Hines Pads Nhra Points Lead With Semi-final Run At Chicago

[Buzz Kanter]

HINES PADS NHRA POINTS LEAD WITH SEMI-FINAL RUN AT CHICAGO
Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod Riders Hines and Krawiec Face Off in Round Two

JOLIET, Ill.. (June 8, 2008) – Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Andrew Hines rode a Harley-Davidson V-Rod to the semi-final round of Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations at the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals. First-round losses by Matt Smith and Chip Ellis, his closest rivals in the 2008 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, allowed Hines to add to his season points lead.

Hines qualified second for the event with a pass of 7.028 seconds, just behind Chris Rivas, who made a run of 7.027 seconds in the second qualifying round on Friday to take the number one position. Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Eddie Krawiec qualified seventh with a 7.106 pass.

On Sunday, Hines won his first-round race when Buell-mounted Tom Bradford jumped the start. Krawiec (7.158) defeated Rockland Motorsports Buell rider Matt Guidera (7.189) to win his first-round race, and would face his teammate, Hines, in the second round. Severe weather moved through the area, however, and delayed the racing action for nearly four hours. When the second round resumed, Krawiec left early and gave the win to Hines on a red light. In the semi-final, Hines (7.156/.054 reaction time) lost at the starting line to Craig Treble (7.141/.013) on the Team Tigue Suzuki. The loss was the first for Hines in 11 consecutive elimination rounds. Treble (7.134) lost to Rivas (7.051) in the final round.

“The good news is we leave Chicago with a 99-point lead for the championship,” said Hines. “My Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod was not as strong this weekend as it has been earlier in the season. We tried a few new things with the set-up that didn’t seem to work, and we swapped motors after each round today, and it caught up with us. We’ll be going back to the set-up we used to win in St. Louis, and I’m confident we’ll get that performance back for Englishtown.”

Krawiec was fighting electrical problems all weekend, which appeared to be solved before the second round.

“We were chasing a misfire since the second round of qualifying, and finally got it fixed for the second round against Andrew,” said Krawiec. “There were four red lights in that lane on Sunday, but it was especially disappointing to leave early because the bike made a really strong pass.”

Krawiec will be on familiar territory when the NHRA makes its next stop at Englishtown, N.J., where he was the track manager at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park for six years before joining the Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team.

“Mentally I’ll be 100 percent at Englishtown,” he said. “That’s my home track and I’ve probably made more passes there than all the riders in Pro Stock Motorcycle combined. There’s nothing I don’t know about the track, and that’s an advantage for me.”

After five rounds in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Hines has 482 points to lead the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Smith is second with 349 points, followed by Ellis with 325. Krawiec is seventh with 273 points. NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycles will race next at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals, June 19-22, at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ.

Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin' Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin' Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information.

The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.