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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 17, 2007) – Before Saturday Eddie Krawiec's career-best elapsed time on a Pro Stock Motorcycle was a 7.254-second pass at 186.02 mph.
Then Saturday happened. The newest member of the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team ran career-best numbers – by a bunch – at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals. The New Jersey native turned in a 6.948 pass at 191.02 at Gainesville Raceway. The numbers were good enough for the No. 7 position in the quickest field in NHRA history.
It was also the first of two 6-second passes turned in by Krawiec.
"It's actually unbelievable," Krawiec said. "It's like I'm living a dream. I finally get to do something that I have been going after for a very long time. And I get to do it with two three-time champions (Matt and Andrew Hines) and a legendary tuner (Byron Hines) in my corner.
"I've never been able to come to an NHRA race with equipment this good and a team this prepared and supportive. To be able to come into my first weekend and progressively get better on three of the four runs and record two six-second passes is just phenomenal."
Teammate Andrew Hines will start Sunday's final eliminations from the No. 8 position after riding his Screamin' Eagle V-Rod to a 6.955 pass at 193.10. Hines – the defending three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion – earned his first professional victory and the first victory for a factory-sponsored Harley-Davidson at Gainesville Raceway in 2004.
With eight career victories on his resume, Hines was pleased with the way the team improved the bike's performance.
"I'm very happy that we improved on all four runs," Hines said. "We started off slowly and we saved the best for last. I think we are starting to get a handle on things and I think we're figuring out what we need to do to be in a position to win rounds on Sunday."
Angelle Sampey rode her U.S. Army Suzuki to the top spot with a national record 6.911 run at 191.65 while Karen Stoffer anchored the record-setting field with a 7.033 pass at 191.87 on her Geico Suzuki.
"There are 29 racers here that made qualifying attempts and it took a record-setting field to be able to race on Sunday," Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. "It seems like this class gets more competitive every year."
Paluso said Krawiec's qualifying performance can now be added to the Harley-Davidson history books.
"Gainesville Raceway has always been a good track for historic performances by the Harley-Davidson factory team," Paluso said. "Andrew won his first race here, he recorded the first six-second pass in NHRA history here and now Eddie qualifies for his first NHRA event and makes two six-second runs doing it. That's a great way to kick off his career with the Screamin' Eagle team and hopefully it just gets better on Sunday."
Krawiec will face Paul Gast, who qualified in the No. 10 position with a 6.972 at 191.13 on his Fast By Gast Suzuki. Hines will match up with No. 9 Shawn Gann (6.962 at 193.27) and the Race Girl Suzuki team in the first round of competition.
"We have bikes that are capable of winning rounds tomorrow," Hines said. "The way the class is right now you have to be on top of your game. It doesn't matter where you are qualified in the field. You can win or lose from any of the 16 spots. To win we need to make sure we are consistent, hit our shift points perfectly and make a great pass."
Andrew Hines qualifying results:
Q1: 7.676 seconds at 137.06 mph
Q2: 7.014 at 191.59
Q3: 6.975 at 193.10
Q4: 6.955 at 192.17
Eddie Krawiec qualifying results:
Q1: 7.042 seconds at 189.04 mph
Q2: 7.015 at 190.65
Q3: 6.948 at 191.02
Q4: 6.988 at 191.32
Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
All the action of the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals can be seen on ESPN2starting on Sunday with two hours of coverage at 1:30 a.m. (ET), continuing with two hours of final eliminations on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. (ET).
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 Country Selector for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
KRAWIEC QUALIFIES FOR FIRST CAREER NHRA POWERADE RACE; WILL START FROM THE NO. 7 SPOT IN GAINESVILLE
Hines and Krawiec make several 6-Second Passes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 17, 2007) – Before Saturday Eddie Krawiec's career-best elapsed time on a Pro Stock Motorcycle was a 7.254-second pass at 186.02 mph.
Then Saturday happened. The newest member of the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team ran career-best numbers – by a bunch – at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals. The New Jersey native turned in a 6.948 pass at 191.02 at Gainesville Raceway. The numbers were good enough for the No. 7 position in the quickest field in NHRA history.
It was also the first of two 6-second passes turned in by Krawiec.
"It's actually unbelievable," Krawiec said. "It's like I'm living a dream. I finally get to do something that I have been going after for a very long time. And I get to do it with two three-time champions (Matt and Andrew Hines) and a legendary tuner (Byron Hines) in my corner.
"I've never been able to come to an NHRA race with equipment this good and a team this prepared and supportive. To be able to come into my first weekend and progressively get better on three of the four runs and record two six-second passes is just phenomenal."
Teammate Andrew Hines will start Sunday's final eliminations from the No. 8 position after riding his Screamin' Eagle V-Rod to a 6.955 pass at 193.10. Hines – the defending three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion – earned his first professional victory and the first victory for a factory-sponsored Harley-Davidson at Gainesville Raceway in 2004.
With eight career victories on his resume, Hines was pleased with the way the team improved the bike's performance.
"I'm very happy that we improved on all four runs," Hines said. "We started off slowly and we saved the best for last. I think we are starting to get a handle on things and I think we're figuring out what we need to do to be in a position to win rounds on Sunday."
Angelle Sampey rode her U.S. Army Suzuki to the top spot with a national record 6.911 run at 191.65 while Karen Stoffer anchored the record-setting field with a 7.033 pass at 191.87 on her Geico Suzuki.
"There are 29 racers here that made qualifying attempts and it took a record-setting field to be able to race on Sunday," Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. "It seems like this class gets more competitive every year."
Paluso said Krawiec's qualifying performance can now be added to the Harley-Davidson history books.
"Gainesville Raceway has always been a good track for historic performances by the Harley-Davidson factory team," Paluso said. "Andrew won his first race here, he recorded the first six-second pass in NHRA history here and now Eddie qualifies for his first NHRA event and makes two six-second runs doing it. That's a great way to kick off his career with the Screamin' Eagle team and hopefully it just gets better on Sunday."
Krawiec will face Paul Gast, who qualified in the No. 10 position with a 6.972 at 191.13 on his Fast By Gast Suzuki. Hines will match up with No. 9 Shawn Gann (6.962 at 193.27) and the Race Girl Suzuki team in the first round of competition.
"We have bikes that are capable of winning rounds tomorrow," Hines said. "The way the class is right now you have to be on top of your game. It doesn't matter where you are qualified in the field. You can win or lose from any of the 16 spots. To win we need to make sure we are consistent, hit our shift points perfectly and make a great pass."
Andrew Hines qualifying results:
Q1: 7.676 seconds at 137.06 mph
Q2: 7.014 at 191.59
Q3: 6.975 at 193.10
Q4: 6.955 at 192.17
Eddie Krawiec qualifying results:
Q1: 7.042 seconds at 189.04 mph
Q2: 7.015 at 190.65
Q3: 6.948 at 191.02
Q4: 6.988 at 191.32
Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
All the action of the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals can be seen on ESPN2starting on Sunday with two hours of coverage at 1:30 a.m. (ET), continuing with two hours of final eliminations on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. (ET).
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 Country Selector for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
