ROUND 10/SEPTEMBER 2, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK/INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
DRAG RACING
P68
NHRA PRO STOCK SERIES
A REALLY BIG DE
JOHN HALL
CLAIMS HIS
SECOND WIN
OF THE SEASON
AT NHRA'S
BIGGEST
AND MOST
PRESTIGIOUS
EVENT
BY KEVIN MCKENNA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT POLITO
L
ast winter, John Hall nearly
gave up his dream of racing
in the NHRA Pro Stock class
after leaving George Bryce's Sovereign/Star team after just one
season. Today, Hall is glad that he
changed his mind after winning
the biggest drag racing event of
the season - the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Hall won
the final round by beating his team
owner and crew chief Matt Smith,
in a final round that featured a pair
of Viper Motorcycle Co. Buell entries. Smith was first off the starting line, but Hall made up the difference and then some to take a
7.03 to 7.06 victory.
"What happened out here today says a lot about this team,"
Hall said. "Not only did we have
two bikes in the final round, but
we raced straight-up. I'm sure
Matt wanted to win this just as
much as I did. This is Indy; it's
our biggest race of the year, but
I wasn't afraid to use his tune-up
because there is no lack of trust
over here. I figured it was going
to be a good race, but his bike
fell off a little bit and I got the win.
"I honestly never thought I
would have a chance to win one
of these [NHRA Wally trophies],
not because I didn't have the talent but because I didn't have the
opportunity. Matt and his team
gave me that opportunity and
now I've got two of them. It's
been a great year so far."
Hall did not have the quickest
bike in Indy. In fact he qualified
