Mike Cotten you are the MAN!

[Michael Beard]

If I win, I win and I won't come back for a re-run unless NHRA can prove to me, right then and there that there was a problem with their equipment that can be proven, without a doubt.

And if your red light comes on for any reason, you will calmly accept your supposed loss? If a piece of paper blows through the lights and shows you breaking out by three seconds, you'd just accept that? If a photocell hangs and you are attributed with a .150 R/T and every incremental is exactly .10 quick, you'd just accept that? If you went through the finish line in a nearly heads-up race and it was so close you couldn't even tell who got there first, and the timeslip said that your opponent got there first by .200, and you were .200 off your dial, despite all of your incrementals and mph matching another run, you'd just accept that? (Believe it or not, I've seen that happen... more than once.) Errors happen. Glitches happen. Components fail. Humans are make mistakes. I understand needing to have a level of trust in the timing system, but we also need to recognize when something's not right.

I'd be willing to wager a guess that the first winner has less than a 25% chance of winning again

I'll take that wager. In fact, it's happened, even in circumstances where there was a re-run that was demonstrably *not* called for. You're there to execute a run to the best of your ability. You can be glad, sad, or whatever when you're in the pits, the lanes, or the burnout box, but when you're on the starting line, shut it off. It's business.

When I operate an event and there's an issue, I don't even want to know who's involved, if at all possible. You need the facts and circumstances, peroid. The individuals shouldn't matter. If the situation was reversed and you come up with a different answer, there's a problem.

In my opinion, races should be won or lost on the race track by the driver's actions, not by an unexplainable glitch, particularly one that has been documented to have occurred at multiple tracks.

[Michael Beard]

With the new system, the pre-stage and stage lights *stay* out once it thinks the car has left the line (ie., you don't see them flicker as the rear tires pass through the starting line). In the photo, you can see the red-light is already on, despite the pre-stage and stage bulbs remaining lit.

[Jeff Teuton]

Both NCIS and CIS and Bones and Law and Order and British Secret Service and CIA and FBI are on this case. No stone left unturned. Apparently these situations have happened in the past and seems remedy has been uneven. Dick Tracy, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Robin, The Joker, and several others were also contacted.

[Jon Sarrett]

I sure don't see a camera flash in that still......

[HR9121]

I don't think this would be much of an issue at all if NHRA would be more consistent on there rulings. Sometimes they award reruns, sometimes they don't. Sounds like a commercial, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Either they need to take action to prevent this, or be more consistent on their rulings. My vote would be to eliminate the problem to keep the racers out of the situation of a rerun. Congrats to both on a great day and Mr Cotten especially for handling a tough situation with dignity.

[SuperStockDodge]

Originally Posted by Jeff Teuton

Both NCIS and CIS and Bones and Law and Order and British Secret Service and CIA and FBI are on this case. No stone left unturned. Apparently these situations have happened in the past and seems remedy has been uneven. Dick Tracy, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Robin, The Joker, and several others were also contacted.

Jeff, you forgot the "The Toxic Avenger"

[Hagen Gary]

This topic makes me sick. Just because the guy has a #1 on his window and has won multiple races he doesn't deserve a fair race? Now he's stealing wins? Now he's giving Mike the Shaft?
Some have even alleged that he has a delay box because his car moves "somewhere" around when the last yellow should have been there. I cannot believe that people are letting their jealousy get the best of them, but that is proven by their idea that emotion has something to do with what happens when you line up to race. Take your emotions out of it like you should do when you pull into the water box and look at it for what it is. Fact is, both drivers drove their azz off to get to the finals and a computer glitch shouldn't be the deciding factor in a National Event win, let alone a very rare double up.
Just because NHRA is now recognizing their equipment failure doesn't mean it’s some big conspiracy to F over Mike. This can only help people not get F'ed over in the future when this happens again... and it will. You think he's cheating, put your money down and tear it apart when he shows up at a race you’re at... and he will. When you’re right, you get your money back and get to be a hero. If you’re not, you'll look like a punk. Talking crap online is cheap and cowardly. I feel bad for Mike. Looked like he stung the crap out of the tree on the first run, but I'm pretty sure he didn't want to win because of a computer glitch.

[Don Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Hagen Gary

This topic makes me sick. Just because the guy has a #1 on his window and has won multiple races he doesn't deserve a fair race? Now he's stealing wins? Now he's giving Mike the Shaft?
Some have even alleged that he has a delay box because his car moves "somewhere" around when the last yellow should have been there. I cannot believe that people are letting their jealousy get the best of them, but that is proven by their idea that emotion has something to do with what happens when you line up to race. Take your emotions out of it like you should do when you pull into the water box and look at it for what it is. Fact is, both drivers drove their azz off to get to the finals and a computer glitch shouldn't be the deciding factor in a National Event win, let alone a very rare double up.
Just because NHRA is now recognizing their equipment failure doesn't mean it’s some big conspiracy to F over Mike. This can only help people not get F'ed over in the future when this happens again... and it will. You think he's cheating, put your money down and tear it apart when he shows up at a race you’re at... and he will. When you’re right, you get your money back and get to be a hero. If you’re not, you'll look like a punk. Talking crap online is cheap and cowardly. I feel bad for Mike. Looked like he stung the crap out of the tree on the first run, but I'm pretty sure he didn't want to win because of a computer glitch.

In My opinion that when this happens The driver thinks he knows what happened , The crew Chief thinks he knows what happened , The Starting line crew is a little concerned but thinks they may know what happened , all this is emotions now > but the $50,000.00 timing system knows what happened it was a red light no emotion there

Now since no other racer has gotten a rerun when this has happened the rerun that happened to Mike Cotten was the wrong decision made based on the pass decisions > now we have a whole new Problem that "will " come up when this happens again ????
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Don Kennedy 7701 SS

[Hagen Gary]

Originally Posted by Don Kennedy

In My opinion that when this happens The driver thinks he knows what happened , The crew Chief thinks he knows what happened , The Starting line crew is a little concerned but thinks they may know what happened , all this is emotions now > but the $50,000.00 timing system knows what happened it was a red light no emotion there

Now since no other racer has gotten a rerun when this has happened the rerun that happened to Mike Cotten was the wrong decision made based on the pass decisions > now we have a whole new Problem that "will " come up when this happens again ????
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Don Kennedy 7701 SS

Your right. Now if only we could get Germany to start killing Jews again. If only we could get slaves again, then the world would be better. Point is, terrible decisions in the past shouldn't be the standard going forward. NHRA has recognized their problem; now let’s move on with this decision for the future. I'm sorry if someone you know or you yourself got screwed by this in the past, doesn't mean we should keep this going.

[Don Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Hagen Gary

Your right. Now if only we could get Germany to start killing Jews again. If only we could get slaves again, then the world would be better. Point is, terrible decisions in the past shouldn't be the standard going forward. NHRA has recognized their problem; now let’s move on with this decision for the future. I'm sorry if someone you know or you yourself got screwed by this in the past, doesn't mean we should keep this going.

I have not seen that Since You have said that NHRA reconized this as a problem when did this Happened?