The NHRA truly should be self-aware enough to protect its brand. It should have denounced physical violence/physical contact if for no other reason than to protect itself and its message – and to protect itself in case of legal action. It constantly talks about safety. Is that just for the cars or for the drivers, too? Ferré probably didn’t feel his safety was valued. Had he gotten a chance to swing at Torrence – which he might not have intended to do – Torrence would have the same argument about his safety.

And the NHRA should be capable of denouncing actions detrimental to the sport without destroying the individual in question.

Torrence contends he was provoked. Maybe he was – we don’t know because Torrence won’t reveal what Ferré said and Ferré is under a gag order. McAuliffe and Marichal thought they had been provoked, too. But that never justifies crossing a line and harming someone physically.
Before that run, he said, ‘You know what you need to do to get five grand?’ And in my head, I was thinking, ‘Well, is $5,000 really beating you? And at the end of the day it’s not. I’d do anything for that run. And I made it happen. – Jianna Salinas
Steve Torrence would do well to control his emotions – like probably 90-percent of the people reading and publishing this remark. No one is perfect, and that’s not being an apologist for Torrence. It’s reality. Funny Car racer John Hale said in a social-media post that “most are way overthinking this” situation, and he’s probably right.

So enough about that. Maybe it’s time to cock an eyebrow at Greg Anderson’s plan to manipulate the qualifying order to be in position to defeat Erica Enders in the first round. Nice try. It didn’t work. She beat him. But the amazing part of it is that Anderson took a risk and he pulled it off and started 15th. He could have played that game and wound up 16th or been bumped altogether if somebody else ran quicker. After all, anchor Joey Grose’s qualifying time was only three-thousandths of a second slower than Anderson’s. Ultimately, the four-time champ’s gamble didn’t pay off.

Pro Stock Motorcycle race winner Jianna Salinas took a gamble – and won. She received a $1,000 “bonus” from outgoing class champion Matt Smith for defeating leader Andrew Hines in the first round. But she gained more by not accepting the second part of Smith’s offer. He had said she’d get a grand if she could eliminate Hines and another $5,000 if he went on to win the race and, consequently, a repeat title.
Jianna Salinas, in one of the most unlikely upsets in recent memory, defeated all three championship challengers to earn her first carer Pro Stock Motorcycle victory.

Salinas and Smith wound up facing each other in the semifinal. She said, “Before that run, he said, ‘You know what you need to do to get five grand?’ And in my head, I was thinking, ‘Well, is $5,000 really beating you? And at the end of the day it’s not. I’d do anything for that run. And I made it happen.” She beat Smith, then won as Jerry Savoie’s bike broke in the other lane to receive a payout bigger than Smith’s enticement.

But it all raises the question about whether offering bribes is permissible – like deep-staging or sandbagging to set up race-day pairings. After all, ultimate champion Hines said he isn’t opposed to putting a bounty on Smith’s head someday maybe.

So no matter what, it was a crazy weekend in the Finals. It was like watching the season finale of a favorite TV show and at the end trying to figure out how the cliffhanger will play out when it’s time to tune in again.