Kwick Eddie Krawiec does his best to make good on my early season prediction for his championship
story and photos by Tim Hailey
Eddie Krawiec and his Vance & Hines V-Rod swept the weekend at Charlotte, qualifying number 1 and taking the final round win over Karen Stoffer when she redlit. In his winner’s interview, Eddie called out this YouTube clip with faces you might recognize…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ9GquQ7mY8
Keep in mind when you watch the video that the WAR shop is located rught across the street from Vance & Hines….
earlier
Krawiec and Stoffer in Charlotte final
Michael Ray tagged a huge margin on Eddie Krawiec at the tree in their semifinal match-up, but Vance & Hines has turned the screw on the V-Rod and Krawiec will have lane choice over Karen Stoffer in the Charlotte final. She beat Matt Smith in a good, heads up race.
Stoffer is on it at Charlotte!
Karen Stoffer, shown here against Steve Johnson at Indy
Karen Stoffer had a.007 Bond Bulb to move past Jimmy Underdahl and into the semis. She’ll face Matt Smith, who ran 6.864 while opponent Andrew Hines redlit. Shawn Gann also redlit, advancing Michael Ray. Ray will face Eddie Krawiec, who had low ET of the round (6.810 at 196.79) after Hector Arana Jr couldn’t get the candle lit.
Semifinal report coming up soon.
Stoffer opens with low ET at Charlotte
Karen Stoffer ran the 8th best Pro Stock Motorcycle ET of all time against Justin Finley to open up eliminations at Charlotte.
The qualifying show on ESPN2 spent an amazing amount of time with the bikes, which are usually all but ignored. Jerry Savoie and his builder/tuner Mark Peiser got a huge amount of airtime for both the Arana Jr staging gaffe at Indy (a story broke here on eatmyink) and for an ongoing political battle with the Vance&Hines/Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team. Savoie went out against V&H/H-D rider Andrew Hines in round 1 when the Suzuki slowed to 188 on the big end. His pass against Hines would have backed up his Suzuki-as-underdog argument had Stoffer not run low ET on a Suzuki…ouch! Savoie starts the Countdown deep in the hole.
Angie Smith redlit against Indy winner Hector Arana Jr, both bikes posting strong numbers. Hector Sr broke at launch against Michael Ray, who ran a great 6.92. And Matt Smith got his first win against LE Tonglet. Jimmy Underdahl beat Mike Phillips, who also got a lot of Saturday night airtime. Number 1 qualifier Eddie Krawiec beat Steve Johnson. Both Shawn Gann and Chip Ellis had great lights (.008 to .005), but daddy Blake’s suddenly got Shawn’s bike making big power and the Rum-Bum Buell drove around on the big end.Maybe Blake learned a trick or two last week at the Rockingham ADRL event?
Krawiec stays on top in Charlotte
Athough Eddie Krawiec was able to sit on his day 1 qualifying time (a track record 6.833 at 196.70 mph) to retain number 1 through day 2 of Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions at Charlotte, he and his Vance&Hines/Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team weren’t sitting on their hands. Krawiec ran low ET in Q3 and Q4.
Shawn Gann made a huge move in Q4 from 14th to 5th
As a reward for qualifying #2, Matt Smith faces champion LE Tonglet in round 1
Kwick Eddie leads balky day 1 at Zmax
Maybe it was the gloom, maybe the stiff headwind, but something dark and sinister was breaking bikes and running afoul of tech during Friday’s Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions at Charlotte. None of that bothered Eddie Krawiec, who broke the track record to finish number 1 on the day aboard the Harley. Homeboy Matt Smith was second on a Buell and Karen Stoffer on a Suzuki, mixing all 3 makes at the top.
But four bikes were DQ’d in round 1: two for crossing the centerline, one for not making weight (eat a sandwich Jerry!) and one for…well, Angie Smith was DQ’d because Shawn Gann crossed the centerline and took out the blocks. Aw, he just wanted to be close I guess.
Champion LE Tonglet and Justin Finley have yet to make it down the track and Jerry Savoie broke in round 2, following his round 1 weight DQ. And yet it’s a quick field, with Andrew Hines unqualified with a 6.986.