One would think Tony Gillig would be opposed to the inverted ladder after the day he experienced in defense of his point lead. He opened the day against the low-qualifier Robert Patrick and with a victory would have raced another heavy-hitter in Robert Mansfield.

Patrick defeated Gillig in the first round to put a crimp in his championship plans.

One would think Tony Gillig would be opposed to the inverted ladder after the day he experienced in defense of his point lead. He opened the day against the low-qualifier Robert Patrick and with a victory would have raced another heavy-hitter in Robert Mansfield.

Patrick defeated Gillig in the first round to put a crimp in his championship plans.

The interesting part of the scenario is Gillig likes the invert and Patrick wouldn’t mind seeing it go away.

“I guess it has its ups and downs because it has helped and hurt me,” Gillig said. “At one point, we were qualifying in the top half so it helped us. We got the slower cars and went some rounds. I started qualifying on the second-half and began knocking off some of the top qualifiers. The only time it hurt me was here and now.

‘With the way things are going now with the class, I think it has worked as a positive to pull the competition closer together.”

Patrick exhibited no diplomacy when sharing his thoughts.

“I really think it sucks,” said Patrick. “I don’t anyone out here likes it and if you go down there to Tony Gillig’s I don’t think he likes it. I don’t think Pete Berner likes it.

“Larry Carrier got rid of that a long time ago and the NHRA followed suit,” Patrick added. “I don’t know why they went back to the dark ages.”

“If he could have beaten me, he would have beaten me…so hell no, I didn’t feel bad about it.”

Ironically it was Gillig that beat Patrick in the first round in Budds Creek, Maryland to knock him out of contention for the 2006 championship.

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