DRAG RACE
NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 6 / JUNE 7-8, 2017
ROUTE 66 RACEWAY / JOLIET, ILLINOIS
P118
Joliet. Matt Smith, the number-
three qualifier and runner-up two
weeks ago in Norwalk, threw
away a sure victory in round
one with a red-light start. Karen
Stoffer also used a starting line
holeshot to upset Screamin'
Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew
Hines in round one. Stoffer later
beat current world champ Jerry
Savoie, who had to shut his bike
off before the finish line when he
drifted close to the retaining wall.
The next stop for the NHRA
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
will be the Mile-High Nationals in
Denver, July 21-23. CN
in the hands of crew chief Jim
Yates, who is making a solid
transition to the Pro Stock Mo-
torcycle class after two champi-
onships in a Pro Stock car.
"We didn't get it done today,
but we did make a lot of prog-
ress with our Lucas Oil Buell,"
Arana Jr. said. "We've had a
great bike for the last two races
but we just haven't been able to
close the deal. It's a bit frustrat-
ing but we are going to keep
digging and working hard and
the wins will come."
As predictable as Tonglet has
been lately, the rest of the class
has been filled with upsets and
there were plenty of them in
and they can all ride. We just
try to do our own thing and not
worry about what anyone else is
doing. So far, that approach has
worked for us."
Arana Jr. didn't get the win,
but he did have plenty of reason
to be optimistic following his
best showing of the season.
Arana was racing for the first
time without his father, Hector
Sr., who is out of action for three
months following recent shoul-
der surgery. The elder Arana
did not even attend the Chicago
race, leaving the tuning chores
The Nitro Fish Suzuki Team
celebrates another LE Tonglet win.
