Vandergriff #8 in Seattle

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Persistant rain shortened qualifying to just one round in the Schuck's NHRA Nationals in Seattle with the UPS sponsored Top Fuel dragster of Bob Vandergriff again settling in at the number eight spot with a 4.68 ET in the quarter mile at 307.51 MPH. He will face #9 qualifier, Melanie Troxel, the number 1 qualifier at Denver a week ago in the first round.

Vandergriff, currently # 6 in NHRA Powerade points, needs to continue to go rounds to stay in the top eight for his chance to race in the top four after the Reading, PA event and, unltimately, go into the final for the championship.

Watch for outstanding coverage on UPSers.com...er, no, maybe NOT!!!!!!

They still got minimal coverage from the NJ race....now, more than a month ago!!!!! They really care!!!!!
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Bob takes out Troxel in the first round with a 4.61-better than his qualifying times. This will certainly help him to rack up some more points.
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, Bob lost in the second round to J.R. Todd. He still maintained his #6 points standing, though and remains on track to qualify for the Chase to the Championship.

Well, let's see...UPSers.com at least caught up with his recap of the Denver race. Only a week late.

Wonder how long it'll take em to print THIS race. Man, if DJ finishes a stellar 41st in a race, that's front page news for them in a flash! :confused:1
 

dragracer66

Well-Known Member
Ya know this company is screwed up!! They are getting more exposure with Vandergriff in one race then they are with that loser DJ for the whole nascar season!!! You would think they would update Upsers.com more often and really be proud of something they sponser that is actually in the top 8. It's time to cut ties with DJ and maybe they should sponser a prostock next year, Max Naylor is a former UPS manager how about him and Vandergriff as the UPS racing team!!!:thumbup1:
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, Bob lost in the second round to J.R. Todd. He still maintained his #6 points standing, though and remains on track to qualify for the Chase to the Championship.

Well, let's see...UPSers.com at least caught up with his recap of the Denver race. Only a week late.

Wonder how long it'll take em to print THIS race. Man, if DJ finishes a stellar 41st in a race, that's front page news for them in a flash! :confused:1

Which form of racing is bigger? Which form of racing has UPS got a vastly bigger advertising stake in? I understand the frustration but that's the way it is. Drag Racing has always played scout tream to NASCAR, IRL/Champ and F1's presence on the motorsports scene. Not sure of your age there Racer but I can remember back in the 60's and 70's when the only way to find out race results was either by Hot Rod, Car Craft or the best of them all IMO Super Stock and Drag Illustrated and then it was a month or 2 later or if it happened to be the US Nationals, ABC would carry it 3 weeks later on Wide World of Sports in a very abbreviated format. When you finally got old enough to have enough money, you could join NHRA and get National Dragster and even then the results were a week later.

I know we've got a guy in the hunt for a championship and it seems like he's in another universe but drag racing has always been like this and I don't see that changing even though I'm sure we as well as others here would love to see different. Let's see what happens after the Big Go if Bob makes the final 8. Maybe then the focus will shift somewhat.

Did you happen to notice all the empty seats downtrack in Seattle. I know the weather was iffy but man was I surprised. Has the popularity up there fallen off that much? Here's a track back in the heyday of the 70's would have several 64 funny car races (could you imagine 64 fc's in one race?) and the place was just maxed out with people. Outside of OCIR, Lion's and some of the other historic Southern Cal. dragstrips, Seattle was about the only other place to pull this off on a fairly consistant basis. Let's hope Bob goes more rounds in Sonoma and he's got a very consistant team now and appears to make the field no matter what. I'm liking what I see out of Bob and Jim Dupuy. Also hoping Baze makes the cut as well.

Also Ashley's baptism was a bit scarey and rightfully shook up Force. I'm just glad she's OK.
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
Which form of racing is bigger? Which form of racing has UPS got a vastly bigger advertising stake in? I understand the frustration but that's the way it is. Drag Racing has always played scout tream to NASCAR, IRL/Champ and F1's presence on the motorsports scene. Not sure of your age there Racer but I can remember back in the 60's and 70's when the only way to find out race results was either by Hot Rod, Car Craft or the best of them all IMO Super Stock and Drag Illustrated and then it was a month or 2 later or if it happened to be the US Nationals, ABC would carry it 3 weeks later on Wide World of Sports in a very abbreviated format. When you finally got old enough to have enough money, you could join NHRA and get National Dragster and even then the results were a week later.

I know we've got a guy in the hunt for a championship and it seems like he's in another universe but drag racing has always been like this and I don't see that changing even though I'm sure we as well as others here would love to see different. Let's see what happens after the Big Go if Bob makes the final 8. Maybe then the focus will shift somewhat.

Did you happen to notice all the empty seats downtrack in Seattle. I know the weather was iffy but man was I surprised. Has the popularity up there fallen off that much? Here's a track back in the heyday of the 70's would have several 64 funny car races (could you imagine 64 fc's in one race?) and the place was just maxed out with people. Outside of OCIR, Lion's and some of the other historic Southern Cal. dragstrips, Seattle was about the only other place to pull this off on a fairly consistant basis. Let's hope Bob goes more rounds in Sonoma and he's got a very consistant team now and appears to make the field no matter what. I'm liking what I see out of Bob and Jim Dupuy. Also hoping Baze makes the cut as well.

Also Ashley's baptism was a bit scarey and rightfully shook up Force. I'm just glad she's OK.


Yeah, Mac, I agree about the biggest stake, the most draw, the most interest. IMO, drag racing has always been the red-headed stepchild of motorsports, so, not as much mainstream coverage. I have absolutely nothing against any other form of motorsport...I've tried em all, seem em all...from IRL to NASCAR, to tractor-pulling, dirt tracks, outlaws, you name it, but nothing captures my attention or interest more than drag racing. It's always been that way.

Yeah, I remember groping for coverage back in the 60's. I would have to race home on Sat afternoons twice a yr to get control of the TV just to see abbreviated coverage of the US and Winters and then I couldn't take a pee break cuz control woulda been lost, hence no action drag racing. I used to keep my own tabs, thru HOT ROD and others of which make was the dominant manufactuer at the Big Go every year AND THEIR CLASS WINS AND RESPECTIVE TIMES! Pretty anal, huh?

After suspending personal racing for a time to go announcing and PRing and writing and mediaing, I had it REALLY slammed down my throat how miniscule drag racing is considered still today by local, regional or national media print, electronic rags.

I could go on and on but my personal opinion is this: When I was announcing, locally, divisionally, nationally, I tried to give the sponsors the most exposure I could, be it a billboard, a little sign, a blurb on the side of a car, a t-shirt, whatever. I feel their money is very important but I also feel sponsors themselves should go out of their way to promote their boy/girl, especially if it's relatively cheap on their part. For example: UPS spends mils on DJ, they give him unprecedented support thru their print or electronic venues. UPS spents mils, although not as much, on BV, they give him, uh, so-so coverage in their print and electronic rags.

As far as Pacific Raceways...it's a beautiful track. Located still within reach of a couple metro areas. Maybe it was the weather that kept the stands breazy, don't know. I was captivated by the scenery when I was there but even then, on a rare sunny w/e, it was a little sparse as far as attendees go. Don't know.

Didn't mean to ramble. Enjoy your postings on this subject. As you see, I could talk for years.
 
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