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NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Round 1 1 : Indianapolis Raceway Park STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN McKENNA INDIANAPOUS, IN, AUG. 30·SEPT. 4 IF or most professional drag racers, no career is complete without at least one U.S. Nationals title. The oldest, largest and most prestigious event on the NHRA calendar, the U.S. Nationals, held each Labor Day weekend at Indianapolis Raceway Park, is drag racing's equivalent to the Daytona 500. With that in mind, it's no surprise that Team Winston's Angelle Savoie didn't hesitate to call her victory at this year's U.S. Nationals the biggest win of her career. In past years, Savoie has known only frustration at Indy, losing in the final round in 1998, 1999 and 2000. This year, it was a different story, as Savoie turned in one of the most dominating performances of her career, winning for the fifth time this year and the 20th in her career with a win over surprise finalist Shawn Gann. "I had an awesome weekend," Savoie said. "This is the race that everyone wants to win, and I've come so close so many times. I usually cry when I win, but this time I didn't - I think I was just too excited. We've been racing for the championship all year long, but this weekend I didn't even worry about the points. I was just trying to win this race. " Early in qualifying, Savoie established herself as a solid favorite when she stunned the field with a 7.12 to take the top spot. Savoie's run not only bettered the Indianapolis Raceway Park track record by more than a tenth of a second, it was the fifthquickest elapsed time ever run on a Pro Stock Bike. Savoie was also well ahead of her main points rival, Antron Brown, who was a distant second with a 7.289 on his Team 23 Suzuki, which was sporting a Mac Tools sponsorship for the weekend. "That was the closest thing to a perfect pass that I've ever made," Savoie said. "The bike went perfectly straight, and 1 hit all the gears on time. This track also has the smoothest surface I've ever raced on. It's perfect for our setup." The only glitch during an otherwise perfect weekend for Savoie came during Saturday's Pro Stock Bike Dominator Duel, an annual specialty event featuring the eight best Pro Stock Bikes from the previous 12 months. The special event features no points but does have a $15,000 payout to the winner. In addition, any rider who wins Saturday's Dominator Duel event and Monday's U.S. Nationals title receives a $10,000 bonus from NHRA. Savoie had never won the Duel, but she entered the event a strong favorite. However, her chance for victory went away in the semifinals after she lost on a holeshot against Gann. Savoie ran qUicker than Gann, 7.18 to 7.23, but his starting-line advantage of more than a tenth of a second gave him the win and left Savoie bitterly disappointed. Gann went on to win the Duel by beating Brown in the final, and Savoie was able to shake off the tough loss in time for Mon· day's eliminations. "That's the second time in a row that I've lost a race because of my reaction time, and it's really disappointing," Savoie said. "I feel like I let my team down. They gave me the best bike out there and I threw it away. On race day, I was more determined that ever not to let it happen again. My main goal - in fact, my only goal - on Monday was to not have a bad reaction time. I knew that if 1 was letting the clutch out on time, the way my bike was running, that no one was going to beat me." Savoie cruised through the first half of eliminations with little trouble. She opened with a 7.24-to-7 .55 win over Sam Hurwitz and continued with a 7.25 against Todd Doege in round two. Disaster nearly struck in the semis, as Savoie was again late off the starting line. She surrendered a big lead to Craig Treble but was able to catch him in the last few feet of the track only because she was making the quickest run of eliminations with a 7.22. "My brain said, 'Go,' but my hand didn't move when I wanted it to," Savoie said. "After what happened in the Duel and what happened two weeks ago in Brainerd [another holeshot loss], I would have been devastated if I had lost that round. It would have ruined me for the rest of the year. Fortunately, my bike pulled me through." HOUEY PRO STOCK BIKE DOMINATOR DUAL • - Shawn Gann ?vt.ht 7,{"., .. # I'.lll.o...J .U'" Gann has been a star on the rise since joining the NHRA tour in 2000. He reached the final of the recent event in Madison, Illinois, but reserved the real coming-out party for the Indy event. Gann's win in the Dominator Duel was no fluke. His Suzuki TLlOOO was one of the field's quickest bikes, and in eliminations he beat Matt Hines, Savoie and Brown, the three riders who are currently seeded at the top of the points stand· ings. . Gann made it to Monday's final as well, knocking off Steve Johnson, G.T. Tonglet and Brown. In the final, both riders had something at stake. For .Gann, a win would give him the $10,000 bonus for sweeping both U.S. Nationals races; for Savoie, it was an opportunity to not only extend her points lead but also to join Top Fuel racer Shirley Muldowney as the only women to win at Indy. Gann left first in the final, but his advantage wasn't enough, as Savoie rode by for the win, 7.23 to 7.31. "I gave it my best shot, but I guess I just came up a little short," Gann said. "I don't know what more I could have asked for this weekend. My dad, Blake, builds all our engines, and he's found some horsepower lately and we've also found some things in our tune-up, which is why we're running so much faster now than we were at the start of the season. 1 had a clutch problem in the final; otherwise, I would have been able to give her a better run. My dad is a man of few words, but when I won the Dominator Duel, he let me know how happy he was." l:N ...~ IndisnapDlI. Rscewsy PsI1l Indisospsll., Indillns Results: August 3D-September 4 lRalRld 11 Df 141 PRO STOCK FINAL: 1. Angelle Savoie (Suz) 7.23,183.37; 2. Shawn aann (Suz) 7.31,176.77. Upcoming Rounds: . Round 12 • Reading, Pennsylvania, September 13-16 Round 13 - Las Vegas, Nevada, October 25-28 (Left) On Saturday, Gann won his first event on the NHRA tour when he claimed the $15,000 top prize in the Pro Stock Bike Dominator Duel. Gann came back two days later to reach the U.S. Nationals final, just missing a $10,000 bonus for winning both races. (Right) After three straight runner-up finishes, Savoie became just the second woman to win at Indianapolis. The victory was also the 20th of her career. cue I • n e _ s • SEPTEMBER 26, 2001 23