Thread: NHRA reality TV?

Tweet

I've been a rabid fan since '58, but is anyone else tired of seeing the personal conflict on NHRA's coverage?

Agruments, bitching, blaming, whining, and justifying are not even in my "entertainment top ten". I lost interest in that stuff after my first wife. Yesterday they showed two bike racers arguing, so I have to believe they are now looking for this kind of coverage. I have shut the TV off 4 times in the last two days ...and if they continue, I will shut it off one last time!

I want to know why they chose a different brand of blower? ....or the tire pressures they run ....or even how the driver hones his skills, but I do not want to watch guys flexing their hormones. That is for teenagers.

Amen Jay.......that turned me off too. It is the reason Pinks died, got tired of all the bickering. I think this is a reflection of our society, we have become much ruder than we used to be.

Don

I think a lot is monkey see monkey do copy cat tv. they saw the ratings with orange county chopper and coddington and all the bleeped out words and they think this is the path to success some think chip foose is the leave it to beaver reality tv maybe but it's a lot more entertaining and informative also power block is not bad but that's just my opinion and Nealson ratings have never asked me........ted

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

I want to know why they chose a different brand of blower?

NHRA has deemed the changing of blower brands illegal.

Conflicts and even fist fights are not new in NHRA nor most other types of auto racing. How about some of the fights that have occured in NASCAR? Heck even Danica Patrick started to go after somebody in Indy racing. These people are under a lot of pressure, some of it self induced. I think a lot of people were wondering if Force might have gotten out of the groove and smoked his tires on purpose so Hight would be sure to win. Questions like that have also gone on for years, and not just in drag racing. It's part of the sport whether it is professional or not. I think it needs to be reported on and not ignored. I do think the reporting can be over done though.

My $.02

Pat

I think it was obvious he steered it out of the groove. I just don't care to watch them argue over it.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

I think it was obvious he steered it out of the groove. I just don't care to watch them argue over it.

Would I have steered my car out of the groove to get one of my team drivers in the chase instead of one of the Pedregon boys????? Heck yes!!!!!! Who wouldn't have???? Be real, taking a dive to the betterment of a team car has been around since the first two car team ever started, and it will continue to be that way!!!!!!! In defense of John, when you watch the slow mo, he was getting some wicked tire shake.....If the car would have stayed in the groove it would have smoked the back tires anyway.... Anybody who thinks this is less then ethical has obviously never been in a similar situation...with the money brought in with increased coverage of NHRA's version of a chase it was a business decision on his part, nothing more, nothing less!!!!!! The "reality" of the situation is that it's all about the money....with the cost of everything it has to be that way, sorry.....

Want to watch sports not affected by the almighty dollar???? Watch Pop Warner football....just don't listen to the parents of the kids playing!!!!!

As for Rich the idiot on Pinks....now if you drop a fluid on the track your banned...If you don't run the time his tower flunkies think you should your out.... if you don't happen to land in the right ET BRACKET, go home....Afraid his limited success went to his head and he'll blow it.... At any NHRA or AHRA event I sign into, I know I can run my time trials the way I want to run my time trials and there will be a class or bracket for me to race in other then just one that is decided by a comittee headed by some fool who doesn't know a thing about drag racing!!!! Besides, his arm drop crap never was a part of racing, ask Ken how it was really done!!!!!!

Really, what sport is any different??? I can't stand to watch the prima donna's in the stick and one ball sports with all their flaunting and taunting...makes me sick.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!! If you think Force was wrong, or it's wrong when Jeff Gordon lets Jimmie Johnson lead a lap to get the five bonus points,,,,,,, well, you do indeed need to participate for awhile rather then just observe----You will indeed discover the "reality" of racing.....

PS---five or so years ago, Rog and I were in the finals for Super Gas,,,Rog needed 10 more points to clinch Super Gas for the year....I didn't even put the car in the staging lanes, Rog won on a solo.....and I'd do the same thing again today if the situation were the same....That's reality!!!!!!

Funny, I always thought ethical was doing the right thing. Drag Racing is not a team sport (outside of your own cars team).

Maybe the meaning of "ethical' has changed and I missed it.

Nothing more than a business decision. As far as blowing a race in super gas no way I want the little man

With the tire shake John had he couldn't even focus on where he was or where he was going---his run was real, the reaction time looks a little hookie, but with the adreninal and all, your foot/hand reaction time don't make use of your brain---sooooooo-----

A few weeks ago, Tony and Cruz were racing each other and Tony could of given the run to Cruz without effecting his position----he may have tried, but it didn't work out---when 2 of those cars go up to race, they can't see the other car unless they are way out there or way sideways---when they drop the hammer its pretty much outta their hands---

But-----it is a PRO class ( meaning MONEY ) not a SPORTSMAN class

Originally Posted by Geezer2

Funny, I always thought ethical was doing the right thing. Drag Racing is not a team sport (outside of your own cars team).

Maybe the meaning of "ethical' has changed and I missed it.

There are teams....Team Force was the one involved.... Ethics are ethics and business is business. If Force had beat Hight, Pedregon would have been in....Hight won, he's in.... If you can't take help out a team mate to the detriment of a competitor, then loyalty becomes an issue, too. I'll help a team car any way, any time I can.... Like I said, been there done that though not in a funny car... Me the bad guy???? lofty ideals and goals are nice, but they don't keep cars on the track.....

As Jerry mentioned, once you nail that sucker, lots of things can happen... Can't even imagine what a funny car is like, I ran top alcohol for a few years and lots of times launching that car was pretty much a crap shoot... As in any sport, it's much easier to do everything right when you're on your butt in the bleachers!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

As Jerry mentioned, once you nail that sucker, lots of things can happen... Can't even imagine what a funny car is like, I ran top alcohol for a few years and lots of times launching that car was pretty much a crap shoot... As in any sport, it's much easier to do everything right when you're on your butt in the bleachers!!!!!!!

I agree with that 100%. Did Force take a dive? Jerry doesn't seem to think so and he sure as hell knows more about running fuel than probably at least 90% of us on this forum. As far as I'm concerned I'm thrilled to death that ESPN televises drag racing even if it's on tape.

Throwing a race is quite simply against NHRA rules, and Force as much as admitted it several times. Of course, being the organization mascot, he will not lose any points over it.

The only thing that bothers me is that the damned show producers have showed more reruns and interviews of this than any great performance ever got! That is not why I tune in. I can watch that crap on any reality show (which I won't watch).

How about that 1/4 mile wheelstand by the A/FD today? I also enjoyed the four lane exhibitions. I grew up near Rockford Dragway, but never was there for a four lane matchrace event.

I was never there for any of the 4 lane stuff either and have only run UDRA ProStock there, never any fuel stuff.
I agree with paINT ABOUT THE REALITY tv stuff and was telling my wife that I didn't understand why NHRA was allowing ESPN to show that over and over---they own/control the footage of there event.
They ought to fine that official for getting between Tony and John without the proper safty equipment----

They ought to outlaw drinking that full throttle stuff while under the influence of all that adrenal---

I did think that the fuel racing was pretty good tho

there running that crap on espn it sell s i do not care for that yelling name calling bs , .i can see both sides an can see that john yelling added fuel to the bs fire .they just sould make it were you can only own and run two cars max s that should stop some of the b.s .