NHRA and ESPN Force-Feeds its Viewers

Some people like John Force. But, like oil in an engine, you can have too much. Last weekend’s broadcast of the Winternationals in Pomona was wall to wall Force; if it wasn’t John, it was his daughter Ashley. But the good news was that Ashley didn’t subject us to the yabber-yabbers that has made her father famous. He’s the Dino Flintstone of Auto Sports; Ashley is a mild mannered young lady straining to reach the loquacious levels of her father.

The coverage of the qualifying days featured John and Ashley. Then on race day the ESPN coverage starts with a quick feature of John Force and Ashley Force; but Mike Ashley and Tim Wilkerson were racing, not the Force’s. After that race, they return to coverage of John and Ashley. By the way, Jeff Arend and Jack Beckman were racing, just thought you would like to know. After showing the end of that race, they return to John and Ashley. Yabber-yabber.

Finally, John Force races and ESPN has the time to shoot some video of his competitor! The nerve! OH, Force loses to Advance Auto Parts and some quiet driver. Maybe we’ll get some time off from ESPN’s Force-feed. But, after that race they show John again. Then a feature of Ashley, featuring John on split screens. As Ashley speaks you see John with his yabber-yabbering in the background.

In the following race Ashley loses too. But, instead of interviewing the winner of the race (Robert Hight) they interview Ashley Force. Get this: she’s already learned how to rattle off the names of her sponsors like a radio announcer voicing disclaimers on an auto-sales commercial.

After both Force family members have lost, I figure that we might see some coverage of the other drivers at the Winternationals. We do, but it’s done under the color commentary of Ashley Force, who has now joined the ESPN announcing team. They are obviously pushing the Force Family on every viewer. This is only the first race of the year and I now believe that I will miss the rest after these Force feeds.

It’s gotten to where drag racing endures time despite the poor management of the NHRA. It doesn’t control its photographers, who stake out on the race track like pickets on a fence, as if they WANT to prevent the crowd from getting good photographs. It hasn’t figured out the first come/first serve ticket lines work (I’m always in the slowest line). And, worst of all, it has changed the sport to where the drivers’ skills take a back seat to the crafts of the crew chiefs. As a result, the money teams have a solid lock on the trophy case. The little guys don’t win any more. At virtually every event, you can count on either a team Schumacher or a team Force car being in one of the big finals. These multi-car teams have the advantage because today’s drag racers run on a computer program; the driver hits a “go” switch and steers. The throttle and the clutch are programmed respond to the crew chief’s data. If the crew chief has data from several cars, as he does with the Schumacher and Force teams, he has a great advantage over the other teams. It’s an advantage that gives the money to the big teams and leaves the little guys scratching for money for things like brakes (really!).

This big team fix is in, and since they have the money they will make the rules. It even allows a team to compete with itself. Last year Tony Schumacher needed to win the last race to win the year’s championship. When he rolled up to the start line his competitor for the race was his team mate, Melanie Troxel. Oh, I wonder who would win that race? Of course, Tony won. Strangely, Melanie, using the Schumacher team data, didn’t get near Tony’s car. Color me skeptical, but there was no way that Melanie was going to beat Tony. I’ll leave it at that.

Of course, the driver does something; he steers, stops and reacts to the starting lights. His role is greater than our first “spam in a can” astronauts, who sat on a rocket that was accelerated like today’s fuel dragsters. But of all the motor sports, drag racing is the shortest race, the straightest race and the NHRA has changed it to where it has the least driver involvement possible. That’s why some rookie drivers do so well.

The days when the driver controlled the car were more fun to watch because the driver actually could throttle back instead of clicking an off/on switch. One driver once told me that if real driving skills would come back to the NHRA, John Force would be driving the truck, not the race car; the computer set up is the key to his success. Hey, money talks…we won’t see driver controlled cars again.

Anyway, the NHRA hits Phoenix next. Here’s the link for their schedule. Just hit “tickets” and you’ll be in line.

Oh, by the way: You Nascar fans are now in for the Force feed. He’s started touring your tracks.

it has changed the sport to where the drivers’ skills take a back seat to the crafts of the crew chiefs. As a result, the money teams have a solid lock on the trophy case. The little guys don’t win any more. At virtually every event, you can count on either a team Schumacher or a team Force car being in one of the big finals. These multi-car teams have the advantage because today’s drag racers run on a computer program; the driver hits a “go” switch and steers. The throttle and the clutch are programmed respond to the crew chief’s data.

Times sure have changed since I used to watch, when "Big Daddy" Don Garlits and Don "The Snake" Prudhomme ruled Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively.

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