11/3/08

How close can you get? I mean, HOW CLOSE CAN YOU GET???!!!!!

Robert looked as if he was going to do the impossible this weekend. He qualified No1. and got all the way to the final round, putting himself in position to come to within 7 points of Tim Wilkerson. Who would have imagined that happening going into the race?

Tim has been money in the bank almost all year and when he finally DOES lose in the first round, who beats him? MIKE!!! What a pleasant surprise THAT was! With John and Ashley both getting as far as the semi-finals, it appeared as if this was going to be the very best race weekend JFR has seen in a long time. Robert came within 1/100 of a second of making it a real celebration when Cruz nipped him in the final and so the Cruiser will take the points lead with him to Pomona with a chance at winning his first championship since 1992.

Cruz’s 4.100 beat Robert’s 4.111. It doesn’t get any closer than that.

But overall, it wasn’t a bad outing at The Strip. Ashley received her “Female Athlete of the Year” award on Friday, it looks like John and Ashley’s Mustangs are running as strongly as they have all season, Mike showed some real promise in eliminations, and Robert will go to Pomona only 39 points behind Cruz for the championship. This one isn’t over yet by a long shot, people.

I think one of the really big stories coming out of race weekend was word that Tim and Bob Tasca III will be teammates next year. Tim has had nothing short of a phenomenal season this year as a single-car owner/driver and we can only imagine what kind of program he’ll come up with next year with Bob running alongside. What’s also intriguing is that Tim will be switching to a Ford Mustang body after running GM-based bodies throughout much of his F/C career. Up until Bob entered the class this year, JFR was the only team—by agreement—to campaign Mustang bodies. Now, in 2009, we’ll see at least six cars wearing Mustang bodywork in the fuel coupe category.

Might we see even more Mustangs in the F/C corral before long?

Of course, what I’d REALLY like to see is a factory-backed Ford Pro Stock team mixing it up with the GM and Dodge runners out there. As a longtime Ford fan, more specifically Shelby fan, I long for the days when Fords were a familiar sight on an NHRA entry list with such great names as Bob Glidden, Hubert Platt, Gas Ronda, Les Ritchie, Phil Bonner, Dick Brannan, Butch Leal, Bill Lawton (who drove for Bob Tasca III’s family-owned team in the 1960’s), and of course, “Dyno” Don Nicholson and his dominant Mercury’s. I hope to see Ford return to the factory-backed door slammer wars in the foreseeable future.

There’s a whole new generation of car enthusiasts who would definitely embrace the chance to see the Blue Oval dishing up factory hot rods again.

All this nostalgia makes me feel like a fossil. Let’s shift gears.  It looks like the Countdown to the Championship format will go two-for-four this year. Two classes will go right down to the wire (Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle) and two are a lock. Tony Schumacher has already buttoned down the Top Fuel title and Jeg Coughlin Jr. needs only to qualify in Pomona to pick up Pro Stock championship No. 3. I’m not sure the NHRA is completely thrilled with two classes on ice and only two still up for grabs heading into the last race.

I don’t think there’s a points system on earth that can guarantee that four separate categories will all be undecided going into the 24th race of a season, so I don’t think we should expect that. But I guess my question is (and I’m not the first one to ask it): Is the new Countdown system really that much better than the points system it replaced? If it is, I suppose I would need someone to explain to me in what way it’s superior. What do you think?

You’ll have some time to think that over since the 2008 POWERade season comes to an end in two weeks at the AAA Finals in Pomona. I’m of the opinion that some great surprises and incredibly dramatic stories will be unfolding out there and I’m anxious to see how everything finally unravels. I’ll be pulling together my final “In the Groove” of the season right after the Finals so I hope you’ll drop by here after the race for my closing arguments.

Until then, please buckle up, don’t text and drive, and pay attention when you’re behind the wheel.