Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines rider Ed Krawiec cleared the table at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, scoring his fifth Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing win of the season after leading qualifying and setting new track Elapsed Time and top speed records. Krawiec set the ET record twice during the weekend and defeated his Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines teammate, Andrew Hines, in the third all-Harley final of the season. The win was also the eighth in a row for the Harley-Davidson team, which remains undefeated in final-round appearances this season as its riders lead the series in points.
Krawiec was hot off the trailer at Sonoma, posting a 6.801-second/198.35-mph pass on his Harley-Davidson®V-Rod® motorcycle in the first round of qualifying on Friday, marks that reset both Pro Stock Motorcycle records at the Sonoma track. That run held up through Saturday to put Krawiec in the top slot for Sunday eliminations. Hines was almost as quick, riding his V-Rod to a best ET of 6.848 seconds to claim the number two spot in qualifying.
Hines opened Sunday eliminations with a win over Matt Guidera on the H-D of Folsom Buell, and briefly held the track ET record with a 6.793-second pass. Hines beat Sovereign/Star Racing Buell rider Scott Pollacheck in the second round.
Krawiec started on Sunday with a 6.785-second blast that dispatched Matt Smith Racing Buell rider Angie Smith, and re-set the track ET record. Krawiec defeated Sovereign/Star Racing Buell rider John Hall in round two. That set up a semi-final that featured the top four qualifiers for the event, as Hines and Krawiec faced the father-and-son Lucas Oil Buell team of Hector Arana Jr. and Hector Arana Sr., who qualified third and fourth respectively. In the first race, Krawiec (6.812 ET) defeated Arana Sr. (6.850 ET). Hines got an automatic win when Arana Jr. left early and fouled at the start.
“It was the Harleys against the Hectors again in the semi,” said Krawiec. “This is turning into a great rivalry and is making us all work harder. It’s also a lot of fun, and I think we might be getting in their heads a little.”
For the second weekend in a row, Hines and Krawiec brought their V-Rod bikes to the line in the final round, and for the third time this season, Krawiec (6.809 ET) prevailed over Hines (6.839 ET) to chalk up the 16th Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of his career.
“My plan was to hit 20 on the tree, and I got a 23 to Eddie’s 48, so I was out front until about the last 100 feet,” said Hines. “His bike was consistently faster in top speed all weekend, even though we were even in 60-feet times, and he was just able to catch me.
Krawiec had a similar strategy for the final.
“I was shooting for a 15 to 20 on the tree, too, but I missed, which was disappointing,” said the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion. “Luckily I had a great V-Rod under me today and it pulled me through for the win. Our crew chief, Matt Hines, gave us great motorcycles to race all weekend.”
Krawiec continues to lead the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle division, and leaves Sonoma with 842 points. Hines is in second place with 774 points, followed by Arana Jr. with 655 and Arana Sr. with 587. Geico Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer is fifth with 450 points.
The Pro Stock Motorcycles will be back in action Aug. 16-19 at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
