Karen Stoffer Dominates NHRA Opener
I
n what is likely her final sea-
son as a rider in the NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle class, Skillman
Cars/Big St. Charles Suzuki's
Karen Stoffer turned what was
easily the most impressive perfor-
mance of her long and success-
ful career to win the Amalie Motor
Oil Gatornationals, March 11-13.
Stoffer not only won the event,
but also set the NHRA elapsed
time record with the three
quickest runs in the history of
the class. It was her 11th career
win, and her third at Gainesville
Raceway.
"Gainesville is like my second
home," said Stoffer who resides
in Nevada. "My first team owner
[Doug Johnson] was based here
and I love to come back every
year. It's a great place to kick
off the season and to have three
wins here is huge.
"What we did today, I don't
think it's hit me yet," Stoffer
said. "I'm sure it will dawn on me
tomorrow during my flight home.
I almost didn't race this year. I
wasn't planning on walking away,
but thought maybe I wouldn't
do a full season, but my spon-
sors got together and we sort of
reached a last-minute decision to
keep going. I had until January
1 to secure a ride on the WAR
bike, and we made that phone
call on December 31. I'm cer-
tainly glad we did."
Weather played a huge role
in the outcome of the event. For
starters, persistent rains and
unseasonably cold temperatures
prevented riders from taking
part in any of the three qualifying
IN
THE
WIND
P52
Karen Stoffer won the
opening round of the
2022 NHRA Pro Stock
Motorcycle Championship
at Gainesville. She set a
record along the way, as
well.
PHOTO: MATT POLITO
