I heard that the incremental math showed that Smith won the race by a thousandth. I don’t care what the math said. Johnson was first. It’s like the old story about catching your wife wrapped up in your bed with her personal trainer. She says, “Nothing’s going on, honey. Are you going to believe me or your own eyes?” Eyes say Johnson.
I saw the film a few more times. The first time making damn sure that Johnson did in fact finish in front and then the next two, to see if maybe a hot dog wrapper or a wild toad like the one that jumped out on the starting line and tripped a red-light on Top Fuel racer Pat Austin at the 1995 Mid-South Nationals and messed things up. Nothing like that occurred.
I’ve had some time to digest this and I’m not really sure what to do. At times, I feel sure that the company feels it’s the “power” in POWERade, and the racers will dance to their tune first time, every time. To admit a gaff seems beyond their sensibilities.
I also feel for Matt Smith. He “wins” his first race, the biggest one on the circuit, and then has to give back the trophy. That would be especially awkward: You get the guy all built up and then blow him off. And in so doing that act is a not too tacit admission for NHRA that we f*cked up. To give both racers “Wallys”, I think would have the same admission of guilt for the host organization.
As for Steve Johnson, I will say this, that if indeed he doesn’t get credit for the win, than there should be a Steve Johnson Rule … instant replay in cases like the above. They have it in most major sports like horse racing (photo finishes) pro football and baseball. Humans make mistakes, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be done in a flick-of-an-eye sport like drag racing. Let’s face it, the 2005 Pro Stock Motorcycle was an embarrassment.
The television broadcast was not live. The NHRA race officials could have aped horse racing, and said something like,” Everyone hold your tickets, we have a challenge to the outcome and will review it.” Then come back on the telecast and give the fans the story. Something like that, anything, but for God’s sakes, don’t leave everyone with a bellyache, headache, and in the case of Johnson, a heartache.
One final point on Johnson. At the conclusion of the show, the mikes went on him and I have never seen a racer show such class and dignity in such a stressful, disappointing situation. I only saw the post-race interview once and so I’m paraphrasing Johnson. His main points were handled magnificently. He, and I’m sure unintentionally, used the logic Humphrey Bogart did in the classic movie “Casablanca.” He’s with Ingrid Bergman in war-torn WWII France and lamenting that he and Ms. Bergman will likely never see each other again.
“You know sweetheart,” “Bogey” says, “this crazy, mad world doesn’t give a hill of beans about the fate of two little people.” Something like that.
In Johnson’s case, the interviewer said something a long the lines of “I’ve heard that the decision stands if the protesting racer leaves the grounds and Johnson said in effect, “Well, I suppose my crew and I could camp out here overnight in protest, but really why do that? It’s not like the outcome of Indy Pro Stock Bike determines the fate of the world. Look at the people in New Orleans and Mississippi or Iraq. What happened here isn’t that important. There are more important things out there. But hey, if someone asks me who won this 2005 Nationals bike title, I’m going to say that I won it.
As Mike Dunn closed the broadcast, “Matt Smith got the trophy, but Steve Johnson won the race.
That’s the way we saw it. 
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