KRAWIEC READY TO RESUME NHRA TITLE CHASE IN
LAS VEGAS
Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Team Puts Championship Experience
to Work
MILWAUKEE (Oct. 31, 2008) – It has been a
long five weeks for Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Eddie
Krawiec. With two races left on the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
schedule and a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship on the line,
Krawiec and the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines crew have been
biding their time since the motorcycle class last raced on September
28 in Memphis. They are more than ready to release that pent-up
energy when qualifying begins on Friday for the ACDelco Las Vegas
NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"I don't mind a break but this has been
a long time to wait," said Krawiec. "It would be great to
race between Memphis and Las Vegas, but I don't make the
schedule."
Krawiec lies in second place in the NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle Countdown to One championship chase, just 42 points
behind NitroFish Buell rider Matt Smith. At Memphis, Krawiec gained
17 points on the leader by defeating Smith in the third round of
eliminations. Krawiec then lost in the final round when an
electrical failure shut down his bike just after he left the
starting line.
"During the break we rebuilt both of the
team's Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycles, and we found a broken wire
that was the source of my problem at Memphis," said Krawiec
from the Vance & Hines race shop in Indianapolis. "So the
bikes are ready to go, and the team is ready. I've never been number
one in points, so I think all the pressure is on Smith. He needs to
maintain his position."
The team will be putting extra emphasis on
qualifying performance at Las Vegas and at the final race at Pomona,
California, Nov. 13-16.
"We are two rounds of eliminations plus
two points behind right now," said Krawiec. "We'd like to
out-qualify Smith at both events and eliminate that two-point
advantage. Then we've got two races – eight rounds of eliminations
– to go three rounds more than he does."
Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines rider
Andrew Hines is facing longer odds at Las Vegas. The three-time NHRA
Pro Stock Motorcycle champion is in sixth place, 132 points behind
the leader Smith. But Krawiec says his teammate will be a factor
down the stretch.
"Andrew will be racing hard, and he
obviously brings a lot of experience to the situation," said
Krawiec, who is in his second season with the Screamin' Eagle/Vance
& Hines team and has yet to win a final in regular NHRA
competition. "This is a team that has won many championships,
and I've been getting a lot of advice from Andrew and (crew chief)
Matt Hines, which has been priceless and made me feel confident.
"We all want to bring home another
championship for Harley-Davidson and Vance & Hines," said
Krawiec. "I hope it comes down to me and Matt Smith in the
final round at Pomona, and I need to beat him to get my first win
and the championship. That would be something to remember."
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.