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08.22.2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matt King (414) 343-7634
matt.king@harley-davidson.com
RAIN HALTS JUST LONG ENOUGH TO FINISH READING EVENT;
SCREAMIN' EAGLE'S HINES AND KRAWIEC IN THE COUNTDOWN
Harley-Davidson Riders Both Advance to Round Two of Countdown
READING, Pa., (Aug. 22, 2007) - Eddie Krawiec has
never taken any acting classes. But that hasn't stopped him from feeling
like he spent the last few days acting out a role that was perfected by
Bill Murray in 1993 - Groundhog Day.
Krawiec's alarm clock went off at the same time
every morning since Sunday, all with the hopes that he would race his way
into the final round of the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove
Raceway.
And every day, his quest had ended with raindrops.
Until Wednesday, thankfully.
Krawiec and his Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines
Harley-Davidson V-Rod teammate Andrew Hines each raced one round of the
16-bike field eliminations on Sunday. Then the rain fell. They raced each
other in the second round on Monday. Then the rain fell.
Rain fell off and on all day Tuesday. Just when
officials started to bring competitors to the starting line, the rain fell
again, forcing the NHRA to delay the final two rounds of action until
Wednesday. Mercifully, the rain stopped long enough for Krawiec to run his
semifinal matchup against Angelle Sampey and the U.S. Army Suzuki team.
Sampey won the round, but Krawiec said it was still worth waiting a few
extra days to potentially race for a victory.
With the new Countdown to the Championship playoff
format, there was no other choice but to wait it all out in Reading.
Starting this year, NHRA has developed a playoff
format for all professional categories. The top eight competitors in each
category will advance to the second round starting with the Aug. 29 U.S.
Nationals at Indianapolis. You can't even be in the hunt for a
championship if you aren't in the top eight.
Hines clinched a No. 3 position and with the help
from two final rounds and a semifinal finish in the last three races,
Krawiec moved from 10th to a solid Countdown-qualified sixth place.
"Unlike any previous year, we just couldn't
bump the race to another weekend," Krawiec said. "There were 14
teams (combined in the four pro categories) that stayed at this track
waiting around for a few extra days just trying to see who was going to
bump into the Countdown, who was going to get bumped out and who could
earn the event trophies.
"It was a long race for us, but it was still a
good event. But it really did feel like Groundhog Day for a while. I just
kept repeating my morning routine over and over. It would have been nice
if that routine could have been broken with my first NHRA win, but now we
can head home and start focusing on next week's U.S. Nationals in
Indianapolis."
Krawiec beat Michael Phillips and the Phillips
Racing Suzuki team in the first round. Krawiec recorded a 7.076-second
pass at 186.92 mph on his V-Rod, topping Phillips' 7.931 at 122.67.
Hines beat current points leader Matt Smith and the
Torco Racing Fuels Buell team in the opening round. Hines turned in a
6.976 at 189.39 to take the win over Smith's 7.032 at 176.28.
Krawiec beat Hines with a better reaction time, but
slower E.T., in the second round. Krawiec's .021 reaction time helped his
6.952 at 189.47 beat Hines' quicker 6.942 at 189.71 (.032 reaction).
Krawiec lost to Sampey in the semifinals. Krawiec's
7.049 at 189.42 came up short against Sampey's 6.897 at 192.47.
"I think we had great momentum from the first
and second round and I was really starting to feel like I was in a good
groove, but we had to put it on hold for weather," Krawiec said.
"That was out of everyone's hands so as difficult as it was to sit
around for a couple of days to wait for the rain to clear, it was nice
knowing that we were one of the last teams standing for this event and
that we had a chance at the win."
Hines has collected 11 career victories and 20 No.
1 qualifying awards en route to three consecutive NHRA POWERade Pro Stock
Motorcycle championships throughout his young career. Hines was in second
place in the standings going into the Reading event, 183 points away from
Smith, but is now in third place behind Smith and Sampey, respectively.
Once the second round of the Countdown starts,
however, he will be just 20 points away from Smith as the top eight riders
will not only be eligible to compete for the championship, but the points
will be readjusted so that each rider is separated by just 10 points going
into the U.S. Nationals.
"I think it's great that we qualified for the
first Countdown in NHRA history," Hines said. "Now we're only
one round behind the points leader and that's a big deal. We struggled so
much at the beginning of the season and I wasn't even sure if we were
going to be in the top eight when the Countdown made the first cut.
"It's awesome that we have both bikes in the
Countdown when only eight have qualified. Eddie has been on a hot streak
to get into the Countdown and I think it's been a fun year just battling
to get into this championship hunt."
Krawiec also wasn't sure he would be able to take
part in the inaugural Countdown festivities in his first season.
"Making the first cut in the Countdown in my
first season was a major goal of mine going into the season," Krawiec
said. "The season started off well (semifinal round appearance at
season opener) and then we hit a rough patch for a while and we weren't
even in the top 10. The team kept working at it and we've turned it around
and hopefully we won't ever turn back.
"To be able to come back the way we have and
get into the Countdown the way we have shows what a great team this
Screamin' Eagle group really is. We have a lot of positive momentum right
now and I think that is going to help is be competitive in the
Countdown."
Hines said the crew is the reason Harley-Davidson
has two riders in the eight-bike Countdown field.
"This team knows how to come-from-behind and
make strong comebacks," Hines said. "We're a championship
caliber team and that has shown more this year than any other because we
struggled so much at the start but were still able to fight our way back.
"The team has so much experience and they make
it easier to get out there and ride the motorcycle."
Qualifying for the 53rd annual Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis starts Aug. 31.
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.
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