Street Outlaws and actual illegal street racing

[71buickfreak]

Last week, two people were killed in LA during a street drag race between a Nissan GTR and a Mustang GT500. The Mustang lost control and hit the two people. The 21 yr-old driver turned himself in the next day.

Under California law, any person engaging in street racing is complicit in any accidents. The GTR driver was arrested today for 2 counts of vehicular homicide and being held on 2-million bail.

Recently, the NHRA sent out letters to NHRA license holders warning them that any participation in Street Outlaws TV show may result in revocation of their NHRA licenses. Much internet was used in the ensuing debate, about 50% for and 50% against. Seems that the NHRA's stance would spawn more viewership of the show, it certainly set some well-known racers up against the NHRA.

Why am I bringing this up in the same post? Because the GTR driver was recently featured in a race on Street Outlaws, and Discovery channel may be named in the inevitable lawsuit.

It seems as if the NHRA's actions were well timed. SO will not be on air much longer I suspect. At the first hint of the S H-ing The F, they yanked Sons of Guns. I don't know that they will yank it like SoG, but this will get ugly. This isn't a situation of similarities, this is actual show participants being involved.

 

[Lurkerinthewoods]

Street Outlaws is one of the most staged reality shows on the tube today. True street racing has nothing to do with what these OKC clowns try and portray. When they came to Tulsa the police shut the streets down and spectators weren't anywhere near the cars when they ran.

If this show isn't staged, then there need to be some serious "house cleaning" in the local PD stations, because the show makes the local police force look like total idiots.

 

[tran]

Staged, Maybe but the racing is real.

 

[71buickfreak]

Honestly, that is the entire problem. The show portrays this as actual illegal street racing, when in reality, they take precautions, have paramedics on scene, close the roads, etc., but they hype up how "illegal" it is. They are not honest about it, they glorify the illegal aspect. Now they have a participant in the show in jail for felony murder because of the same actions portrayed on the show, with the exception of the whole safety and legal thing, minor stuff really....

They should have been honest about how they set it up in the first place.

 

[Lurkerinthewoods]

Staged, Maybe but the racing is real.

My comment was about the NHRA comparing the Street Outlaw series to what these idiots did in CA. Never meant to downplay the risk associated with the racing.

 

[SMS]

Seems pretty clear to me. NHRA's position is that, regardless of how the show is produced, it glorifies, romanticizes, and promotes illegal and dangerous activity...as evidenced by the recent deaths in CA involving someone featured on the show. Not something they would want to be associated with obviously.

 

[Defnestor]

Were either of the cars black with scary cosmetic modifications, maybe a shoulder-harness thingy that goes up? Ban cars!

 

[swampratt]

Ban football while you are at it.
More people have been raped and killed by profession football players and people still glorify that sport.
I won't even get into the drugs and stupid parties that those players engage in.

 

[Coded-Dude]

the only thing "street" about street outlaws is that they race on "mostly" unprepped concrete roads(rather than prepped tracks). the only thing illegal they do is test their cars on unclosed roads(the roads are closed for races). but it is an entertaining show regardless. they got their arses handed to them at the end of this season. should be interesting to see what happens when it starts back up in may.

 

[RKM]

If it's staged it ain't real....if it ain't real, it's not worth watching.