PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

To say it was an exciting Sunday for Eddie Krawiec would be an understatement, as he went off the end of the track into the sand trap following both his semifinal and final runs.

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Krawiec, won his third race of 2016 when he defeated his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines in the final. Krawiec, who was also the No. 1 qualifier, had the winning run of 6.926 at 194.72 to defeat Hines who covered the distance at 6.937 at 193.29.

“We went back to the pit and had to take out 30 pounds of pea gravel,” said Krawiec. “We put new brake pads on it, checked the fluid, drained everything and made sure it was 100 percent. We stopped fine in the lanes and everything. I see my fourth round win light against my teammate and went ‘not again’. I pulled the clutch in and went in for a ride.”

(photo courtesy Matt Smith Racing)

A burst of wind knocked Victory Motorcycles rider Matt Smith out of the competition on Sunday.

Smith, the two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, had gotten the jump on Angelle Sampey with a .001-second reaction time in their second-round matchup. His Gunner led all the way to 1,000 feet when the wind took over, moving Smith out of the groove and slowing his bike.

"We had lane choice on Angelle and did my job, .001 to her .017, and had her all the way to the 1,000-foot mark," Smith said. "And at 1,000 feet my bike took a hard right. I guess it was the wind or something down there. I mean, I moved a whole car length to the right, and I was having to hang off the bike, and that's why our speed was down."

Smith's Gunner made a pass of 6.879 seconds at 195.36 mph in the first round, but the wind slowed him to 6.909 seconds at 192.96 mph against Sampey.

"We had her everywhere to that point and by .008 and she nipped me at the lights," Smith said. "The previous run we ran 195-something (mph), and that run we went 192 just because I was hanging off the bike. If that wouldn't have happened, we would have been going to the semi's, but shoulda, coulda, woulda though."

FLAMES

There was a Friday evening qualifying session under the lights at Norwalk before the Bader family’s famous fireworks show. This shows while the nitro cars should always run at least once under the lights.