Geiger Counter: Now or never for ESPY award
Rob Geiger, Managing Editor
Monday, 29 June 2009
If Tony Schumacher doesn't win the ESPY award for Best Driver this year than I think it's very clear that drag racing will never stack up with its motorsports counterparts.
Schumacher accomplished so much more than fellow nominees Jimmie Johnson, Lewis Hamilton, Scott Dixon, and Helio Castroneves in 2008 that it seems ridiculous to even have a vote. Let's examine the facts…
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Schumacher won his fifth consecutive and sixth overall NHRA championship; He became the first driver in NHRA history to win five consecutive Top Fuel championships; He moved past Joe Amato to become the all-time Top Fuel wins leader; He established Top Fuel records for most championship titles (6), career victories (56), season wins (15), consecutive wins (7), consecutive final rounds (11), most final rounds (18), and consecutive round wins (31); He tied all-time NHRA record for wins in a season (15, Greg Anderson in 2004) and elimination round wins in a season (76, Greg Anderson in 2004); He raced to 15 victories in 18 final-round appearances in 24 events; His eliminations round winning percentage was 90 percent; He raced to nine No. 1 qualifying performances; He won the prestigious Driver of the Year award, the Jerry Titus Award as top driver in motorsports from the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters, and he claimed the Economaki Champion of Champions award.
It's not hyperbole to say we may never see another season as dominant as Schumacher's 2008 campaign.
NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson, who also has been nominated for Best Male Athlete alongside Michael Phelps, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant, had a great season as well, but even Johnson himself would probably admit it didn't stack up to Schumacher's dominance.
Considering a rabid fanbase that far outnumbers the NHRA faithful, NASCAR voters could vault him to the ESPY podium regardless of how his accomplishments match up. But let's examine his ledger nonetheless.
Johnson won his third straight NASCAR title to match Cale Yarborough's long-standing mark. He won seven events in 36 starts and claimed six poles. He had 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes and completed more than 99-percent of the laps contested.
If the international vote comes in strong, than Briton's Lewis Hamilton, who became the youngest champion in Formula 1 history when he won the title by one point at the age of 23, could make a run at the award. But again, as inspiring as it was to see a person of color win F1, his season just didn't measure up well against the numbers Schumacher and team posted.
Hamilton won five of 18 races and finished on the podium another five times (two second-place finishes and three thirds). Like Johnson, it was a superb season but not a history-making season, at least as far as results go.
Scott Dixon equaled an IRL record with his six wins in 19 races en route to a second series title. He also earned seven poles. Nice job, Scott.
Helio Castroneves won the Indy 500 and was acquitted of tax evasion. At least that's how the official ESPY's Web site has him listed. Perhaps the best thing he has going for him is the fact he won Dancing With The Stars a few years back so if there are any old ladies with internet access, he could score some extra votes there.
Other drag racers, including Schumacher himself, have been nominated for ESPYs in the past but every time they've walked away empty-handed. If Schumacher leaves the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on July 15th without the drag racing's first one there's no reason to ever return, unless drag racers just like being seat fillers.
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