when they came in for their pit stops the slower car was ordered out first. The quicker driver soon overtook and passed him again, but a few laps from the conclusion the quicker car pulled over and let the other guy through, because that was what the team wanted. Since there's no way of proving anything -- and even if NHRA thought there was and decided to disqualify a driver, just imagine the courtroom scene later. Courtrooms demand proof, not suspicion. A disqualified driver could probably sue -- and win -- a substantial amount under those circumstances. As an example, some years ago a driver was alleged to have bribed an official in order to win a race. The rumor got back to the sanctioning body president, who (privately) stated he'd demand the trophy and the money back and would suspend the driver in question. Then his lawyer explained the facts of the law to him, and nothing was done because there was no actual, physical proof that the bribe had taken place. It's the same thing with throwing a race. Proving it is a lot harder than suggesting it.

Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com
DragRacingEdge.com
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Registered member said:
Would that really be a bad thing? New teams would spring up overnight if they didn't have to race those guys.
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I don't think you would get as many new cars as you think you would...and if you did get a few new cars they would probably only run a few races a year. DSR or JFR has nothing to do with the high travel expenses it costs to run a full tour.
 
It would be real interesting to me if all the complainers about "race throwing" were put in a position of being a team owner, knowing if car A beat car B you lost a world championship and the hundreds of thousands of dollars (not to mention the press) that go along with it, would react if faced with the same situation. Would you sacrifice a million dollars to run a straight up race? I wouldn't. And as stated by an earlier poster, I doubt most of the folks sitting in the stands knew what was going on or gave two cents about it. If NHRA wants to stop it, looks pretty simple to me. Do away with the stupid countdown canned drama format.
 
Registered member said:
I'm calling BULLSHIT on this...
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Back before scoreboards their were a "few" announcers that would slightly embellish et's and speeds at match races. The match races were Chicago style meaning all cars ran two rounds and the two quickest winners came back for a final round. These were funny car races.

Take it from there.
 
I know diving takes place in most forms of motor sports. But one thing drag racing has that others dont is the ladder. This is the only place diving can be reduced(not eliminated all together ). Lotta smart people around, Cant someone come up with a workable plan??
 
As long as there are teams, there will be diving. And there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it.
 
Registered member said:
Back before scoreboards their were a "few" announcers that would slightly embellish et's and speeds at match races. The match races were Chicago style meaning all cars ran two rounds and the two quickest winners came back for a final round. These were funny car races.

Take it from there.
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Wow great.. , thanks.. I'll have to make it to a race one day.. sounds really interesting..

Untitled by j t, on Flickr


Sooo, help me out here... which one is the announcer ..??
16635209385_9e4644720b_c.jpg
 
Last edited:
Let's reset the "ladder" each round, based on the winning elapsed times from the previous round. That should take a bit of the predictability out of it..... Regards, Chase
 
Registered member said:
I know diving takes place in most forms of motor sports. But one thing drag racing has that others dont is the ladder. This is the only place diving can be reduced(not eliminated all together ). Lotta smart people around, Cant someone come up with a workable plan??
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the ladder can be manipulated too....just ask Jason Line!

;)
 
When this photo was taken, there actually was an AA/FC class, but it stood for AA/Fuel Competition, as in Competition Coupes. Basically a front engined dragster chassis with a Fiat body, or maybe a 32 Ford coupe body, or something like that. So, dragster chassis, car body.... wait, doesn't that describe funny car today? Short wheelbase, front engine dragster chassis with a more or less car body on it. I have always thought of F/C as a streamlined Top Fuel car. By the way, one of my best memories was at San Gabriel Drags (not too far from where the Irwindale track is now). I was probably 14 years old, and standing at the fence by the starting line. Here comes an AA/FC, with what looked like a 32 Ford sedan body (just big enuf to fit over the roll cage), and blown Chrysler on nitro, with a dragster body on the front of the car. Had the weed sweeper headers, and I could feel the exhaust on my leg. They used to stage the fuel cars on the outer edge of the track and the the gassers & stokers had the lane closest to the center line, so that's why I felt the exhaust. I still remember that & it was probably 1963 or so.
 
Registered member said:
Where are the funny cars?
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You mean AWB , /FX, A/FC, BB/FC, or AA/FC..??? Sorry - I musta' went back abit too far ...

Please let me know just which era , and exact car you are referring to as "fixing" races, and I'll try harder..

I do concur that there was some " understood showmanship" that happened with situations such as the " Coca Cola Cavalcade " that Gil and others had a hand in, that brought a trailer full of cars - and had some " regular" drivers and stars.. But, I am not aware of any REAL racers that would go to a track just to be a patsy... Every real racer I ever knew - raced ... even if they were out-gunned...

I was gonna' ask dad yesterday... but he was in the assembly room , and I know he really focusses in there.. Maybe I shoulda' asked at his 80th coupla' weeks ago.. If you have something you always wanted to know - but were afraid to ask - let me know quick - and i'll pass it by him when I follow up on this little item.... ( gotta' be after '52 though for real drag racing questions.. he was racing other stuff before that..)
 
No, but I have irritated NHRA a few times over the last five decades. Chase
 
Registered member said:
Unreal. Really? "Throwing" the race? These are TEAMS. If I have one of my team cars fighting for the championship and the other is not close to the championship you are a fool to race "straight up". There is millions at stake here. There are multiple team cars for blocking, data and a better chance to win the whole enchilada. Lets not have running backs have blockers in front of them...or quarterbacks taking a knee at the snap....or pitchers intentionally walking a batter to get a better advantage. What is fun to watch is when it goes wrong and the car that is supposed to win goes up in smoke and the other is peddling their ass off to try to not finish first. Kind of like a batter stepping up and reaching for an intentional walk pitch that is a bit too close to the zone and smacks it into the outfield.

You want all straight up racing? Then pay everyone the same amount of money for every run, win or loose.
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The difference between being the Mello Yello champion and 2nd place is $400,000. That's a good amount of money for most of us but certainly not backbreaking for a championship-contending FC team. It's all about competition and bragging rights, more than the actual money. The winner's purse has never been close to the cost of funding a team.
 
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