Media Matters: A hot broadcast from cool Topeka race
Phillip Gary Smith, go2geiger Media Columnist
Monday, 31 May 2010
Last year's Topeka event was so steamy we used the movie title "Some Like it Hot" to headline my Media Matters column. Race day 2010 was a test of cool: cooler conditions, drivers who kept their cool, and the cool breezes known as crew chiefs.
It all started Friday night when conditions were coolest, with some of the best in the business running track records with those big header flames lit the whole way down, seemingly magnified by the darkness.
John Force was the first star, setting a track speed record with a run described by ESPN's Paul Page as "all candles A-Ok." Page then added this gem, "In Kansas, even the cows know who John Force is."
'The Wilk,' Tim Wilkerson, as he is called by the broadcasters, follows with an HRP track record for elapsed time.
Then Robert Hight secures the No. 1 slot with the only sub 4.10 ET of the weekend, coupling it with best speed of 308 mph. It's no wonder Hight later described crew chief Jimmy Prock as "the Kobe Bryant of drag racing."
Another highlight at this race was the big finals pair in Pro Stock as points king Mike Edwards lined up against Allen Johnson, who had posted the better ET and top speed. Summit FastNews’ Rick Green wrote, "This is the way it’s supposed to work out with the two best cars meeting in the final."
The character Dragline in "Cool Hand Luke" would have said this about Mike Edwards and his startling 13-inch holeshot victory: "He grins like a baby but bites like a gator."
Speaking of best pictures, "Cool Hand Luke" wasn't the only hot movie in 1968, with the likes of "The Graduate," "Bonnie and Clyde," "The Dirty Dozen," and "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner," coming out that same year.
Tops on the film list this May weekend was ESPN2 with the coolest of racing images. They simultaneously televised the six teams of the three pro classes in their pits preparing for the finals. First, they gave a viewer enough time to adjust to the images and then get a chance to look at each. Secondly, each class was in various states of teardown and race readiness as they had arrived in the pits at different times. It was fun noting those stages, moving from image to image.
Coolest New Technology: You would almost expect that Lewis Bloom, aka "Statman," would be the first to display a new Apple iPad in use on the broadcast -- and he did not disappoint. He made a good choice for his first images displayed to the camera off his new gadget: Topeka Funny Car winner Robert Hight. "My new iPad is the greatest device of all time; photos look amazing on it," he said.
Feature Race: The Matt Hagan/John Force tilt in the first round was identified on the broadcast as the day’s feature race. Mike Dunn "leaned" towards John Force to win, which wasn’t much of a stretch -- his performance advantage was evident this day if not this year. "Hagan has his work cut out," Mike summarized. The fun of Matt giving John a set of bullhorns attached to a helmet as a gift recently added sparkle to the pair -- plus, of course, the minor detail that former Force braintrust member, John Medlen, is now Matt’s crew chief.
Force, referring to Matt’s continuing ranch work, exclaimed, "That ole cowboy knows how to get down the track in these conditions." Sure John, Matt’s old -- he was born in November 1982, 11 days before the young queen of drag racing, Ashley Force Hood.
How Many Championships?: Interviewed before his second round race with Force, Jeff Arend offered, "It’s always a good thing to race the Champion who has won it, what, a million times?" It doesn’t happen often between these two, but today Jeff won. This prompted a broadcast comment from Dunn and Page -- they actually spotted a smile coming from legend Connie "the Bounty Hunter" Kalitta.
Breathtaking: In Round 3, the most spectacular event of the day occurred when Jim Head, racing Arend, created his own version of Matt Hagen’s big blow in Charlotte. As FastNews described, "Head’s engine let go with a massive explosion. The body broke in half and went flying really high. Then there is a lot fire coming back into Head's face, and the chutes are out but he can't see where he is going."
Numerous replays from four different angles reflected the intense power of the blast. Dependably, viewers knew the broadcast team would be on top of the story and ESPN2 did not disappoint. In an interview moments afterward Jim Head, who has been a catalyst for safety, calmly stated, "These cars are so safe, it’s remarkable."
Interestingly, ESPN carried the film of the blast before the race broadcast commenced on the Deuce but failed to promote the upcoming race broadcast.
Doh!: Visibly pained, Antron Brown blows his No. 1 qualifying effort in the second round of eliminations with a big-time red-light against Larry Dixon. Then Dixon sputters to the finish, providing even more consternation to the affable Brown. "The tree caught me with my pants down," he answered honestly.
Best Movie Reference: G-man, Gary Gerould, asked Larry Dixon of the Al-Anabi team how it felt to race the Army’s Tony Schumacher team for the third time in as many races. Larry got it right when he said, "It’s like the movie 'Ground Hog Day'...We keep doing the same thing over and over." In this fifth Dixon/Schumacher match-up of the year, Schumacher won the tiebreaker.
Best Imitation of Force: Winning the first round of racing this year, Terry McMillen demonstrated the team’s effort to get the monkey off their back by stomping a stuffed monkey -- with gusto -- for the cameras. Talking like he was on nitro, he told the cameras how his team wanted him to get smaller: "Don’t worry! I’m losing weight!" Just watching this emotional display makes me look forward to his next lap. Paul Page reminded us, "More sports would like to have a showman like Force." Drag racing needs more showmen of both genders.
Close Finals: Good conditions yielded exciting eliminations and championship rounds. Paul Page happily noted, "What great racing we’re seeing today." In addition to the aforementioned 13-inch victory by Mike Edwards in Pro Stock finals, those nitro rockets racing in the Top Fuel final put on a show. Schumacher edged teammate Cory McClenathan by the narrowest of victories -- .0052 seconds -- definitely a cool race on which to end the weekend.
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