PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE SERIES LEADER KRAWIEC LOOKING FOR AN “INDY TO REMEMBER” AT MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS

The Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team has won every Pro Stock Motorcycle race in the 2012 regular season. To make it a clean sweep, a perfect 10-for-10, they only have one more regular season race to go before the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin.

Defending world champ Eddie Krawiec and his teammate, three-time world champ Andrew Hines, have blitzed the competition this season. Krawiec has won six times and Hines has claimed three victories. They are one and two in the points standings and seemingly unstoppable.

Yet, standing in the way of perfection is not one of their competitors. It is the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus, the world’s most prestigious drag race. Neither rider has won the “Granddaddy” of them all. In fact, the last time a Vance & Hines rider celebrated in the winner’s circle at Indy was 1999, when Andrew’s older brother Matt Hines rode to victory on a Suzuki.

“As much as you would like to say Indy is just like every other race, it’s not,” Krawiec said.

As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to Indianapolis for the Big Go, Aug. 29-Sept. 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway, Krawiec hopes to finally break through for a victory at the sport’s oldest and most tradition-rich event. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Mike Neff (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Series event that will be televised on ESPN2HD in more than 10 hours of coverage during Labor Day weekend.

“I look forward to this event every year with hopes of winning the Wally,” Krawiec said. “My first career NHRA payday came at Indy in 2008 when I won the Ringers Pro Bike Battle $25,000 bonus check on Saturday, but my Monday fell short. Since then my Indy luck hasn’t been very good and our Harley Davidson V-rods haven’t ever been in the Monday Winner’s Circle.”

However, if their performance during the regular season doesn’t give the team the confidence it needs to win at Indy, nothing will. The team has maximized its potential in qualifying and during eliminations during the first nine races of the season. The two riders have used their experience and skill to keep their Harley-Davidsons in the winner’s circle all season long. In fact, their impressive winning streak dates back to 2011, where they won the final two races of the season.

“We know (the streak) is going to come to an end eventually, who really knows what is going to happen,” Krawiec said. “The key is to have good lights and have good consistent runs. You have to manage the track. But eventually they are going to get you.”

The riders who have come closest to defeating the Harley-Davidson team is the Lucas Oil Buell team of past Indy winners Hector Arana Sr. and Arana Jr. Three other former Indy winners are in the field, including two-time winner Steve Johnson, LE Tonglet and Matt Smith.

Krawiec is embracing the opportunity to keep the streak going and grab a win at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.

“I feel I perform better under pressure,” Krawiec said. “I haven’t got to that point yet where I feel any unnecessary pressure. It’s inevitable you are going to lose at some point, it’s just a matter of when. But if guys are going to continue to give us win lights by red-lights and making falters and bobbles, then it’s only going to make it easier for us. Our objective from here on out is to make no mistakes.”

The Harley-Davidson team also will receive a lot of support during the weekend, as its race shop is based in Brownsburg.

“Our Vance & Hines shop is about two miles away from the track, so we call Indy our home track,” Krawiec said. “The team lives in the area so we have the support of all our families, fellow employees, fans and friends out at the track, so that is another reason why the race is important to us.

“Hopefully we will be able to look back after this Indy and say 2012 was the Indy to remember.”

• SCHEDULE: The first of five qualifying sessions are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31. Two sessions will be held on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the final two qualifying sessions will take place on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 3.

• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus. Tickets are available by calling (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or online at www.NHRATIX.com.  

• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise more than 10 hours of coverage of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus. Three hours of qualifying coverage and coverage of the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts will air at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 2. Two additional hours of qualifying coverage and Traxxas Shootout highlights will also air on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. (ET). Eliminations for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus will be featured during six hours of coverage on Monday, Sept. 3, starting at noon (ET).

• LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus also will feature competition in all categories of the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 29 and eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30 and continue through Monday, Sept. 3.

• NHRA PRO MOD SERIES presented by ProCare Rx: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will make its seventh start of the 10-race 2012 season at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus. The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition. The first qualifying session will be Friday, Aug. 31 at 4:30 p.m. Qualifying will continue on Saturday, Sept. 1 with sessions at 2 and 5:30 p.m. The final qualifying session will be Sunday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. and the first round of eliminations begins Sunday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. and will continue on Monday, Sept. 3 at approximately 2:30 p.m.

• ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

•ABOUT LUCAS OIL RACEWAY AT INDIANAPOLIS: One of five motorsports facilities owned and operated by NHRA, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis sits on 267 acres of land just west of Indianapolis in the town of Clermont, and features three race courses: a championship drag strip, a .686-mile paved oval and a 2.5-mile, 15-turn road course.

SEVEN DRIVERS EARN FULL THROTTLE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP BERTHS AT NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS

Seven drivers clinched Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoff berths at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, bringing the number of drivers who have secured their invitations to the playoffs to 14.

Top Fuel racers Antron Brown and Tony Schumacher, along with Funny Car driver Ron Capps, and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr. all locked up their positions during NHRA Sonoma Nationals qualifying.

On Sunday, Pro Stock racers Mike Edwards and Vincent Nobile clinched by advancing to round two, and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr. clinched by advancing to the semifinals.

The NHRA Full Throttle Series regular season concludes Labor Day weekend at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus in Indianapolis. A six-race playoff series, the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, will lead to the crowning of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series champs. The Countdown begins Sept. 14-16 at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C.

COUNTDOWN FIELDS TO DATE

Top Fuel

1. Spencer Massey

2. Antron Brown

3. Tony Schumacher

Funny Car

1. Robert Hight

2. Ron Capps

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson

2. Jason Line

3. Allen Johnson

4. Mike Edwards

5. Vincent Nobile

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Eddie Krawiec

2. Andrew Hines

3. Hector Arana Jr.

4. Hector Arana Sr.

MASSEY, NEFF, NOBILE, HINES CLAIM VICTORIES AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS IN NORWALK

Spencer Massey raced to his fourth Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. 

 

Mike Neff (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

 

Massey powered his FRAM/Prestone dragster to his first Norwalk win with a quicker reaction time at the start to hold off the quicker, but losing Capco Contractors dragster of final round opponent Steve Torrence. With the victory, Massey returns to the series points lead.

 

“I knew the final round was going to be huge," said Massey. "Steve was running awesome all day. He’s been running awesome all season, actually. I’m from Texas, he’s from Texas, and we both drove Top Alcohol Dragsters in Division 4. The weather here was even hot like it is in Texas."

 

In Funny Car, Neff claimed his second win of the season and second at this track by defeating Tim Wilkerson in the final round. Neff drove his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to a performance of 4.217 seconds at 298.21 to hold off Wilkerson's Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang.

“I don’t know how it all works, but Norwalk has definitely been good to me," Neff said. "We’ve done fairly well on the hotter racetracks. We usually do pretty well on those. And sometimes it just seems like you go some places that you just always do well at, and then there are some tracks you go to and it just seems like you can never do any good no matter how you’ve been doing up to that point. Tim Wilkerson put up a heck of a run over there. It had to be very close at the finish line, so it was just our day.”

 

In Pro Stock, Nobile celebrated an NHRA Sweep in the winner’s circle after claiming his second win of the season. In the final round, he powered his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger to a performance of 6.661 seconds at 208.01 mph to defeat the Summit Racing Chevy Camaro of defending world champ Jason Line. Nobile also defeated Line in the final of Saturday's K&N Horsepower Challenge.

 

With the victory, Nobile claimed more than $100,000 for the weekend, as he also won the $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge race on Saturday, claimed $25,000 for the race win and another $25,000 for an NHRA Sweep Bonus for winning both events during the weekend. He also won here in 2011.

 

“I never thought in a million years that things would be going like this," said Nobile. "My team supplied me with the fastest car today, and I have to give them the credit. [The semifinal win over Allen Johnson] was the coolest round I ever won in my life. I saw Jason Line and Shane Gray get in a pedaling match in front of me, so I mentally prepared myself for that situation. Luckily, my dad [John] taught me how to drive and told me to find fifth gear as soon as possible if I ever had to lift and saw that the other guy wasn’t in front of me. I felt like Ron Capps in the car.

 

"The best part of the weekend was getting Peggy [Coleman], my partner in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, that Toyota Tundra. She was in a terrible situation where she lost her house, and it was great to give something back to her."

 

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, three-time world champ Hines claimed his third win of the season on  his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a performance of 6.929 at 193.43 in the final round against opponent Hector Arana Jr. , who rode his Lucas Oil Buell.  Hines is the first rider to win three times at Norwalk ( also 2009, 2007). It was Hines’ 28th career victory.

