What the countdown is taking away... (1 Viewer)

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PJ

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What we are missing?

With the plague of the countdown fully upon us I just thought I'd point a few of the things that the countdown is taking away not only from us but from the racers.

First I must say yesterday was disgusting, I felt like I was about to watch a known innocent man get executed when Capps was on the outside looking in. How is it ok that the man who should be in the points lead had to claw his way into the 4th spot? He had Hight should be going into these last 2 races 67 points apart. Instead Capps has to fight his way up from 4th place now. I think Brut should be named sponsor of the decade. Last year their driver gets hosed on a 10 point non oil down penalty. This year their driver has scored the most points all season but can only be in 4th place.

Troxel has been on a roll lately. In reality she should be sitting only 4 points out of 6th place. However she has hit the countdown's glass ceiling and now can make it now higher then 9th. That will really stink come payout time at the end of the year as the check for finishing 6th..or better is larger then you get for finishing 9th. Del Worsham and Richie Stevens are in the same boat as they have entered the forbidden top 8, but will climb no higher than 9th.

The biggest rip off of all. Dave Connolly and team have been on a historic streak. With his 5 wins in a row he has climbed to within 28 points of Anderson. We could have seen one of the greatest comebacks of all time this year. But no, we have been force fed a countdown that has twice bunched these drivers up. The 5 wins in a row really mean nothing as far as points go now. This would have been a finish like Cruz's or of Schumacher's but instead people think Dave is lucky because he was given points twice in order to catch Anderson. He is catching him on his own, which is funny because nhra didn't think this thing called competition could happen.

Angelle has had an amazing streak of finishing in the top 3. That comes to an end now even though there are 2 races left and she should rightly be in 3rd, with a 93 point cushion over 4th.

WJ should be clinging to 10th spot, trying to add to his already impressive resume of top 10 finishes. Now he doesn't even have to show up at the last 2 races as he is assured a top 8 finish.

Top Fuel should be down to Fuller and Dixon as the only ones with a reasonable chance. Although Schumacher and Berstein would both mathemateically still be in it. Wouldn't it be ironic if this system, that was supposed to open things up, makes it be the only way that Schumacher wins the title yet again.

As far as non countdown team and the lack of coverage people predicted. It took Doug winning yesterday before they could talk to him. I thought I heard that WiIlkerson went to the semi's yesterday but of course he's not one of the blessed countdowners so we don't see him. Does TJ still race even?
 
I heard through the grapevine that he was number one qualifier, but that must be just a rumor, since I didn't see any type of interview with him. And,oh, did he race in the first round? I saw by the ladder he wasn't in second round, so I assume he got beat...I agree, PJ, very disappointing coverage yesterday, I especially liked Paul Pages rundown on the final four in funny car starting with Pedregon Tony. Didja happen to catch that one?
 
These complaints are all the same complaints that were heard in the first year of the chase over in NASCARland. Then the marketing machine that feeds NASCAR caught up to the teams. Now, most sponsorships for the big teams either have bonus clauses that kick in for making the chase, or a percentage of the sponsorship is dependent upon making the chase because the sponsors know from their research/experience, if they are not in the chase, their coverage is going to be minimal for the last 10 races (almost a third of the season). This is one of the reasons the chase was expanded to 12 teams instead of 10.

The same thing will happen in NHRA. Let's say Budweiser goes to Kenny and Brandon Bernstein and says, we want to be on your car for all 24 races in '08, but we are only going to pay you for 16 unless you make the countdown. Don't think it (or something similar) can't happen ....

There is always going to be a disparity in coverage whether the fans or teams like it or not. John Force carried drag racing and is the winningest driver of all time and his daughter generates more outside interest than anyone else in the sport, so they are going to get the most coverage.

People seem to forget, that this coverage issue is not new to the Countdown. Remember the last 2 or 3 events of last year, it was all Schumacher-Kalitta in Top Fuel, and all Force, Capps and Hight in Funny Car. There was no coverage of anything else, Pro Stock was an afterthought as Jason Line wrapped it up so early. This phenomenon is not intrinsic to NHRA either. Teams have complained for 50 years that there is too much coverage of Ferrari in F1. People in the IRL complain ad nauseum about Danica-mania. The lesson in the other forms of motorsports to be learned is that if you want the coverage you have to take it. Dario Franchitti stole Danica's thunder by winning the Indy 500 and the Championship. McLaren loosed Lewis Hamilton on the scene, and they are getting more coverage.

But I'll leave you with the words of Vandergriff: "It would be nice to get as much TV time as Ashley's boyfriend."
 
What we are missing?

With the plague of the countdown fully upon us I just thought I'd point a few of the things that the countdown is taking away not only from us but from the racers.

First I must say yesterday was disgusting, I felt like I was about to watch a known innocent man get executed when Capps was on the outside looking in. How is it ok that the man who should be in the points lead had to claw his way into the 4th spot? He had Hight should be going into these last 2 races 67 points apart. Instead Capps has to fight his way up from 4th place now. I think Brut should be named sponsor of the decade. Last year their driver gets hosed on a 10 point non oil down penalty. This year their driver has scored the most points all season but can only be in 4th place.

Troxel has been on a roll lately. In reality she should be sitting only 4 points out of 6th place. However she has hit the countdown's glass ceiling and now can make it now higher then 9th. That will really stink come payout time at the end of the year as the check for finishing 6th..or better is larger then you get for finishing 9th. Del Worsham and Richie Stevens are in the same boat as they have entered the forbidden top 8, but will climb no higher than 9th.

