IHRA tournament of Champions

[THE LEGEND]

Lyons is right. It was not a normal race. That being said IHRA needs to step up to the plate and make a decision.
I think the race needs to be rescheduled and finished before the 2010 schedule begins. Any other outcome would really make a joke out of it.
One more think: Jason did you qualify? If not you don't get a vote. The only people it matters to is this years contestants.
Hopefully and I really think they will IHRA will learn from this and make the necessary adjustments.
Chip

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Jason Oldfield

I'll stand by my prior comments that trying to run the Sportsman National event PRIOR to the TOC was just plain stupid. I agree with you...they did it to try to entice racers to come down, and make the weekend financially viable. But, the race should NOT have been used to give somebody one last shot to qualify for the TOC in 2009. It should have been run AFTER the 2009 TOC, with the winner of that race and the TOC automatically gaining a berth in the 2010 TOC.

I disagree. In hindsight, should the schedule have been modified? Sure. But accomplishing the event should not have been a problem. We do multiple-race weekends all the time. Again, worst case scenario that was out of anyone's hands for the most part.

Cut your losses, split the purse, and move on in life with a clean slate in 2010.

I wholeheartedly disagree with that! Don't you dare take away an opportunity for someone to become a World Champion. NOT crowning a World Champion would make the whole thing a joke. Many, many events have been rescheduled in the past, some of them multiple times. Even if it's "just" a Pro-Am race, ANY race that has championship implications (and that's ALL of them) need to be run to completion. I recall a VMP Pro-Am being rescheduled TWICE, and the outcome DID determine a World Champion. (Which, oh BTW, was finally completed Nov 1-3 at Virginia!) Did it suck for those involved having to go back twice? Sure. But it was the right thing to do.

If you run the race in early 2010 (like it looks like they will, IF they run it), you'll eliminate a good portion of the racers simply because they can't return,

Yes, that may be the case for some, but that's the same thing you deal with in any event, whether it be staying til Wednesday to finish an event (Maple Grove, Pomona), rescheduling (Toronto), staying til Wednesday then moving the rest of eliminations to the next national event (Norwalk -> MIR), multiple rescheduling (VMP), etc. I'm sorry, if you can't or won't return for a free-entry, $10K to win race, there's nothing that can be done.

and this race will favor those racers down south who have been able to race prior to the TOC. Those up in the Northeast will be going down there cold, and will be at a distinct disadvantage (rather than running at the end of the season where EVERYBODY has a large number of runs to draw off of).

What? 1) No offense, but when you're racing at this level, two time shots had better be enough to "knock the rust off". You'd think no one could ever win a season opener. 2) How are last year's runs invalidated?


FWIW, I didn't get an e-mail either.

My opinion only,

[luckydog]

Originally Posted by Jason Oldfield

Damien,

Pugsley is calling you out because you're now saying that you dislike the TOC format, but back when we first had the discussion about it you said you liked it 97.75691%....

And in the origional discussion I said

Originally Posted by luckydog:.....

I do not agree 100% with the format (about 95%), but I will support it 100%.

Which is the same way I feel now. All your eggs in one basket is what I dislike about the TOC format. Soooooooooo, I still don't get it?? Calling me out on what????

[S/ST4707]

For those wanting it raced to conclusion, would it make a difference where the it was scheduled? How about a good central location like Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Sid Norwood

[THE LEGEND]

Sid,
You must've flunked Geography.
Baton Rouge is not centrally located for IHRA.
Chip

[S/ST4707]

Chip, I passed Geography and know it is centrally located for me. Since you know Geography and IHRA, where is a centrally located IHRA track for the folks in Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, NC, Minnesota, and New York? Sid

[Keith 944]

i really think there is no fair way to race it off, it is too late for that, too cold, and too far. what if it rained again? i used all of my vacation on raceing. as did most of you, how about no 2009 world champ? split all the money to those who were there, give ALL toc qualifiers a silver card. no compitition #'s 1-10. or keep your # from last year, i don't care, sounds fair to me.
give up the toc format for good, it doesn't work. i did not think nhra's runoff system (countdown to one) was making the best racer the champ and i don't think this does either...oh well, it is what it is.

[Michael Lyons]

Ok if some want to race for it and others want to split, then they should pro rate the purse and send split money to the people who can't come back and the rest becomes the purse for the ones who can, i.e. if 10 want to race and 20 don't or can't comeback, then they take 66% of the purse divide it and send it to the people who want a split. The other 10 can travel to where ever they decide to have the re run and race for the other 33%, the trophy and the goldcard. Closest I think you can come to being fair under the current circumstances.