VOLUME 56 ISSUE 30 JULY 30, 2019 P41
weekend with a 6.790 to hold off
Smith's 6.822 elapsed time.
On his way to the final, Hines
also beat Kenny Clontz, Scotty
Pollacheck and White Alligator
Suzuki's Jerry Savoie.
"This might be the best motor-
cycle I've ever had underneath
me," Hines said. "I think last year
I had a good motorcycle, but we
just had a hard time closing the
deal. That has not been a prob-
lem at all this year.
"Before the final round, we
were rushed because of live
TV," Hines said. "I went to the
starting line and didn't have my
helmet or leathers on. I was
rushed, but I took a few seconds
to make sure I was focused.
When I let the clutch go, I could
see I was a tick behind, but my
bike charged through low gear,
and I knew Matt wasn't going to
catch me."
The final-round battle between
Smith and Hines came just days
after Smith used his social me-
dia accounts to complain about
the new Harley-Davidson FXDR
model. He was also upset about
a recent decision by the NHRA
Technical Department that
forced the teams using the EBR
body to modify their belly pans.
None of this came as a surprise
to Hines who has long had a ri-
valry with three-time and reigning
class champion Smith.
"We have a very real rivalry,"
Hines said. "We are cordial
when we need to be, and we
can discuss things that are for
the overall good of the class, but
we really don't like each other.
That comes from early in my ca-
reer. We had a race in Memphis
where he got the best of me,
and as he's evolved into a better
racer, our rivalry has grown. You
want to beat the best anyway."
Smith reached the semi-finals
of the Pro Bike Battle, which he
won in 2018, but was unable to
close the deal. On race day, he
defeated Lucas Oil Buell's Hec-
tor Arana Sr., Ryan Oehler and
Jianna Salinas. Smith was also
the low qualifier with a 6.779 and
was the only rider in the field to
top 200 mph.
As for Hines, he's still got a lot
left to race for this year including
a record-tying sixth champion-
ship. He can also tie or pos-
sibly better the class record of
10 wins and 12 final rounds in a
season, a mark set by his older
brother, Matt, in 1998.
"After the way I struggled last
year, it's hard to believe where
we are right now," Hines said. "I
didn't win a race last year, and I
was ready to hang up my boots,
but my team talked me out of it.
They said, 'You're better than
this.' And they motivated me. My
riding has been the best of my
career. However, I chalk that up
to the bike, which has been flaw-
less, and to my crew, who are
the best in the business."
The NHRA Pro Stock Mo-
torcycle class will now have a
month off to prepare for the
biggest event of the season, the
U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
That race marks the end of the
regular season with the six-race
Countdown to the Championship
playoffs to follow. Hines has al-
ready locked up the number-one
spot in the playoffs.
Kevin McKenna
PRO STOCK FINAL
1. Andrew Hines (H-D)
2. Matt Smith (H-D)
Hines came
away with his
seventh win
of the 2019
season.
