Who got screwed by the countdown? (1 Viewer)

[Danny Pease]

Those that were "screwed" most were the sponsors of the cars that did not make the "Countdown". Almost no attention was paid to the "lesser cars" by the media the past 2 months.

The countdown was purely an attempt to add extra drama earlier than normal.

The countdown sucks!

Danny

 

[PJ]

Sorry Jay I haven't seen bikes yet. I know Angelle would have finished higher but beyond that I don't know



Lance, Lance, Lance. We've gone over why the nfl playoffs work.

I don't like the coutdown under any situation but it would be much more tolerable if the playoff contenders oh I don't know actually raced each other during the playoffs.

I went through and looked at the champs from Indy on and who they raced over the entire stretch.

Do you know that Tony Pedregon did not beat any of the final 4 racers from Indy on and only 1 of the 8 countdown players?

Schumacher managed 2 wins against the top 4 guys the other round wins came against non playoff teams

Jeg had 2 wins against the top 4 and 2 more against the top 8.

people keep wanting to use other sports as a reason as to why we need the countdown. In those sports teams actually play against other teams in the playoffs.

If they want to make it more legit in the eyes of us evil diehards then for the final 8 rank them 1-8 based on points and thats how round 1 is set up. The other 8 spots can go to non countdown teams based on qualifying. THis way a playoff and non playoff team don't race each other until the final.

Once they drop to 4 then its the same way those four seeded 1-4 reace in other in round 1 then the 2 winners in round two. The remaining spots are open to non countdown cars.

While we could still easily end up with the champ still not being the best at least they would have actually raced and beaten the other playoff teams.

 

[Rajunz]

I understand that we've gone over the differences between NFL and NHRA.

What I am saying is that you can bet there were screams heard country wide about changing the way that Football Champions were crowned. Can you imagine what people thought back then? NFL will be resetting everyone's record for a playoff system, and that even the team with the highest winning season could be eliminated by a team with a less winning record. Say it ain't so!

 

[PJ]

na no complaints then, they didn't have the internet

 

[DCM]

Back in the 70's [and maybe before], weren't the champions crowned by who won the World Finals at the end of the season, without keeping 'points' for the entire season? And if I'm correct about that [which I might NOT be], does that make their championships not legitimate since they had a different points system?

I might be wrong......somebody with some grey hair provide a little help..

 

[Jay]

Jay,
I wasn't able to follow that link.

However, a poll taken on Nitromater could hardly be considered scientific or statistically significant sampling of ALL NHRA MEMBERS.

BTW: I did review the poll posted after the Finals and, just the way the question was posed "The CRAPDOWN" ?? was just a tad biased. Wouldn't you agree?

Granted, it MIGHT be a bit skewed (although, I don't think so...), but even if it was, the results are still overwhelming that the fans don't like it...Some of you can bit$h an moan about it, but a fact is a fact.

 

[Rajunz]

Back in the 70's [and maybe before], weren't the champions crowned by who won the World Finals at the end of the season, without keeping 'points' for the entire season? And if I'm correct about that [which I might NOT be], does that make their championships not legitimate since they had a different points system?

I might be wrong......somebody with some grey hair provide a little help..

You are 100% correct, and the hair is not gray yet, well, maybe just a little.

 

[Jay]

I dunno Jay, according to your post yesterday, we're NOT all entitled to our opinions!

Or how many MORE he would have won??? He was usually hot at the end of the season!

Probably not nearly as bad as when the NFL decided to go to a playoff system in 1946 to crown their Champions..............I'll bet they had many PJ's back then!

Read into the context...

 

[PJ]

Back in the 70's [and maybe before], weren't the champions crowned by who won the World Finals at the end of the season, without keeping 'points' for the entire season? And if I'm correct about that [which I might NOT be], does that make their championships not legitimate since they had a different points system?

I might be wrong......somebody with some grey hair provide a little help..

that is correct but as the sport evolved it was realized that making the entire season important was better for the sport. Now with the countdown we have regressed but you get 2 races to win it all now

 

[Paul]

that is correct but as the sport evolved it was realized that making the entire season important was better for the sport. Now with the countdown we have regressed but you get 2 races to win it all now

No regression PJ, the sport has evolved to use a playoff system.

 

[PJ]

No regression PJ, the sport has evolved to use a playoff system.

no no you see in a playoff system the teams would actually race each other. Tony P only won 1 round against a playoff team from Indy on and yet he's the champ.

I could live with just calling whoever wins the finals the champ over the countdown


Hell the Detroit Lions are on a 3 game winning streak lets crown them champs and as long as they don't have to play Dallas, New England, Indy, Green Bay , the Giants or Pittsburgh than they can win it all.

 

[Paul]

no no you see in a playoff system the teams would actually race each other. Tony P only won 1 round against a playoff team from Indy on and yet he's the champ.

I could live with just calling whoever wins the finals the champ over the countdown


Hell the Detroit Lions are on a 3 game winning streak lets crown them champs and as long as they don't have to play Dallas, New England, Indy, Green Bay , the Giants or Pittsburgh than they can win it all.

