Hines Holds on to NHRA Points Lead at Brainerd Nationals
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BRAINERD, Minn. -- With a spot in the Countdown to One season championship playoff already in hand, Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Andrew Hines advanced to the second round of eliminations at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Hines also maintained his lead in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season points.
Hines, who posted a 7.022-second run aboard a Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle to be the sixth-fastest qualifier for Sunday eliminations, defeated Matt Guidera in the first round before fouling at the start line to lose to Angelle Sampey on the Rush Racing Products Buell in the second round.
Hines battled to the final eliminations round at the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway on July 27 and earned enough points to secure in a spot in the 10-rider Countdown, a five-race playoff to determine the Pro Stock Motorcycle champion that will begin following the finals of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on August 1.
"It's great to be locked in for the Countdown, and this season there's a 30-point bonus for the points leader when the Countdown rounds begin, so I'd like to hold that lead," said Hines. "We just felt like we were a little behind in everything this weekend, and the bike was down on power in the first portion of the track. We have historically run strong at the later races in the season, so I think if we are in the top three after Indy we'll be in good shape."
Eddie Krawiec rode a Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines V-Rod to the fifth qualifying spot with a 7.021-second pass, but then lost at the line to Mike Berry in the first round with a 0.141-second reaction time and a 7.037 ET to Berry's 0.029/7.129 run.
"I just lost my focus for an instant on the line and it was over," said Krawiec, who is one of four riders battling for fourth place in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points race. "There is still room for a lot of movement in the standings, and it's not out of the question for us to move up to fourth before the Countdown. I'm looking forward to Reading, where I made the semi-finals last year."
The Brainerd event was won by NitroFish Buell rider Matt Smith after Sampey's motorcycle broke at the starting line in the final round. The win moves Smith to within 12 points of Hines in the season standings.
After 10 rounds of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Hines leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle class with 816 points. Smith is in second place with 804 points, followed by Chip Ellis with 717 points, Chris Rivas with 606, Guidera with 595 and Krawiec in sixth place with 588. Hines, Smith and Ellis have secured a slot in the Countdown to One championship playoff series.
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycles will race next August 14-17 at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.
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 Browser Update Required for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/a_hines_676450.jpg" alt="a_hines_676450" align="left"borders="0"/>
BRAINERD, Minn. -- With a spot in the Countdown to One season championship playoff already in hand, Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Andrew Hines advanced to the second round of eliminations at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Hines also maintained his lead in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season points.
Hines, who posted a 7.022-second run aboard a Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle to be the sixth-fastest qualifier for Sunday eliminations, defeated Matt Guidera in the first round before fouling at the start line to lose to Angelle Sampey on the Rush Racing Products Buell in the second round.
Hines battled to the final eliminations round at the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway on July 27 and earned enough points to secure in a spot in the 10-rider Countdown, a five-race playoff to determine the Pro Stock Motorcycle champion that will begin following the finals of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on August 1.
"It's great to be locked in for the Countdown, and this season there's a 30-point bonus for the points leader when the Countdown rounds begin, so I'd like to hold that lead," said Hines. "We just felt like we were a little behind in everything this weekend, and the bike was down on power in the first portion of the track. We have historically run strong at the later races in the season, so I think if we are in the top three after Indy we'll be in good shape."
Eddie Krawiec rode a Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines V-Rod to the fifth qualifying spot with a 7.021-second pass, but then lost at the line to Mike Berry in the first round with a 0.141-second reaction time and a 7.037 ET to Berry's 0.029/7.129 run.
"I just lost my focus for an instant on the line and it was over," said Krawiec, who is one of four riders battling for fourth place in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points race. "There is still room for a lot of movement in the standings, and it's not out of the question for us to move up to fourth before the Countdown. I'm looking forward to Reading, where I made the semi-finals last year."
The Brainerd event was won by NitroFish Buell rider Matt Smith after Sampey's motorcycle broke at the starting line in the final round. The win moves Smith to within 12 points of Hines in the season standings.
After 10 rounds of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Hines leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle class with 816 points. Smith is in second place with 804 points, followed by Chip Ellis with 717 points, Chris Rivas with 606, Guidera with 595 and Krawiec in sixth place with 588. Hines, Smith and Ellis have secured a slot in the Countdown to One championship playoff series.
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycles will race next August 14-17 at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.
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 Browser Update Required for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