“It was a good weekend all around for our team, and we just treated it like we did in Joliet last weekend when I got the national event win,” said Hines, who remained in second place in the points standings. “We just slowly picked way at the tune-up. Conditions changed tremendously today. The air dried out a lot, and we struggled a little bit with my bike the first couple rounds, but we learned a lot against Eddie [Krawiec, teammate] in the semifinals, and luckily I was able to get the eight-thou win against Eddie in the semifinals and learned everything we possibly could and applied that to the final. That was our best speed of the weekend and our best e.t. of the weekend. It was a heck of a race with Hector Jr. I beat him on a holeshot in Houston, and that was huge, and to do it again is ‘ice cream’ on the cake.”

 

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues July 20-22 with the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Denver.

NORWALK, Ohio -- Sunday's final results from the Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. The race is the 12th of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

 

Top Fuel -- Spencer Massey, 3.916 seconds, 312.50 mph def. Steve Torrence, 3.894 seconds, 315.71 mph.

 

Funny Car -- Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.217, 298.21 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.244, 296.96.

 

Pro Stock -- Vincent Nobile, Dodge Avenger, 6.661, 208.01 def. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.705, 207.88.

 

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.929, 193.43 def. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.928, 191.84.

 

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Bill Reichert, 5.334, 264.70 def. Dan Page, 5.436, 266.06.

 

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Paul Gill, Ford Mustang, 5.639, 255.92 def. Cassie Simonton, Chevy Monte Carlo, 12.598, 93.17.

 

Competition Eliminator -- David Rampy, Bantam Roadster, 7.303, 178.85 def. Bo Butner, Chevy
Cobalt, 8.541, 158.09.

 

Super Stock -- Chad Taylor, Chevy Camaro, 10.414, 124.80 def. Jeff Dona, Pontiac Firebird, foul.

 

Stock Eliminator -- Larry Hill, Plymouth Baracuda, 10.538, 114.02 def. Randy Wilkes, Pontiac
Firebird, 10.443, 129.29.

 

Super Comp -- Al Kenny, Dragster, 8.911, 163.69 def. Brad Plourd, Dragster, 8.876, 163.95.

 

Super Gas -- Nathan Vrooman, Chevy Beretta, 9.952, 156.10 def. Steve Theodor, '27-T Ford, 9.873, 155.10.

 

Top Dragster -- Mike Laws, Dragster, 6.729, 197.80 def. Robert Mandell, Dragster, 6.590, 202.39.

 

Top Sportsman -- Gary Wojnowski Sr., Olds Cutlass, 6.906, 202.36 def. Jeff Sexton, Chevy Cavalier, foul.

 

 

 

HINES VICTORY AT ROUTE 66 KEEPS HARLEY WIN STREAK ALIVE

Second Win for Hines is Fifth in a Row for Screamin’ Eagle^® Team in 2012

The Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle/Vance & Hines team remains undefeated in 2012 as rider

Andrew Hines rode his Harley-Davidson V-Rod to the Pro Stock Motorcycle win at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The win is the second for Hines in 2012 and the fifth in a row for the team in five events this season. Hines defeated GT Racing Suzuki rider LE Tonglet in the final.

“I was really feeling the pressure when we went to line for the final round,” said Hines. “I wanted to win because this is the closest race to Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee and we had a lot of fans down here. And we’ve never had a winning streak like this before, undefeated this season and really seven in a row going back to last season. That’s really special and I don’t want this moment to end.”

Hines qualified his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rod in second position with an Elapsed Time of 6.917 seconds. Krawiec qualified the team’s other V-Rod fourth at 6.941 seconds. Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Sr. was the top qualifier at 6.884 seconds.

Hines moved through the elimination rounds with a win over Sovereign-Star Racing Buell rider Scott Pollacheck in round one, an automatic win in round two when Kuryakyn Buell rider Chip Ellis fouled at the start, and a win over Hector Arana Jr. on a Lucas Oil Buell in the semi-final round.

Tonglet had won the last two events at Route 66 and had won 11 consecutive elimination rounds at the track. But the Suzuki rider went for a quick light and left the starting line 0.004 seconds early to hand Hines the automatic win and his 27th career final-round victory.

“I had the performance advantage on him, so I’m sure he was trying to cut a good light,” said Hines. “After the last race I re-wired my V-Rod because we thought there was an electrical issue, and we had a chance to test both bikes. We’ve got a pair of strong-running Harley-Davidson motorcycles right now.”

