and Eddie [Krawiec] couldn't do
their jobs anymore and that's
why they got off the bikes. If I
get that seventh title this year, I
promise I'll get off the bike and
put some young kid on it who
can do the job."
Smith opened eliminations
with a win over Japan's Eiji
Kawakami and then claimed a
tough win against Trick Tools
Suzuki's Chase Van Sant. That
was perhaps Smith's closest
brush with defeat, as his 6.711
effort held off Van Sant's 6.767.
With a short field of just 12
bikes, Smith was rewarded with
a bye run into the final round.
Hall had the exact result he
hoped for when he rejoined the
MSR team earlier this season. A
past winner of the U.S. Nation
-
als, Hall was the number-nine
qualifier but made a bit of im-
provement in eliminations when
he defeated Smiths' wife, Angie,
Herrera, and GETTRX Buell's
Hector Arana Jr.
Needless to say, Hall's win
against Herrera was the talk of
the pits. Herrera struggled dur-
ing qualifying and landed in the
number-three spot, but he clearly
didn't have the same dominant
bike that he's had since last Sep-
tember. Herrera slowed from his
earlier pace to a 6.847, making
him easy pickings for Hall, who
was on his game with a 6.746.
On Saturday, Smith also domi-
nated the GETTRX Callout event,
beating his teammate Jianna
Evaristo in the final round with a
6.655, his best run of the event.
"I'm really thrilled. This is my
first win in the GETTRX Callout
but my third win in a specialty
race," Smith said. "We've had a
tough year. We haven't won a
race, but we've been good on
Saturdays. This is a big payday,
and it means a lot, so I have to
say thanks to Steve Bryson and
GETTRX for putting this deal on.
"[Jianna] is going to be an
excellent rider and I'm proud
of what she's doing. Before the
final, I didn't cut her any slack.
We've both struggled to cut a
light here, but I still told her I was
going to spank her."
The Pro Stock Motorcycle
class will now take a monthlong
break in preparation for the larg
-
est and most important event
on the calendar, the NHRA U.S.
Nationals at Lucas Oil India-
napolis Raceway Park on August
28-September 2.
Kevin McKenna
PRO STOCK MC FINAL
1. Matt Smith (Bue)
2. John Hall (Bue)
VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P43
Smith and the Denso Buell crew
celebrate their first win of the season.
