The National Hot Rod Ass’n’s new Countdown to the Championship format, which manipulates strategy and results, just seems all wrong in principle. And its first go-round is showing some flaws that perhaps the sanctioning body will repair if it chooses to stick with the format.
Hot Rod Fuller, even without major sponsorship, led the Top Fuel standings nearly all season in his David Powers Motorsports-owned dragster. But because the points were adjusted heading into Labor Day and the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Fuller lost his lead in spite of a semifinal finish.
Brut Dodge Charger driver Ron Capps dropped from first to fourth in the Funny Car standings at Indianapolis. He had led his class through the previous 14 races.
Greg Anderson dominated the 17-race “regular season” in the Pro Stock class with seven victories and 10 No. 1 qualifying positions. (Maybe Dave Connolly, with a record-tying five consecutive victories might have steamrolled him anyway.)
All three advanced to the Countdown to One at last weekend’s Torco Racing Fuels Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park near Richmond, meaning they’re eligible for their class’ championship. But the point manipulation resulted in some serious scrambles.  
Parity is lovely, if it’s a product of hard work. The concept of leveling the playing field smacks of socialism: Let’s ignore skill, ability, passion, and devotion and make sure that everybody is equal. Well, not all people have equal talent.
John Force chided a new employee years ago because the young man brought a fishing pole to the job. Force said, “We’re not going after bass. We’re going after a championship.” What’s wrong with that? That’s the kind focus that ought to be rewarded.
Perhaps NHRA will see fit to award the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle point leaders at the end of the “regular season” a monetary bonus — let’s say $20,000 or $25,000. That would ease the sting of watching a driver’s point lead eroding through no glaring fault of his own.
“I’ve been praising the Countdown and, even though it looked like we weren’t going to make it after Dallas, I was still praising it, even though people were e-mailing me and I was reading articles about how terrible it was that I had my points taken away. I thought it was exciting,” Capps said. “But I also thought that if there was any team in Funny Car, and not taking anything away from any of the guys, we deserved a shot at it. We needed to be in there. It’s so justified that we got in.”
That’s my point, Ron. And you almost didn’t.
You inherited fourth place because Force is on the disabled list. Then you had to sweat out final eliminations, watching what teammate and final-round opponent Gary Scelzi did and clinching that final berth with your semifinal victory.
“I felt like I was stuttering because I kept [saying], ‘This is the most important round of our life,’ — and that was Saturday’s last qualifying run.” He kept saying that at every subsequent run.
Despite that, Capps said, “But you’re not going to [hear me] cry about the points and the structure because we knew it going in.”
Fair enough.
Scelzi jumped from sixth to second, Capps slid to fourth, and Beckman and Force dropped out of the chase. Tony Pedregon is the No.1 seed and Robert Hight No. 3.
The Top Fuel class’ Final Four are Larry Dixon, Hot Rod Fuller, Tony Schumacher, and Brandon Bernstein. Those same four have been the top four since the “Countdown To Four” phase began at the U.S. Nationals. Pro Stock had plenty of opportunity for surprises, but in the end, only third-place Allen Johnson and fourth-place Jeg Coughlin traded places. So race winner Connolly and three-time champion Greg Anderson, who already had clinched, were in.  
Never mind that few major metropolitan daily newspapers in the United States paid any attention to this pivotal weekend for the National Hot Rod Ass’n. The fans have responded. And maybe that’s all the NHRA was aiming for.
So, let the Countdown to the Championship continue. And may the best team win.