Last year, Mark Hall drove Raminator to yet another championship on the Special Events tour. Hall was dominant in the series, regularly knocking off all of the top contenders including Bigfoot drivers Dan Runte and Rick Long, Grave Digger drivers Charlie Pauken and Randy Brown, as well as Avenger and Spike. While teammate Geremie Dishman in Rammunition, along with Doug Noelke in Tail Gator / Big Dawg, managed to triumph multiple times during the season, the real story was Hall’s dominance.
But when Hall clinched the title, his accomplishments during the season were not recognized to the extent deserved due to factors outside the team’s control. The focus was instead placed upon the fact that the Hall Brothers Racing was the only team to run all eight point events, meaning that Hall only had to beat teammate Dishman for the title. The Bigfoot team ran seven point events, while the Grave Digger team only ran five.While truck booking was to blame for the number of events each truck ran, the teams further diluted the title competition as Bigfoot sent Dan Runte for only 6 of their 7 events, and Live Nation used three different Digger drivers in their 5 events.
Sure, Mark Hall won nearly every time he matched up against Runte or the Digger drivers, but that, unfortunately, is not what many remember about the 2007 Monster Truck Thunder Drags championship chase. And even more unfortunate, it appears this season’s title may be headed toward the same fate.
Let’s take a look at the number of events each truck is booked for this season:
Raminator – 7
Rammunition – 7
Avenger – 6
Spike – 6
Bigfoot – 5
Tail Gator – 4
Batman / Bob & Tom – 4
Monster Mutt – 4
Unless Special Events introduces a different points system than the one currently used, this year’s title chase will once again be decided among teammates. Hall Brothers Racing will again be in a no-win position—even if they dominate the series and earn the championship as they did in 2007, perception will still be that they won only because they were the only team to run all of the events.
So what is the solution? I would like to propose that Special Events utilize a completely new points system for the 2008 season. Here is how it could work:
- The system counts only each driver’s best four events. This opens the title competition to eight different trucks (assuming Team Bigfoot and Live Nation Motorsports utilize the same driver in all of their booked events): Avenger, Bigfoot, Batman / Bob & Tom, Monster Mutt, Raminator, Rammunition, Spike, and Tail Gator.
- The systems counts only each driver’s best two shows from each event. The number of shows varies at each stop on the Special Events schedule, but all feature at least two.
Those changes would eliminate the problem of only one team competing for the overall title, opening it up to eight trucks and making for an exciting point series. But maybe its time for an additional change in the way Special Events crowns its champion. For many years the series was primarily racing-focused, but the tides seem to be gradually changing in that regard. Of the eight championship contenders under the new system listed above, four trucks are known more for racing (Bigfoot, Raminator, Rammunition, Tail Gator), while four are known more for freestyle (Avenger, Batman / Bob & Tom, Monster Mutt, Spike). As such, I believe it is time that Special Events begins awarding accomplishments in freestyle.
At most Jamborees to date, freestyle has been run without a winner even being declared. The standard scoring system (3 judges, scorecards from 1-10) has been utilized at select events in the past, but I propose that Special Events make this practice standardized across all of the point events on their schedule. This will give the freestyle competition actual results that points could be awarded based on.
With those changes made, I propose a point system similar to the following:
Racing:
1st Place: 50 points
2nd Place: 25 points
Semi-Finalist: 10 points
Freestyle:
1st Place: 50 points
2nd Place: 25 points
3rd Place: 15 points
4th Place: 5 points
This new system would make for better competition in each and every event on the Monster Truck Thunder Drags schedule. Racing-oriented teams would have to run harder in freestyle and freestyle-oriented teams would have to run harder in racing because the new system does not favor either competition.
Under this system, Mark Hall, Jim Koehler, Dan Runte, Doug Noelke, Geremie Dishman, Chris Bergeron, and possibly, Charlie Pauken and John Seasock, would be in the hunt for the Monster Truck Thunder Drags championship. Tell me there wouldn’t be plenty of excitement following that points chase in 2008.
Regardless of the points system used though, Monster Truck Thunder Drags events will be "can't-miss" shows this year. Don't believe me? Head back to the main page and check out those lineups. Then get on over to http://www.familyevents.com/ (new site looks great) and get your tickets!
2 comments:
boulder1Under this system, Mark Hall, Jim Koehler, Dan Runte, Doug Noelke, Geremie Dishman, Chris Bergeron, and possibly, Charlie Pauken and John Seasock, would be in the hunt for the Monster Truck Thunder Drags championship. Tell me there wouldn’t be plenty of excitement following that points chase in 2008”
No not really you see in a real points system you don’t need to make up the system to even the playing field because some don’t choose to compete. If one desires to win the “Monster Truck Thunder Drags Championship” then they need to show up to every event and do well enough at each to acquire enough points to be named Champion at the end. While the thought and effort put into this idea is understood the last thing the sport needs is another series points system that is made to look like something it is not. This sport needs to stop acting like it’s a racing motor sport and be one.
If ppl complain and don’t like HBR winning then the need to step up and beat um. Other wise to bad!
Charles
I get the point you are trying to make, however your argument, as you’ve presented it, only works if we are talking about a series that features open qualifying. The Special Events Monster Truck Thunder Drags series does not. Special Events, like nearly every other promoter currently, decides what trucks will be at what event during booking.
Teams do not have control over which events they are offered—they only accept the events or turn them down. So your statement, if one desires to win they should show up at all the events, doesn’t apply here. It’s not up to them.
Your opinion could be that a promoter should not crown a champion if they do not, A) open it to anyone who wants to run, or B) invite the same trucks to every event. Either is a valid point, but that opinion will not change the fact that a champion will be crowned anyway.
My point is that, knowing Special Events WILL crown a champion this year, it would be better to create competition for that honor rather than hand it to the team they booked for the most events. The owners of these teams are racers—trust me, they would rather win because they beat the competition than win because they were invited to the most events.
Thanks for the comment!
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