Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1394357
Smith Wins Mile High NHRA A t this point, Denso Buell's Matt Smith is just show- ing off. The reigning NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion, once again, had his way with the field, winning the Dodge SRT Mile-High Nationals held at Denver's Bandimere Speedway, July 17-18. Nothing, not even the challenge of racing at 5800 feet above sea level, has been able to stop Smith, who earned career win number 29 and extended his lead in the standings. "This track is a hard place to race because of the altitude," Smith said. "I love racing here, but it's a challenge. I was suc- cessful the early part of my career when I won the first two races I ran here but it's a lot of work. I have to thank Denso, Lucas Oil, Mark Stockseth, Greg Butcher Trucking and World Wide Bearings for all their support. Thanks for all you do for us." Smith had the quickest bike for the entire event, and he came from the number-one qualifying position to beat Vance & Hines Buell's Eddie Krawiec in the final round. Smith and Krawiec left the starting line together, but Smith quickly established an advantage and stretched the lead to a siz- able 7.118 to 7.175 margin at the finish line. Both riders flirted with the elusive 190-mph barrier at Bandimere Speedway with side- by-side 189-mph efforts. Smith ran the table in Denver by qualifying in the top spot, which led to an opening round bye run. A pair of consistent 7.147 runs was more than enough to earn wins over Cory Reed and six-time world champion Andrew Hines. "We have to make a lot of changes to the bikes to get them to run up here, but we made the right choices for the most part," Smith said. "Honestly, I missed it a little in qualifying because I think we could have run a 7.0-some- thing and gone over 190 mph, but we qualified number one and got the win and that's what's impor- tant. Now we can go to Sonoma next week where I'm sure we'll go well over 200-mph. You might even see a new record." Smith now has 29-career wins as he and the rest of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class embark on the grueling NHRA Western Swing, a three-race marathon that includes the events in Den- ver, Sonoma, and this year, Po- mona Raceway near Los Ange- les. Racing three races in three weeks is difficult enough, but each track represents a unique challenge. Smith is hoping to be- come the first motorcycle racer to sweep all three races. IN THE WIND P40 Matt Smith (pictured) defeated Eddie Krawiec in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final at the Mile High National in Denver.