PJ, it is all about peaking at the right time and playing within the means of approved format that every competitor was knowingly competing in. It is not practical to have the Countdown teams running their own race at each event and this is the format the NHRA has come up with. Like it or not, using playoff formats is the way champions are crowned in this day and age. Why don’t you go and start a new petition and see if you can find enough people to sign it where you can make a difference? If the Countdown is so horrible (like you are portraying), you should have no problem finding more then the 1600 people then who signed previously. For the record, 1600 people would be lost in the rounding of the pool of people who watch and attend the races. Good luck.

 

[Suzie Q]

A bunch of the teams got screwed. Think about it............all of the teams that are out there for all the races, all year long, making a lot of money for the NHRA and at the end of the year, only 8 cars in each catagory get any money. How is that fair? Each one of those cars out there is the reason there is a race!

If we are stuck with the damn thing, tweek it and make it fair. That is all I ask.

 

[PJ]

In other playoff formats the teams actually compete against each other. Its not about peaking at the right time iin the countdown its about getting lucky in who you race. When the tf champ and team talk about how bad of a season they had that should tell you something

They could have the final 8 one one side of the ladder, and the non countdowners on the other side. Have the playoff guys race based on points going into that race #1 vs #8, 2 vs 7 and so on. Once the cut to 4 happens then those four race 1st and second round against each other. We could still end up with someone with less points winning the championship but at least they would have actually had to beat the other contneders to do so, much like when the wild card team wins the playoffs in other sports. Its understood that they may not have actually been the best team that year but at least that had to beat them to get there.

Personally I still woudl prefer the season long champ to be the one with the title but I could live with the above, at least its an actual playoff then

 

[Scott]

I agree with PJ. There are numerous reasons why I don't like the countdown. One is the drop to 4 teams with 2 races to go. The other is this sort of playoff NHRA was trying to create. Playoff teams compete against other Playoff teams.
If the countdown was tweaked a little, like getting rid of that cut to 4 with 2 races and the countdown teams were on one side of the ladder and the others on the other side from Indy on like PJ stated, I would actually like the countdown.
Who knows, it's the first year and maybe there will be some changes.

 

[*******]

A bunch of the teams got screwed. Think about it............all of the teams that are out there for all the races, all year long, making a lot of money for the NHRA and at the end of the year, only 8 cars in each catagory get any money. How is that fair? Each one of those cars out there is the reason there is a race!

If we are stuck with the damn thing, tweek it and make it fair. That is all I ask.

As much as I know it won't happen Suzie, Try to get the entire Kalitta clan and related traveling circus to run IHRA next year in protest of this crap. That would surely send a signal to whoever is in charge at NHRA. I know most consider IHRA bush league but they could win the championship and make a statement at the same time.

 

[Darryl]

Back in the 70's [and maybe before], weren't the champions crowned by who won the World Finals at the end of the season, without keeping 'points' for the entire season? And if I'm correct about that [which I might NOT be], does that make their championships not legitimate since they had a different points system?

I might be wrong......somebody with some grey hair provide a little help..

Actually I've not enough hair to know exactly how grey it is but...Those earlier champions WERE on a points system. All the Pro classes had to race division events and gain points to come to the Finals. If I remember correctly they took the top two from each class from each division and let them compete for the 'World Championship'. I guess that was actually an early form of 'The Countdown'. The only thing I DON'T remember is how they filled the final two spots since there were only 7 divisions.

 

[SAS]

Like many others I do not like the new system , however I did sit at the computer waiting to see the results. I also enjoyed attending the race last week in Vegas. Watching the competition and enjoying it will not change because of the point counting system. And the Sponsors will have to be satisfied with the wins week to week. Better to have a sponsored team win all year and get that name shown many times, than just a few times in the final weeks. Or as Bill Belichick says " It is what it is "

 

[Suzie Q]

As much as I know it won't happen Suzie, Try to get the entire Kalitta clan and related traveling circus to run IHRA next year in protest of this crap. That would surely send a signal to whoever is in charge at NHRA. I know most consider IHRA bush league but they could win the championship and make a statement at the same time.

Ya never know what Conrad has up his sleeve. I guess he has gotten some changes made with going back to 90% nitro. That is a start!

Like I said, tweek it and make it fair for all.

Hmmmm.........I guess they saved money on 8 meals at the awards banquet!!! I bet all the non-countdown teams had a lovely dinner!!! Probably AT HOME!!!

 

[d'kid]

Actually I've not enough hair to know exactly how grey it is but...Those earlier champions WERE on a points system. All the Pro classes had to race division events and gain points to come to the Finals. If I remember correctly they took the top two from each class from each division and let them compete for the 'World Championship'. I guess that was actually an early form of 'The Countdown'. The only thing I DON'T remember is how they filled the final two spots since there were only 7 divisions.

Darryl
Believe it was the Top 3, and they still had to qualify...

d'kid