Harley-Davidson Still Kicking Ass in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Racing

Although Jerry Savoie of Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki took the top spot at this past weekend’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals in New Jersey, that doesn’t mean all is lost for Harley-Davidson. The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines H-D-riding duo of Ed Krawiec and Andrew Hines is still in a great spot.

With 339 points, Krawiec continues to lead the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle series. His teammate Hines has 286 after blasting down the strip on his Harley-Davidson V-Rod to Sunday’s semi-finals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Krawiec came in seventh place qualifying for Sunday eliminations by zooming to a best elapsed time of 6.856 seconds. Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Hines qualified Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines’ other V-Rod for ninth place with an ET of 6.864.

Ultimately, Krawiec’s 6.938 ET was bested by Savoie’s 6.798 in the second elimination round on Sunday. Hines made it to the third elimination round, but he was defeated by Bad Boy Buggies Suzuki’s Jim Underdahl.

“We keep gaining points even though we are still working on our tuning,” Hines said. “We are great off the line and in the first 60 feet but we need to get better in the last half of the run. We’ve got three weeks off and will be engaged in some hard-core dyno time with these engines and a little research and development before Norwalk.”

The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team will be back in action July 3-5. That’s when it’ll be competing at the 9th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

PRESS RELEASE

HARLEY TEAM STRETCHES PRO STOCK POINTS LEAD AT ENGLISHTOWN
Krawiec and Hines Out-Pace Rivals in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Eliminations

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 7, 2015) – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines riders Ed Krawiec and Andrew Hines hold a firm grip on the Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead following the Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Krawiec leads the series but Hines rode his Harley-Davidson® V-Rod® motorcycle to the semi-finals on Sunday and gained 21 points on his teammate by the end of the weekend.

“I lost some ground to Andrew this weekend but we both gained on the field,” said Krawiec. “Right now we’ve got the Harley-Davidson bikes first and second in the standings, and that’s where we want to be when the Countdown playoffs begin.”

After four of 16 events on the 2015 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule, Krawiec leads the series with 339 points and is 53 points ahead of Hines, who has 286 points. Hector Arana Jr. is third with 273 points, followed by Hector Arana Sr. with 259 points and Karen Stoffer with 238 points.

Krawiec qualified in seventh position for Sunday eliminations with a best Elapsed Time (ET) of 6.856 seconds. Hines qualified the team’s other Harley-V-Rod in ninth position at 6.864 seconds. Chip Ellis led all qualifiers with an ET of 6.801 seconds.

On Sunday, Krawiec defeated Scott Pollacheck in the first round before losing to Jerry Savoie in round two. Hines advanced with wins over LE Tonglet and Ellis before losing to Jim Underdahl in the semi-finals. Savoie defeated Underdahl in the final to win the event.

“We keep gaining points even though we are still working on our tuning,” said Hines, the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion. “We are great off the line and in the first 60 feet but we need to get better in the last half of the run. We’ve got three weeks off and will be engaged in some hard-core dyno time with these engines and a little research and development before Norwalk.”

The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines drag team will be back on the track July 3-5 at the 9th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

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via [Harley-Davidson] and [NHRA]

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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