Bold Move
9/8/06
veryone else is talking about it, so why not me? Of course I’m referring to the recently announced “Countdown to the Championship.” It doesn’t quite roll of the tongue like “Chase for the Cup”—too many syllables—but like no other issue in recent memory NHRA’s version of NASCAR’s playoff points system immediately polarized fans, pundits, and competitors alike.
I’ll admit it would be oh so easy to jump on the “I-hate-the-Countdown” bandwagon. Obviously there’s merit to a season-long points chase that tends to even out any hot or cold streaks that occur along the way. And then there’s the Countdown’s potential flaw of wiping out a team that’s put together a true championship-caliber run in the early going if they suffer a little bad luck in the closing two races. Even the early minority of racers who support NHRA in its Countdown initiative generally agree that the final two-race showdown among the top-four points getters is just too short to determine a champion for a sport in which a single mistake can easily determine the outcome.
On the other hand, that’s the harsh reality of drag racing and it can be argued that the very nature of counting down to just four contenders in two events is an almost-perfect replication of elimination rounds. Besides, a team locked in close battle under the current points system could falter and alter their destiny in the late going, so what’s the real difference?
Regardless, as the old saw goes: the more things change, the more they stay the same. As it has numerous times in the past, with the Countdown the NHRA has exposed its decision-making process to question. From all appearances, few people outside Glendora were consulted before the Countdown was revealed. Certainly, major team owners, drivers, and sponsors like Don Schumacher, Warren Johnson, and Evan Knoll were blindsided by the news and if they were kept in the dark, it’s reasonable to wonder exactly who contributed to the thought process.
According to an NHRA-released transcript of an interview with sanctioning body head honcho Tom Compton, when asked if independent track or team owners were previously made aware of the impending Countdown, he claimed to have “… consulted with a number of people in the racing community; it wasn't just internally at NHRA. We reached out to some people who we value their opinions and trust their confidence to run different scenarios by them …”
Notably absent from his answer, however, were names or titles of the people contacted. In fact, when specifically pressed later in the interview about whether the Professional Racers Organization (PRO), was included in reaching the final decision, Compton answered, “We consulted with a number of trusted confidants in the community. We consulted a number of people out there, people who we respect their opinion, people who we trust their comments obviously.” A better piece of non-meaning corporate-speak was never uttered, though he did add, “If the question is, ‘Is there someone from PRO who we talked to about this,’ the answer is yes.”
It turns out that “someone” was PRO president Kenny Bernstein, who apparently agreed to withhold his knowledge of the impending Countdown from his fellow competitors and board members after being told about it well in advance, clearly demonstrating his loyalty lies more with NHRA than with his fellow owners and drivers.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with that when you’re a rank-and-file racer, but when you’re ostensibly a leader to advance the interests of PRO’s membership at large, it’s clearly an example of abused trust. Bernstein never should have agreed to secrecy over an issue he undoubtedly realized would have far-reaching ramifications for team owners, sponsors, and drivers. PRO has been derided and criticized many times over the years for being ineffectual and irrelevant when it comes to influencing NHRA’s direction. Now we know why.
That said, I’m quite willing to take a wait-and-see position on the Countdown to the Championship. Say what you will about contrived points races and manipulating results, it worked for NASCAR and I expect it’ll work for NHRA, too. The new system guarantees a close finish and if last year’s Funny Car finale between reigning champ Gary Scelzi, current points leader Ron Capps, and perennial favorite John Force provides any indication, media and fan interest in the points chase should be amped up for all four professional classes at Pomona next fall.
It’s often tough to accept—never mind embrace—change, but that’s what’s going on in a big way right now at drag racing’s highest levels. Will it all be good? Probably not, but for years, I’ve listed to fans and media members say major-league drag racing needs a shake-up, something to inject itself into more mainstream recognition. And love it or hate it, with the Countdown to the Championship, at least the NHRA is finally making a bold move to advance the cause.
Sure, the “wrong” team may end up winning it all, but for the most part I think we’ll see the same top guns dueling it out at Pomona for NHRA supremacy. No matter what, it should be exciting and unpredictable—both of which I think we can all agree are among drag racing’s greatest assets. 
Race safe,
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PS. Kudos belong to Outlaw 10.5 star and race promoter Steve Kirk for making the tough decision to postpone his inaugural Big Dawg Pro Outlaw Shootout at Piedmont Dragway due to forecasted heavy rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto as it moved up the North Carolina coast. In a precautionary move, Kirk pulled the plug last month before hundreds of race teams wasted a lot of time and money to reach a potentially water-logged event. Whether the race could have been held or not (in the end, most of the heavy rain missed the track), Kirk demonstrated a lot of consideration for his fellow racers and deserves recognition. The race has been rescheduled to Nov. 9-11 at Piedmont Dragway, and promises to be one of the hottest Outlaw tickets going.
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