Pinks
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Pinks is a series of television programs on Speed Channel based on drag racing. The original debuted in 2005, with the spinoff Pinks: All Out following in 2006. The name of the show, and the tagline "Lose the race - lose your ride", refer to common slang of pink slips representing a vehicles title document recording ownership.
The series airs on the Speed Channel in the United States and Canada, and also airs on Fox Sports 3 in Australia.
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[edit] Show overview
Two competitors compete in a drag race (although there was a stepladder shifter kart race in Series 1) with the winner claiming ownership of the losing vehicle.
The race format has been changed slightly through each season:
- Early Series 1 (2005): 2 out of 3 races
- Later Series 1-Series 4 (2005-2007): 3 out of 5 races
- Series 5 (2008): 4 out of 7 races
As the show starts, the host, staff, and contestants sign a binding contract that will transfer the legal title of the two cars in question to Pullin Television, the production company of the show. Since the production company owns the vehicles it guarantees that the show will award the titles to both cars to the winner of the race and eliminates the chance that the loser will refuse to forfeit his/her car after the race.
[edit] Negotiations
Each team is allowed to inspect the opposing team's car to attempt to assess its performance before negotiations for the first race, or in cases where the negotiations are not held for the first race, before the second. Each team chooses a negotiator to act as its spokesperson to discuss the terms of each round. In recent seasons, the first round of each match is often held without negotiation except for terms over the use of nitrous oxide, and features a heads-up start (each car side by side-usually with the nose.
Negotiations generally deal with starting position, similar to bracket racing (except it is negotiated in car lengths, not seconds), nitrous use, and other such issues, the purpose being to handicap the perceived stronger car and create an even race. Starting in Series 5, negotiating car setup for bracket racing times are permitted. After the negotiations (which can last considerably longer than what is shown), the cars are sent to the start line for the burnout.
[edit] Race
Prior to each race, the cars are allowed to perform a burnout, after which they are staged according to the negotiated starting positions (if any). If a track official finds suspicious fluids leaking on the track, he may order the car shut down and the round automatically forfeited to the opponent. If there are mechanical or weather questions, the race may be delayed. In some cases, a show taping may be called off if the weather prevents a full race from being filmed.
Pinks uses a street-race-style arm-drop start rather than the "Christmas Tree" electronic starting system used in modern drag racing. The show's signature start signal was devised by show creator and host Rich Christensen. Christensen points at the driver of the car on his right (left lane), waits for the driver to respond with a thumbs up, then drops that arm. Christensen then repeats this with the driver on his left (right lane). Next, Christensen raises both arms, waits for 2 - 5 seconds and then lowers his arms to start the race.
Officials, both from the show (since Series 2) and track, observe conditions and tape them for replay in case of false starts (leaving before the hands drop), race infractions (standard drag racing rules apply), and photo finishes. In the case of a photo finish, the video tape of the finish is brought to the start line to allow the teams to agree on the result.
[edit] Fouls
As in drag racing, the following are declared fouls on Pinks and the offender loses the round:
- Leaving before Christensen drops his hands. It is a clean start if the car moves once the hands begin dropping. Officials may use replay to verify the legality of a start. If a driver leaves as soon as the hand begins to drop from its highest point, a driver is said to have tree'd their opponent.
- If both cars jump, the first to jump loses (red light).
- Rich will often point at the offending lane if he spots the infraction.
- Crossing either boundary line
- Leaking fluid during staging
- Breaking down and not finishing the run
- Starting in Series 5, if negotiations call for bracket race rules, and one car clearly breaks out while the opponent does not break out, that can be grounds for disqualification. Technical advisors will determine time through the timing traps[clarifywikilink, or explain jargon please].
[edit] Winning
The match ends when one driver has won the said number of rounds above (2, 3, or 4). After Christensen debriefs the two teams on the previous race, he announces the winner. He then hands the title of both cars to the race winner, and often the winner drives the loser's car down the strip after claiming the car by winning the match. A team may also concede because of a catastrophic breakdown. In the spirit of sportsmanship, such a win will often not include the loser's car and often calls for a rematch on a later episode, believing that they will not take the car unless it was a clear win on the track, and not by default.
[edit] Notes
A common occurrence is "set matches", such as import vs. domestic, new vs. old models of a certain make, or races of popular former cars, such as current technical advisor Charles Hendrickson's "Woolly Mammoth", an altered 1976 Chevrolet Vega wagon that beat several more sporty cars. Other matches have featured motorcycles, trucks, and even snowmobiles.
Recent shows have been sponsored (with prizes going to the winner such as free Bridgestone tires or several cases of Shell Q Motor Oil), with Series Four featuring NAPA Auto Parts as the series presenting sponsor for both the regular and All Out series, owing to the show's growing popularity.
[edit] Pinks: All Out
Pinks: All Out is a standard single-elimination[clarifywikilink, or explain jargon please] drag race, organised by the show producers. Ten one hour shows were produced for 2007. The first nine shows begin airing July 12. The show has been renewed for a second series, and taping for 2008 will begin early in the year.
