When did a run become a pull and not a pass?

[XPilot]

I'm pretty certain I've heard Bob Frey use that term back in the TNN days to describe a run with all eight lit and no tire smoke (right down Broadway).

 

[Jim]

What I want for the upcoming year is for the announcers to assume that we all know what drag racing is and not explain it every time as if we all fell off a UFO.

The announcers aren't talking to you. They are talking to the people who don't know drag racing. The only way to get them to know it is to tell them.

 

[Marchboom]

From Dictionary.com

Lap: Verb:
a complete circuit of a course in racing

The course in a Drag Race is to go from the starting line to the finish line. That's a "Lap"

Alan

The person who wrote that definition has never been to a drag race.

 

[mick]

The person who wrote that definition has never been to a drag race.

the person who wrote that defiinition is also not well versed in dance forms.

 

[M Jones]

the person who wrote that defiinition is also not well versed in dance forms.

Having fun with all the memories, kept them coming, two of my favorites, light the candles and step on the loud pedal

 

[z28]

I think I'll go out and make a trip down the strip

 

[NitroLuver]

I think I'll go out and make a trip down the strip

As long as you don't strip while you're doing, we're good. lol

I'll see myself out.

 

[stitcherbob]

The announcers aren't talking to you. They are talking to the people who don't know drag racing. The only way to get them to know it is to tell them.

We didn't need our hands held back when Diamond P did the play by play...

Here, before the 2025 Gators opener, everyone enjoy the Gators from 40 years ago (gasp!). Pay attention to the way it's presented. Oh for the old ways....

 

[Butch]

I remember back in the days at a national event when you could make as many passes as you wanted to. And many referred to it as HOT Lapping.
Remember servicing the car in line in order to get another pass in?

 

[MidnightbluS10]

It's just an euphemism. If Austin Prock were to redlight, someone might say he 'jumped the gun'. I trust nobody would expect that comment to be limited to a description of someone laying an AR15 down on the starting line and witnessing Austin jump over it. Same deal with 'jump the shark' which isn't intended to describe people who jump over sharks.

Actually, that's exactly what 'jumped the shark' describes. Fonzie jumped a shark on Happy Days, which is where the saying came from. So when someone says it, they are referencing Fonz jumping the shark. Meaning "to reach a point at which far-fetched events(Fonzie jumping the shark) are included merely for the sake of novelty, indicative of a decline in quality."

Which is exactly what happened when Fonz jumped the shark. Happy Days had declined so much that they had Fonzie jump a shark.

 

[mick]

Ayyyyy!

 

[65 Goatboy]

The announcers aren't talking to you. They are talking to the people who don't know drag racing. The only way to get them to know it is to tell them.

It does get old and redundant but it helps "hook" new fans while they are watching a full pull or not. Technical explanations of explosions are also helpful to new fans. Oil down's are not, especially synthetic gear lube down the length of the track. It's always fun explaining to the person next to you at the track how the faster car lost on a holeshot.

 

[Jim]

It's always fun explaining to the person next to you at the track how the faster car lost on a holeshot.

Try explaining Stock and Super Stock to a fan who does not understand why the car that had the quicker ET and got to the finish line first lost the race.

The concept of losing because you were too quick takes some explaining.

 

[Jim]

Which is exactly what happened when Fonz jumped the shark. Happy Days had declined so much that they had Fonzie jump a shark.

I wonder how many people who use that phrase today were alive when Fonzie jumped the shark.

 

[Jim]

We didn't need our hands held back when Diamond P did the play by play...

Anyone watching who did need their hands held was out of luck. You don't grow and audience by ignoring newcomers.

The trick is for announcers to learn how to explain the basics without making it seem too basic.

 

[Cliff]

Have someone explain where the term "drag racing" came from.

 

[Jim]

Have someone explain where the term "drag racing" came from.

The term came from an annual event in Washington, DC on the Tuesday before Halloween. I watched it about 20 years ago. It is fun.

High Heel Drag Queen Race - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sandman]

The announcers aren't talking to you. They are talking to the people who don't know drag racing. The only way to get them to know it is to tell them.

Sorry, but the announcers that feel the need to "explain" the act of drag racing to death are annoying. I've used this example before, but I'll use it again: watch a baseball game sometime. Have you EVER heard an announcer explain a slider? A back door slider? How about the difference between a four seam or two seam fastball? A 2-4-6 double play? They actually give their audience enough credit for looking it up if they want to know. Yet here we are, listening to yet another explanation of a holeshot. Every. Single. Race.

 

[Jim]

Have you EVER heard an announcer explain a slider? A back door slider? How about the difference between a four seam or two seam fastball? A 2-4-6 double play? They actually give their audience enough credit for looking it up if they want to know. Yet here we are, listening to yet another explanation of a holeshot. Every. Single. Race.

Yes, I hear that often on baseball broadcasts. The announcers work it into the game. Here in Philly, the color man is the announcer who explains the different pitches and how they are thrown. They also explain base-running and hitting and what the statistics mean during the broadcast. Anyone who watches baseball knows all about hitting and launch angles because the announcers talk about it.

Ever listen to the announcers while you are watching an NFL game? The announcers often explain what the players are doing. I was not a Tom Brady fan, but as an announcer this year, he explained how the play developed, what each player was supposed to do, and why a play worked or did not work.

 

[nwspeedshots]

Actually, that's exactly what 'jumped the shark' describes. Fonzie jumped a shark on Happy Days, which is where the saying came from. So when someone says it, they are referencing Fonz jumping the shark. Meaning "to reach a point at which far-fetched events(Fonzie jumping the shark) are included merely for the sake of novelty, indicative of a decline in quality."

Which is exactly what happened when Fonz jumped the shark. Happy Days had declined so much that they had Fonzie jump a shark.

Henry Winkler was interviewed on KIRO radio in Seattle by the late, great Dori Monson. On the subject of "jumping the shark", Winkler pointed out that, following the motorcycle-jump episode, Happy Days placed first in ratings for the next four years (don't hold me to the exact time-reference...). So it seems, jumping the shark didn't actually amount to jumping the shark.