13 qualifier, Doug Foley, in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. The Arizona driver will compete against the No. Pruett and her Neal Strausbaugh-led crew showed consistency in the three qualifying runs with two 3.72-second passes. Pruett, the 10-time NHRA national event winner, drove her all-new sublime green TSR Direct Connection Top Fuel dragster to fourth in the 16-car starting field Saturday with a 3.725 at 331.94 miles per hour. The next stop for NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship is planned for Houston Raceway Park at the NHRA SpringNationals April 22-24.Ĭlick here for all the latest Drag Racing news.MARCH 11, 2023, GAINESVILLE, Fla.– The season opening NHRA Amalie Motor Gatornationals proved to be an exciting qualifying rounds Saturday before a sellout crowd. Smith was also over 200-mph on all four runs during eliminations. Krawiec’s teammate, three-time world champion Angelle Sampey, was also upset in round one by Marc Ingwersen, who earned his first-round win in NHRA competition.Īngie Smith, the wife of five-time champ Matt Smith, proved that the Buell V-twin can still be a competitive platform with her quick string of runs that included a personal best 6.723 in the final. In Gainesville, Smith was upset in round one by Lance Bonham while Krawiec lost in round two. World champions Matt Smith and Eddie Krawiec have also returned to the Suzuki brand, which has seen a resurgence since the arrival of the new four-valve cylinder head last year. The Pro Stock Motorcycle class has a different look this season as six-time world champ Andrew Hines has stepped off a bike to focus on his role as a crew chief for the Vance & Hines team. This win is for Jerry and Tim everyone on the WAR team.” “We tried to improve in every round, but I bobbled a little in the semifinals. Charles Suzuki in the winner’s circle,” Stoffer said. “It’s so nice to come out and put our Ray Skillman Auto Group/Big St. Stoffer (far lane) went up against Angie Smith in the final. The fact that there was an all-female final wasn’t significant since that happens often in NHRA racing, but Smith and Stoffer combined to make the quickest side-by-side run in the history of the class, 6.700 to 6.723. Stoffer defeated her team owner, Jerry Savoie in the semifinals before finishing the job against Smith’s Denso Buell. It’s something that’s really nice and will stand the test of time.” “I wasn’t the first woman rider or the first to break a barrier. “This is the first time I’ve been the first in anything out here,” Stoffer said. This is the first time that Stoffer has held the Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time record. Stoffer actually improved in the quarterfinals with a 6.665 that easily covered Eddie Krawiec’s 6.92-second run. She opened eliminations with a 6.682-second run, easily breaking Andrew Hines’ longstanding 6.720 record. That lack of track time did not affect Stoffer in any way as she hammered the record books from start to finish. We had a meeting and sort of mutually agreed not to run. “On Saturday night, we knew the track was cold and the temperature was dropping. “That was sort of a collective decision made by the riders and NHRA,” Stoffer said. That meant the qualifying order was established according to last year’s championship standings. For starters, persistent rains and unseasonably cold temperatures prevented riders from taking part in any of the three qualifying sessions scheduled for Friday or Saturday. Weather played a huge role in the outcome of the event. I’m certainly glad we did.” VIDEO | Karen Stoffer Sets Quickest PSM in NHRA History I had until January 1 to secure a ride on the WAR bike, and we made that phone call on December 31. I wasn’t planning on walking away, but thought maybe I wouldn’t do a full season, but my sponsors got together and we sort of reached a last-minute decision to keep going. “I’m sure it will dawn on me tomorrow during my flight home. “What we did today, I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Stoffer said. It’s a great place to kick off the season and to have three wins here is huge. “My first team owner was based here and I love to come back every year. “Gainesville is like my second home,” said Stoffer who resides in Nevada. Karen Stoffer won the opening round of the 2022 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship at Gainesville. It was her 11th career win, and her third at Gainesville Raceway. 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. Charles Suzuki’s Karen Stoffer turned what was easily the most impressive performance of her long and successful career to win the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 11-13. In what is likely her final season as a rider in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class, Skillman Cars/Big St.
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