[edit] Qualifying
As the show opens, a scene shows Rich Christensen discussing how many cars have filed for entry, usually between 250-400. As cars prepare to compete, they are inspected and eliminated for mechanical and other problems that would lead to poor track conditions. The cars take part in a series of trial runs, using the standard electronic starting system and with the track clocks running.
At the end of the session, the show officials then determine the most competitive field (not necessarily the fastest) by finding a grouping of cars whose race time are very close together. Those cars are asked to return to the strip for an additional timed run to ensure there is no sandbagging. This time, the clock displays are turned off so that only Pinks officials know the elapsed time of the cars. For these runs, the "Christmas tree" is turned off, and either Rich or Kail Christensen start the run with the show's signature arm-drop start. Sixteen cars, known as the "All Out 16", are then chosen by the producers to compete in the main portion of the competition. The cars are not formally bracketed, so the producers and technical officials may determine the race by car types, driver types, or any manner which they may choose.
In the July 2007 taping session at Milan Dragway (MI), the All Out 16 was forced, because of the number of cars that participated, to "hold" their positions in 16 drag races where they would race against other formidable opponents. It was the only time the race included 32 instead of the standard 16 cars, until the June 6th, 2008 session at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
[edit] Race
[edit] First round
Each pair of cars races a single race without negotiations, using the signature Pinks arm-drop start. The winner wins $1,000, while the loser is eliminated. Standard drag racing rules apply, with drivers being eliminated for infractions. In Pinks: All Out, breakout rules (generally refers to running faster than your dial-in, but on Pinks: All Out refers to running faster than the fastest official time of the 16 cars) do apply and officials in the timing tower will review elapsed times to ensure no violation of breakout rules apply (two thumbs up). If a thumbs-down signal is given, the car is disqualified on breakout violations.
[edit] Second and third rounds
For each round leading up to the final, the driver's total cash winnings to that point may be used as betting money. Drivers may bet as much as they wish in each round. Titles may not be bet. In addition to advancing to the next round, the winner gets whatever money their opponent bet, if any.
During the 2007 round taped at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, all 16 All Out drivers agreed to bet all winnings for an "all in" tournament. No other taping has featured the all-in format.
[edit] Championship round
After the third round, the two remaining teams determine lane choice and betting. Then, the cars race in a best two-out-of-three match. Unless requested by a competitor because of a mechanical problem or in case of inclement weather, the cars must be driven back to the starting line on their own power between rounds and be staged for another race immediately. Once the cars are back at the staging area, the process for the next race begins immediately.
The winner of the finals, in addition to any money bet by their opponent, also during the drivers also compete for a $10,000 cash prize and a tool chest with tools valued at over $7,000 from NAPA Auto Parts.
The only exception to this format came during the February 17, 2007 taping at Moroso Motorsports Park. An excessive number of track incidents (oil downs, crashes, debris) slowed the process, where the main elimination rounds started after midnight. With excessively low temperatures when the semifinal rounds were to start after 2:15 AM, the race was called after the second round by mutual consent of the four drivers remaining because of lane conditions. All four drivers split the $10,000 evenly, and one driver, as chosen by the others, won the tool chest.
[edit] Sandbagging
The All Out format was created because of Rich Christensen’s displeasure with ‘sandbagging’ - feathering or decelerating to create a false elapsed time and hide actual performance - on the original Pinks. This format, where brothers and technical directors Adam and Nate Pritchett rigorously select a group of closely-matched cars, was made to provide the drama associated with closer racing.
To prevent sandbagging, if a car runs faster than what they ran in practice during any elimination round, they are automatically disqualified ("Breakout").
The show was originally to be titled "Ultimate Racer" but was later changed to the current "All Out" subtitle, a reference that the car is running at its maximum during the race.[1]
[edit] Staff
The show is hosted by Rich Christensen, who also employs his cousin Kail as an official. Former contestants Charles Hendrickson and Nathan Pritchett (the only person to have won matches with both a car and a motorcycle) are assigned to each team as technical advisors. Gavin Jerome is the roving public address announcer.
In May 28, 2006 episode of WindTunnel with Dave Despain, the show's producer and host Rich Christensen claimed that some losing racers tried to buy back the vehicle after the race, which Rich tried to eliminate in later seasons. However, one race resulted in a win by default when the engine block overheated, leading to a win by "catastrophic fault". In the spirit of sportsmanship, the winner gave the car back to the loser, noting that a win by default caused by such severe mechanical failure is improper, and promised a future rematch.
[edit] Attendance
Normally attendance at live tapings is high, with amateur races and concerts (usually featuring The Nadas, who perform the original show's ending theme "Walk Away") bookending the televised races.
In the June 29-30, 2007 taping of Pinks: All Out at Milan (MI) Dragway, 33,000 spectators attended the taping with 350 cars attempting to compete for the 16 slots.[2]
On December 3, 2007, the 400 entries for a June 7, 2008 taping of Pinks: All Out at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, were filled in 12 minutes. [3]
On January 6, 2008, the 400 entries for a July 25, 2008 taping of Pinks: All Out at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, were filled in under 1 minute.
[edit] Production
The show is produced by Pullin Television
Original music is composed and performed by Max Carl
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Pinks at EpisodeWorld.com
- Pinks Official Page at Pinks.tv
