Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines rider Andrew Hines scored his third final-round win of the season and added to his Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, part of the NHRA Mellow Yello Drag Racing Series.
After qualifying his Harley-Davidson® V-Rod® motorcycle just 10th with an Elapsed Time (ET) of 6.931 seconds, Hines found improved performance on Sunday and defeated Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana in the final.
“We broke out new a V-Rod motorcycle for this weekend, and it was giving us fits in qualifying,” said Hines. “This morning we changed the tune up and to be honest it was kind of our Hail Mary for the weekend. My brother [crew chief Matt Hines] could tell I was pessimistic, and told me just to go out and act like I had the best bike on the track and it worked. I like the idea of breaking in a new bike with a Mello Yello shower in the winner’s circle.”
Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines rider Ed Krawiec put the team’s other Harley-Davidson® V-Rod® motorcycle in the top qualifying spot with an ET of 6.844 seconds at 195.05 mph, a pass that also set a new Pro Stock Motorcycle track ET record. Krawiec is the first Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to qualify number one at five consecutive events since Matt Hines accomplished the feat in 1999.
In Sunday eliminations, Krawiec got a free pass in the first round when Teisab Suzuki rider Elvira Karlsson fouled at the start. Krawiec then lost in round two to Protecttheharvest.com/MAVTV Buell rider Adam Arana.
“My bike bogged off the line in round one, so we raised the rpm a little but it bogged worse in the second round,” said Krawiec. “There was quite a change in the weather today, as it got hotter and more humid, and we lost the tune up on my bike.”
Hines marched through Sunday eliminations with wins over Matt Smith Suzuki rider John Hall, Jim Underdahl on the Bad Boys Buggies Suzuki, and the Power Sports Institute Suzuki ridden by Steve Johnson. For the second Sunday in a row, Hector Arana made the final, and for the second time he lost, his 6.921-second ET not enough to beat the 6.901 run put down by Hines and the Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod. The win was the 35th for Hines in a Pro Stock Motorcycle career that also includes three championships.
“I think this V-Rod will be good from here on out,” said Hines. “We actually got better as the day went on even though our times don’t show it, because the weather got worse. This new chassis also has better drive and runs straight down the track.”
After seven of 16 events on the 2014 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule, Hines leads the series with 650 points. Krawiec is second with 581 points. Arana Jr. is third with 515 points, followed by Hector Arana with 416 points and Hall with 407 points.
The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team will race again when the Pro Stock Motorcycle series resumes on July 18-20 at the 35th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.
