NHRA...US Nationals......

mopdog said:
Michael Ray #7 in the countdown riding for Star Racing PSM resigned today. Same thing happened last year. What a crappy thing to do leaving a team who got you into the countdown just as it gets started.
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Mop.....What do you think is going on there? As you say, that is a very
strange event, especially to happen in consecutive years.

I'm wondering if the deal between Star and their drivers does not satisfy the drivers, as regards to them driving the team into the points playoff.

A driver normally has a healty bonus included for driving the team into a playoff, or championship run.
Sounds like a money problem between team and drivers to me.

Taking a wild guess....I'd almost bet that the team ownership/management feels that they are the primary cause for the team making the playoff.

Countering that, it's likely that the driver thinks that HE or she, is the person most accountable for driving the team into the playoff.
Both are correct, but reality is that if this is the case, then STAR is going to have issues
with getting top notch talent on their equipment.

You do not see much turnover in drivers and crew chiefs in the best motorsports teams.

Of course.....my motto......"always follow the money" may apply here. ;)
 
Depends on the deal . Some riders bring cash and sponsor support. Some get chosen based on performance at Star Racing School. Work on bikes / work in shop / drive race truck. But quitting during the chase and taking their points with them needs to change. Team owner has the most to lose here. Owner doesn’t get to be in chase as points go with riders. I would say unless you are fired from the team your points stay with the team. There many reasons for leaving or getting canned . Ask Daivd Grubnec about making small mistakes and ASLAVISTA BABY!! . There is always some one weighting in the wings saying I can do better. I can bring more to the table for support. But rules do need to change for points. Pro racing is A TEAM EFFORT no one person makes to the start or finish line by them selfs .
 
FOURTOGO said:
After many years in DragRacing for my self, It's still only a Winner at the final, every body else it 1-2-3 and so on. DragRacing runner up just means you LOST.
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X2! Win or go home!!! Also if your not fast enough to qualify than you watch on Sunday! No provisionals here!
 
I've been Drag Racing for nearly 50yrs and it's still funny too hear people/spectators 'hyping-up' the Pro drivers such as Schmucker, Capps, Force, Brown...etc etc. Although they are all GOOD guy's, for the MOST part, 'money' has put them where they are rather than 'real' talent. (Brown is an exception). John Force got his BIG-Break when Don P and Kenny B went too TF Diggers (from FC) in '86. The Real-Talent is in the 'tuners' and drivers that came out of the 'Sportsman' ranks where, to 'Win' a race....one must win 6-7 and maybe 8 'rounds' of racing, ie:...Beckman, Langdon, Jeggie, Line etc. BTW, don't lose any sleep over Castrol and Ford leaving John....They have MADE John rich!!
 
I doubt that you are privy to John Force's financial situation.
Personally rich is one thing......racing rich quite another.

For example: When Penske wanted to build a pushrod engine (the Beast) for the Indy 500......he did not even consider financing it himself.
His good friend was CEO of Benz, and it was Mercedes Benz which financed the "Beast".

There are almost no top motor racers who finance their programs from their own money. Notice the names on the sides of the support vehicles.
US Army, Valvoline, other lubricant giants, Ford Mo Co. GM .....Chrysler/Dodge ..... Toyota. The dollars THOSE financial behemoths put into racing
are what keeps it going.

You drop all those and see how fast the rules turn to running alky, and great big engines.
One other thing.....it takes REAL talent to present a race program so convincing as to lure billion $$$ corps. into spending their hard earned millions on hotrods.

John Force did not need anybody to retire, or change classes. He didn't win 16 points championships with smoke and mirrors.
How 'bout Force's daughters? Are they just spoiled little rich kids too?
Let me tell you something......when you sit in any of those 8,000 hp cars, and they fire the engine, expecting you to make a professional burnout a micro second leave in this fire breathing shaking, wild bull, which does NOT appreciate having you in it's saddle.......THEN tell us about how easy it is.
When you fire that engine, you, like everyone else in class, has the same stuff. The tuners tune, and they are plenty good. BUT their work is brought to success by the driver. There is a BIG difference in DRIVERS.
 
