Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Ed Krawiec stormed to the lead in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings with a big win in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the NHRA AAA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. Racing a competition Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle, Krawiec scored a hole-shot victory in the final round to win his second-consecutive Countdown event and take a 17-point lead with two rounds left in the championship battle.
“Once again Harley-Davidson power carried the day, and I had good lights in every round,” said Krawiec, who now has five wins in seven final-round appearances for the season. “With two wins in a row, we’ve gained some momentum but we are by no means ready to run away with this championship. This is still a four-way dog fight, and, with two races left, what’s going to matter are the bonus points. You could win this by a point or two.”
Krawiec qualified third for Sunday eliminations with a best run of 6.821 seconds. His Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines teammate, Andrew Hines, qualified second at 6.811 seconds. Hines, the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, lost in the second round on Sunday. Krawiec, who arrived in Dallas trailing Hines by 38 points, took the Countdown lead for the first time this season with the 36th Pro Stock Motorcycle win of his career.
After four of six events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, only 60 points separate the top four riders. Krawiec leads the class with 2,425 points and Hines is second with 2,408 points.
Round five of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, the 16th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals, is set for Oct. 27-30 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas.
