Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

DRAG RACING NHRA WINSTON DRAG R ACING SER IES By Kev in ...., ;... .g ..... Q) u o 26 Round 11: Maple Grove R ay acew (Abo ve) Man Hines (near lane ) made up for a disappointing loss in the fi nal 01 th e U.S. Nationa ls by winn ing his sixth tit le 01 the season at th e Keystone Natio nals. Hines ran a 7.34 in the fi nal to beat John Sm ith (Iar lane). (Lelt) Alter his w in in Read ing. the eighth of his young career , Hines (center) needs only to qualify at th e re mai ni ng th ree events to clinch his first NHRA Pro Stock Bike cha mp ionship. M c~ en na READL'IG, PA,SEPT. 1J.I4 ne thing abo u t being as good as Malt Hines: It doesn 't lake long to make u p for yo ur mistakes. Less th a n two weeks a fter a red light in the fina l 01 the U.S. Na tio na ls cost him a ch ance to ea rn a $10,000 bon us from NHRA, Hines w ent back to work a t the Keystone Nationals in Reading and all but wrapped up the 1997 Winston Pro Stock Bike title with his sixth victory in 11 events. Hines d id n't ru n the 7.20s that many . expected at Reading, largely because the wea th er di d n't coope ra te, but he w as nonetheless the star 01 the show with a tra ck-record 7.33 in qu a lilyin g, a nd a 7.34 in the ti na l ro u nd agains t John Sm ith - a ru n th at Hin es claims was one 01 his best 01 the yea r. "Tha t was an awesome pass," said Hines, w ho on ly needs to qua lify at the re maining three events to become the tirs t rid er other than Dave Schultz or John Myers to win the NH RA cha mpionship since 1989. "The track is a little bu mpy near the finish line, bu t we go t through them pret ty well." Hi nes h a d le w p roblems d uring eli mi na tio ns, as he rod e the Vance & Hin es Suzuki GSX-R past nu m be r-16 qu alifier Brian Ayers in round one with a 7.39, and used a 7.37 in the second to take ou t fas t-rising Ste phanie Reaves, wh o trailed with a 7.53 after making the qu ickest run of her career in roun d one with a 7.49. Tho ugh Hines led the field, h e d idn't enjoy h is u sual performa nce . ad vantage, as Angelle Seeling followed close beh ind wit h a 7.34 in quali fying on her Close Call Pho ne Ca rd Suz u ki. Seeling, th e dimi nu tive 5-foot-2-inch . r eg ist ered nurse w h o became o ne o f N HRA' s most popular racers a lter her record-selling win at the 1996 Keystone Nationals, continued to show signs of snapping out of a year-long slump wit h h er second co n secutive final -four appearance. Seeling's Sta r Performance bike was th e quickest in th e firs t two rounds, wit h runs of 7.34 and 7.35, bu t she sli pped to a 7.39 in the semis and lost to Smith. who matched the best ru n of h is ca ree r with a 7.37 aboard John Noa rd's Anoka-Ramsey Spor t Ce n te r Suzuki. Smith's win over Seeling put him in the final for the first time since his victory at the ina ugural Cra ftsman Nationals in St. Louis in June. The Champlin, Minnesota, racer , who spends the off-season racing snowmobiles, credited his recen t pe rforma nce su rge to a new cyli nder head. which the Anoka -Ramsey Spo rts Center team designed wi th the help of three-time NHRA Pro Stock car cha mpi on Warren Johnson. Smith, who u pset recent U5. Nationals champ John Myers in rou nd tw o, slowed to a 7.40 in the linaI and trailed H i nes across the fi nis h line by more than a bike length. " We mad e a lo t 01 prog res s th is wee kend," said Smith, wh o maintained . his hold on fo urth p lace in the poi nts s ta nd ings w it h his ru nne r-up fini sh . " We prob ab ly ca n' t ca tc h Dave [Schultz] for third place, bu t I think we can hold off Angelle, w ho's beh ind us in fifth place. Right n ow, I'd say ou r ne w co m b in a ti o n is exceedi ng ou r expectatio ns ." With eight nation al-event victories in less th an two lu ll seasons on the tour, Hines is beginning to do mi na te the class the way tha t only Schu ltz and Myers have done in the past. "Actu a ll y, I'm glad th is season is al mos t over, because this po in ts stuff ma kes me nervous," said H in es, w ho could skip the nex t two races an d still hea d in to the season-ending Wins to n Finals with the points lead . "Ou r goal last year was to win the cha mpionship, but rea listica lly we d idn't thin k we ' d contend until this yea r. L th in k we ' ve d one a pretty good job so far." ." Maple Grov e Raceway Readi ng, Penn sylv an ia . Res ults: September 11-14. 1997 (Ro und 11 011 4) PRO STOCK FINAL: 1. M3tt Hine s tSuz) 7.34, 178.04; 2. ' ohn SDllth (Suz) 7.40, 1831 8. ' Upcom ing Rounds: ansas. September 25-28 Round 12 - Topeka , K Round 13 - Memphis, Tennessee, October 3-5

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