The biggest rip off of all. Dave Connolly and team have been on a historic streak. With his 5 wins in a row he has climbed to within 28 points of Anderson. We could have seen one of the greatest comebacks of all time this year. But no, we have been force fed a countdown that has twice bunched these drivers up. The 5 wins in a row really mean nothing as far as points go now. This would have been a finish like Cruz's or of Schumacher's but instead people think Dave is lucky because he was given points twice in order to catch Anderson. He is catching him on his own, which is funny because nhra didn't think this thing called competition could happen.

Angelle has had an amazing streak of finishing in the top 3. That comes to an end now even though there are 2 races left and she should rightly be in 3rd, with a 93 point cushion over 4th.

WJ should be clinging to 10th spot, trying to add to his already impressive resume of top 10 finishes. Now he doesn't even have to show up at the last 2 races as he is assured a top 8 finish.

Top Fuel should be down to Fuller and Dixon as the only ones with a reasonable chance. Although Schumacher and Berstein would both mathemateically still be in it. Wouldn't it be ironic if this system, that was supposed to open things up, makes it be the only way that Schumacher wins the title yet again.

As far as non countdown team and the lack of coverage people predicted. It took Doug winning yesterday before they could talk to him. I thought I heard that WiIlkerson went to the semi's yesterday but of course he's not one of the blessed countdowners so we don't see him. Does TJ still race even?

PJ, first off,let me state that I would prefer the old system over the Countdown.

I think all sports should have the old system.... at least that way the Dallas Mavericks would have 2 NBA Championships by now and I would have had a few less temper tantrums!!! ;)
 
The same thing will happen in NHRA. Let's say Budweiser goes to Kenny and Brandon Bernstein and says, we want to be on your car for all 24 races in '08, but we are only going to pay you for 16 unless you make the countdown. Don't think it (or something similar) can't happen ....

Oh, great. Terrific. As if it weren't already hard enough to land and hold a sponsorship, now the countdown becomes part of the proposal discussions? Not only is the countdown bullshit on it's own, it creates spinoffs. Happy Days!
 
Does TJ still race even?

PJ, I'll say that's been happening to TJ for years. It happened to Ron too. I can only guess that it has something to do with US Tobacco being the sponsor. For whatever reason, Tommy hardly ever gets interviewed. If you look back to his wins in '05 & '06, it's usually not til they win in the semis that ESPN takes notice. Obviously I'm biased in his favor but I seriously wish that team could get a little more respect from the tv crew.
 
It appears to me that whoever is in charge at espn 2 either does'nt like drag racing or knows nothing about it.
 
PJ. you're 100 percent correct. The biggest disgrace is Capps almost not making it. I don't believe a word he says when he's supporting the countdown. He's doing that because he's told to. IMHO.
 
Well I have to tell you that this is the biggest bunch of crap. Tony was very much against this when he thought that it would hurt him. Even saying so last year and this year in interviews (hey Tony remember the black arm band guyss, you were all against it then)


seems rather two faced because you know damn well if the role was reversed he'd be complaining, and rightly so to anyone and everyone. Just one more reason why the countdown sucks, something like this is either good or bad, right or wrong, you don't wait to see if it screws your opponent more then you then change your mind:mad:
 
Just something to ponder......................

Why hasn't Capps complained about the points being reset?
Why hasn't Matt Smith complained?
and
Why has Fuller complained?
Why has Greg Anderson complained?

Just something to think about. Different makeup in character perhaps?
 
some complain for all to see and some complain behind the scenes. Some started complaining this year and others started when it was announced last year. Some protest were filed and others were happy to get welfare points.
 
...Just one more reason why the countdown sucks, something like this is either good or bad, right or wrong, you don't wait to see if it screws your opponent more then you then change your mind:mad:

On point, PJ, but as you know, some are not allowed to speak out AT ALL about this, because of another sort of "team orders", and the majority that should be speaking up about it will be coming out of the woodwork in the next couple of weeks, especially those that are better at $$ math than they are winning winning rounds at the "right time"...

T Shoe has always been a favorite in this household (even though they are the most "Industrialized Corporate" of all the teams out there..), but even Tony knows how crappy his season was (and to some point, still is), along with Papa Force, and the fact that he is where he is today has NOTHING to do with his performance this season, but it's due to his luck of being in the right place at EXACTLY the right time to be able to take advantage of a piss poor system..
 
Complaining sucks

Doing does not.

This is old old old.

Adults deal with the cards they are delt and get with it.

I respect people that overcome adversity with dignity and strength of charachter.

So the Countdown could be viewed as such, adversity.

It was apparent from the beginning that teams better not be shooting themselves in the foot when it counted.

And several have been doing just that.

And unless they are completely blind or oblivious or both......I think they know it too.

these are the cards that were delt this season.

the winners will figure that out, the losers won't.

Life is like that from the time we are born 'till the day we die.

Ain't rocket science.

REX
 
................but even Tony knows how crappy his season was (and to some point, still is), along with Papa Force, and the fact that he is where he is today has NOTHING to do with his performance this season, but it's due to his luck of being in the right place at EXACTLY the right time to be able to take advantage of a piss poor system..
Say what? Shumacher already has 5 wins. Force has 3 and 2 runner ups. Both of them went into the Countdown in 3rd place, most would die for those crappy seasons.

Well said Rex!
 
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