VOL. 55 ISSUE 22 JUNE 5, 2018 P37
we'll just tear it up. I've hit the wall
before in Englishtown. The only
time I've ever had an accident and
the footpeg went through my foot
and I was out for the rest of the
year but I'm just out here trying to
win a race so I was willing to do
whatever to make it happen."
Smith, now a 19-time NHRA
national event winner, began
eliminations from the number-four
qualifying spot. Smith rode to a
6.871 on the Route 66 Raceway
quarter-mile, finishing behind
Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
teammates Andrew Hines and Ed-
die Krawiec, who were first and
third, and Lucas Oil EBR's Hector
Arana Jr., who was the second-
quickest qualifier.
Weather conditions improved
dramatically for Sunday's final
eliminations and Smith and his
team made the right calls, which
resulted in some of the quickest
runs of his career. A 6.784 in the
opening round was enough to
take care of Steve Johnson and
a consistent 6.788 in the quarter-
final round helped secure a win
against Suzuki Extended Protec-
tion Suzuki's Jimmy Underdahl,
who red-lighted. Smith completed
his run to the final with a huge
6.796 to 6.818 win over low quali-
fier Hines and his Harley Street
Rod.
"We always run good here in
Chicago," Smith said. "In Q2 we
were number-three qualifier going
into Saturday I knew we had a
good bike and I just missed the
tune-up on Saturday both runs.
I learned something, and we
applied it and had the quickest
bike in every round today. That's
a testament to my crew. These
guys have stuck with me in the
last three or four years. We pulled
this bike out when the other guy
bailed on me the first of the year.
We didn't really work on it all win-
ter. It's a fast hot rod. It's hateful.
When we get that new EBR body
we should pick up maybe one or
two mph and I'm going to feel bad
for the rest of these guys."
Tonglet, who won his first
NHRA event in Chicago during his
breakthrough season in 2010, be-
gan eliminations from the number-
six spot after riding to a 6.891.
Tonglet also showed a dramatic
improvement on Sunday when he
barreled past Scotty Pollacheck,
Eddie Krawiec and Arana Jr., who
had earlier lit up the scoreboards
with another 200-mph run, his
third of the season. Tonglet's
most impressive win came against
Krawiec, when he narrowly
defeated the points leader at the
finish line, 6.807 to 6.818. Ironi-
cally, Tonglet, much like Smith,
has already switched teams this
year. He began the season racing
on his family-owned Suzuki with
his father, Gary, and brother, GT,
but returned to Jerry Savoie's
White Alligator Suzuki team for
the second event of the season in
Charlotte. Last year, Tonglet and
Savoie combined for eight wins,
half of the Pro Stock Motorcycle
events on the NHRA schedule.
"We didn't get it done; it's as
simple as that," Tonglet said. "I
mean we didn't have a bad week-
end, but I made a bad run in the
final. I got caught up in the wind
and had to roll the throttle. I think
we'd have beat Matt otherwise,
but it wasn't worth hitting the wall.
We'll be fine, though. We've got a
great bike, too."
Kevin McKenna
FINAL
1. Matt Smith (Vic)
2. LE Tonglet (Suz)
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
MATT
POLITO
Smith and LE Tonglet battled it out in the
final with Smith taking the win.