screamn 2 said:
I've been Drag Racing for nearly 50yrs and it's still funny too hear people/spectators 'hyping-up' the Pro drivers such as Schmucker, Capps, Force, Brown...etc etc. Although they are all GOOD guy's, for the MOST part, 'money' has put them where they are rather than 'real' talent. (Brown is an exception). John Force got his BIG-Break when Don P and Kenny B went too TF Diggers (from FC) in '86. The Real-Talent is in the 'tuners' and drivers that came out of the 'Sportsman' ranks where, to 'Win' a race....one must win 6-7 and maybe 8 'rounds' of racing, ie:...Beckman, Langdon, Jeggie, Line etc. BTW, don't lose any sleep over Castrol and Ford leaving John....They have MADE John rich!!
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What a bunch of baloney. While I agree sportsman racers like the ones you mentioned plus Rampy, the Richardsons and Biondos have a much tougher road to the Wally that the 3 pro classes, money does not guarantee wins. The big money sportsman racers have the same advantages as do the big money pro teams. Multi car teams, spare everything and many race for a living. Force had no money when he started, just a will to win and Coil in his corner. Bernstein struggled for money before Budweiser stepped up. He self financed his early years and still managed to win. You actually believe Force would not have won 16 championships had Kenny and the Snake been his competition. Before Snake sat out a few years, he was a nonfactor and was a first round runner up many weeks. Jonny Gray is a BILLIONAIRE , with a B and he never was a constant threat and until recently his pro stock teams have been inconsistent. Doug Kalitta had many off years and Connie had plenty of resources to fund his program. The low budget teams need a driver to bring money to the team while the big budget teams have plenty of money to race on. Money buys speed but it doesnt always buy wins. I would take John Force racing with a mid range budget over many drivers racing with an unlimited budget any day. If money guarantees wins, just look a Felix Sabates in Nascar. He was one of the wealthiest owners and just never could win. Money is nice, talent and chemistry is a must.
 
Felix won a race or 2 but not with any consistency and until Chip came along, his teams were usually a nonfactor.
 
All you need to remember is Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske. Their cars dominate lately. Both have more $ than God has. Don Schumacher is worth $50 Million, John Force $15 Million according to the Internet. Most guys in Top Fuel and Funny Car use the same motor and clutch parts, chassis might be in house ( I have a good friend who has a TF Funny Car ). He doesn't run the timing or the boost the "top" guys do, hence the lack of performance compared to the Top teams. Racing has been, and always be, driven by money. Doug Kalitta went from USAC Sprint cars ( champ in the early '90s ) to Top Fuel and practically won right away if I remember correctly.

You want to make big money? Play Golf. Most do not get rich from racing, outside businesses make the owners rich.

All of this is JMO

Dave E.
 
DGE53 said:
You want to make big money? Play Golf. Most do not get rich from racing, outside businesses make the owners rich.

All of this is JMO

Dave E.
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Too true, lol. I remember what I regard as the difinitive comment on the subject, which came from Mike Novak, head of an electronics firm that makes high end components like speed controllers for the radio controlled race car crowd; "You want to make a small fortune in racing? Start with a large one." Sounds like the truth to me.....
 
DGE53 said:
All you need to remember is Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske. Their cars dominate lately. Both have more $ than God has. Don Schumacher is worth $50 Million, John Force $15 Million according to the Internet. Most guys in Top Fuel and Funny Car use the same motor and clutch parts, chassis might be in house ( I have a good friend who has a TF Funny Car ). He doesn't run the timing or the boost the "top" guys do, hence the lack of performance compared to the Top teams. Racing has been, and always be, driven by money. Doug Kalitta went from USAC Sprint cars ( champ in the early '90s ) to Top Fuel and practically won right away if I remember correctly. DSR is worth $50m MOL.
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Schumacher Electric is the biggest battery charger seller in the US. Also spins millions of mile of wire on huge reels, and builds hundreds of thousands of coils.
His father got started spinning coils, by hand, in WW2. Their business was originally Woodward-Schumacher......with a lightening bolt thru it.
The business was a few blocks from where my father's church (Pastor) and a few blocks up the other direction on North Ave. to where the Schumacher family lived, above his aunt's local bar.
I walked past these, as a little kid, many, many times.
Don has bought out all other ownership.
 
Heres a bad thing, Paul. I can remember well seeing Don Schumacher's Stardust 'Cuda at Union Grove at a BIG show there in the 70's on a Wednesday night. Chi Town Hustler, Jungle Jim, Ramchargers, all the big names. Boy, those were the times, and yes I AM getting old !! LOL. You had the flexibility in the rules to innovate back then, make your machine "different" from the competition, you may stumble onto something. Now, Force has the Boss 500 engine. Which looks like your average TF Mopar engine. What the heck is that??

Dave E.

PS Paul where did you live up here?
 
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