Krawiec opened Sunday’s rain-delayed elimination rounds with a win over Matt Guidera on the Harley-Davidson of Folsom Buell. Krawiec lost in round two on a holeshot to Tonglet, who used a 0.022-second reaction time and a 6.993 ET to beat Krawiec’s 0.048/6.971 run by just 0.0047 seconds.

“The track was good today but a little tricky, and we had to pull a little clutch out of my bike,” said Krawiec. “When we do that I find it’s harder to hit the tree, so my reaction times were not where I wanted to be today. I really just lost a good drag race to Tonglet.”

Krawiec retains the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead, leaving Route 66 with 522 points. Hines remains in second place with 447 points.  Arana Sr. moves up to third place with 383 points, followed by Arana Jr. with 381 points. Tonglet is fifth with 292 points.

The Pro Stock Motorcycles will be in action again on July 5-8 at the 6th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals atSummit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

NHRA pro racers to hit a different lane June 5, join bowlers to raise money for Riley Kids

There is a winner and a loser in each drag race and bowing match.

But on June 5 when some of world's top professional drag racers join with the Indianapolis bowling community and race fans at Royal Pin's Western Bowl in Indianapolis, there won't be any losers.

And the big winner will be the Riley Hospital for Children and Riley Children's Foundation.

The fourth annual DSR Bowling for Children fundraiser presented by NAPA will be at Royal Pin's Western Bowl center at 6441 W. Washington St. near Indianapolis.

"DSR drivers compete fiercely against Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein, Shawn Langdon, Tony Pedregon and all our NHRA rivals but, for one night in June, we'll all be on the same team in supporting the kids and families who trust Riley Hospital for Children to provide unequalled medical care," said Mike Lewis, senior vice president of DSR.

"We are proud to contribute the proceeds from our two annual DSR fundraising events to the Riley Hospital Foundation."

DSR also has an open-house and car show at its Brownsburg headquarters during the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Clermont. 

In six years, DSR has raised over $150,000 for the Riley Children's Foundation.

Leading the roster of sports celebrities at the event will be NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series stars, including:

Don Schumacher Racing's Antron Brown (Matco Tools/Aaron's Dream Machine Top Fuel Dragster), Ron Capps (NAPA AUTO PARTS Funny Car) and Spencer Massey (FRAM/Prestone Top Fuel Dragster); Morgan Lucas Racing's Brandon Bernstein (Lucas Oil/MAV TV Top Fuel Dragster) and Morgan Lucas (Geico Top Fuel Dragster); Al-Anabi Racing's Shawn Langdon; and Screamin' Eagle Vance and Hines Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Motorcycle riders Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec.

The Riley Children's Foundation receives all proceeds from the tournament that will feature the fun No-Tap scoring format where nine pins down on the first ball also scores as a strike.

The event begins with dinner at 6 p.m. followed at 7:15 p.m. with driver introductions and bowling begins 15 minutes later.

All entries include VIP access to the Hall of Fame private room for dinner, soft drinks and time to mingle with the NHRA stars for autographs and photo opportunities. A cash bar will be available.

A silent auction will feature a variety of drag racing memorabilia and merchandise including a 52- and 62-inch HD TV donated by Aaron's.

The entry fee is $50 per bowler, and teams of four or individuals are welcome. Non-bowling spectator admission is $10 and one child 12 and younger will be admitted free with a paying adult. Bowling shoe rental is an additional $3.

Sponsorship packages are available:
GOLD PACKAGE, $1,000
- A DSR show car appearance (Indy area)
- Four-person team entry 
- Lane Sponsorship
SILVER PACKAGE, $500
- Four-person team entry
- Lane Sponsorship
BRONZE PACKAGE, $300
- Lane sponsorship

For information and interest in sponsorships:
317.340.8866 or truittw@shoeracing.com 

To register:
Go to Royal Pin's Western Bowl
6441 W. Washington St., Indianapolis.
Checks should be made to Riley Children's Foundation

About Riley Children's Foundation
Riley Children's Foundation supports Riley Hospital for Children, Camp Riley and the James Whitcomb Museum Home.
As Indiana's only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the car of children, Riley Hospital has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families since 1924.
Each year, children from all 92 Indiana counties turn to Riley Hospital and its regional clinics throughout the state more than 358,00 times.
Riley Hospital's partnership with IU Health and its strong affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine make Riley Hospital for Children the leader in pediatric car in the state and region.
For information: RileyKids.org