VOL. 55 ISSUE 25 JUNE 26, 2018 P33
On Q2 we missed it with both
bikes but today [Sunday] I ran
6.86, which was low E.T. of the
race in the heat of the day. I'd
say we have a good handle on
it. We're just trying to refine the
whole package we have. We
made some good strides in that
direction."
Krawiec, who now has a 14-3
record in elimination rounds
since the season-opener in
Gainesville, came from the
number six spot during abbrevi-
ated qualifying and rode to wins
against Cory Reed, Angelle
Sampey and Nitro Fish Suzuki's
LE Tonglet. His best perfor-
mance came against Tonglet
when he used a 6.865 to hold
off Tonglet's 6.898. Both riders
left the starting line at the same
time.
"Just about every rider in this
class is tough but LE is probably
the toughest right now; he's on
top of his game," Krawiec said.
"He doesn't make many mis-
takes. If you're not on your game
he will make you pay for it every
time and thankfully, I was on my
game today. We managed to
squeak by him and then make a
decent run in the final to win the
race."
Savoie wounded an engine
in his semifinal win over Angie
Smith but his White Alligator
team had a fresh engine in-
stalled in time for the final round.
Savoie, the number-five qualifier,
worked his way to the final round
for the second time this season
with wins over Lucas Oil EBR's
Hector Arana Sr., Screamin'
Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew
Hines, and Denso Buell's Angie
Smith. In one of the most bizarre
races of the season, both Smith
and Savoie slowed before the
finish line after both riders
wounded their engines. Smith
was leading, but her V-twin gave
up and she slowed to a 7.62 at
just 128.07-mph. An instant later,
Savoie's Suzukil also fell silent,
but his momentum carried him
to the win with a 7.187 at 155.10
mph.
After the final, Krawiec is,
once again, the points leader, by
just five markers over teammate
Hines.
"I don't even look at the points
until the end of the season,"
Krawiec said. "Once we get to
Indy in September and we start
the Countdown [playoffs] that's
when I look and see where I
am. Right now, they don't mean
much. Some guys keep track of
every round and every point but
I'm not one of them. I just don't
want to see that stuff until it's re-
ally important."
The NHRA Pro Stock Motor-
cycle class will now head west
for the annual stops in Denver
(July 20-22) and Sonoma (July
27-29).
Kevin McKenna
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
EVAN
J.
SMITH
Matt Smith deals with a broken chain.
