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NHR AWinstonD Racingseries, Round 14 rag By Kevin McKenna POMONA, CA, NOV. 69 fter dominating the NHRA Pro Stock Bike Series all year and ~ \ winn ing the class championship in just his second season, the last thing Matt Hines wa nted tn dn was end t 997 ~ ,tF with a loss. Even tho ugh he clinched the title two races earlier at the Sea rs C raftsma n Natio nals in Topeka, Kansas, Hines who grew up in Whittier, California, not fa r fro m Po mo na Ra ce w a y - had no prob lem motiva ting himself as he won for the eig ht h time in 14 races in front of a large group of family and friends a t the Sout hern Ca liforn ia strip during the NHRA Wi nsto n Drag Racing season finale , wit h a 7.35-t0-7.41 wi n over john Smith in the final. Hines dominated for much of the even t, but d id not qualify in the top spot. That ho nor went to Angelle Seeling. who rode her Close Call Suzuki to a 7.35 to sli p ahead of Hines, who ran a best of 7.36 aboa rd the Vance & Hines Suzuki, tu ned by his father, Byron . Seeling, the winner of the Topeka event and a finalist at the most recent event in Mem phis, Tennessee, wasn't able to continue her strong showing, as she was upset in round two by former cham pion Dave Schultz, giving H ines virtually a clear pa th to the title. Hines used his performance edge to his a d van tage in eli minatio ns with a 7.36 win ove r Larry Cook in round one, a 7.35 opposite Steve [oh nso n's Slick 50 Suzuki in the second, a nd a 7.40 , his slowest run of eliminations, in the semis aga ins t Schultz, wh o trailed with a 7.48 aboard his Su nneo-backed entry. Hines' vict ory over Cook in round one ca me with a n ad ded bonus in the form of a new NHRA spee d record of 186.95 mph, slightly bettering his o ld mark of 186.37. "We came to this race thinking we could set the (elapsed time) record, but the weather conditions we ren 't rig ht for that," said Hines, who also holds that record with a 7.29. "We didn't expect to get the mph record, though. That's a nice way to end the season. It shows that we have the power to run big numbers." Hi nes also managed during his title ru n to accomplish one of the rar est feats in all of d rag racing by going an entire season wit hout losing in the first or second elimination round. Hines lost in the se mis just twice in 14 races and has fou r ru nner-u p finis hes to go with his eight wi ns. "We got off to a bit of a slow start this season," said Hines, who did n't win until the season's fou rt h race in Rich mond, Virgina. "F or tu na tely, we finished strong. My father an d I have been in o u r s h o p for the last tw o weeks, preparing for this race an d trying to stay focused. Smith didn't exactly end his season on a down note after losing the final. His semifinal win over john Myers gave him eno ugh points to overtake Seeling for fourth place in the sta ndings, a position he has occupied for the las t th ree years. He also tu rned in a mem orable season with a win at the inau gural event a t Gateway Int erna tional Ra cew ay in Fairmont City, Illinois, and three ot he r final-round appeara nces this season. "Of course I wa nted to win, but we accomplished one of our ma jor goals by finis hing fo u rt h in th e p oints ." said Smi th, the 1996 Winston Finals champ. "I man aged to save face with the guys II (Top) Newly crowned NHRA Pro St ock Bike champ Matt Hine s and the Vance & Hines team celebrated fo r th e eighth time this season after Hines won the seasonending Winston Finals at Pomona Raceway. Hines has no w won 10 ti mes in his two-year career. (Abo ve) Hines, near lane , set a new NHRA speed record early in eliminations with a 186.95-mpt>blast, and fin ished strong w ith • 7.35-t0-7.41 win over John Smith 's Anoka-Ramsey Sport Center Suzuki In the final. r-, 00- ..... -.D N back in our shop. They've been riding me abo ut bei ng fifth , bu t now I won't have to listen to them all winter." '" .... OJ ..0 E OJ :> Pomona Raceway Pomona. Californ ia Results: November 6-9, 1997 (Rou nd 14 of 14) Z rR O STOC K FIN AL: 1. Ma tt H in es (Suz) 735,181.96; 2. John Smith (Suz) 7.41,179.17 23 o