One of the highlights of my PRI show this year was sharing Bill Simpson stories with Del Flores—a fellow former tenant of Lord of the Land Simpson. To know Simpson is to have Simpson stories. Neither of us knew that Bill had a second—and ultimately fatal, I guess—stroke on Friday.…
Inside Story of PSM’s Craziest Day Ever?
Slaps were thrown, engines were blown, emotions and nerves were pushed to the absolute limit. And although I’m sure Bret Kepner will school me otherwise, you’d be hard pressed to find a crazier day in the history of any class at the Finals than we saw yesterday in Pro Stock…
WAR Suzuki an RET Race Engine of the Year Nominee
The White Alligator Racing NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Suzuki is in pretty damn good company as a Race Engine Technology magazine Race Engine of the Year nominee. Here’s the full field courtesy of RET. If you’re not an RET subscriber, you NEED to be! Check them out HERE As for…
Stoffer’s Superpower Takes Afternoon Off, Hines Wins
Karen Stoffer is known as the best leaver in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle. Her four straight .00 reaction times at Joliet in June marked the first time ever that an NHRA pro had achieved that feat. It’s her superpower. But sometime after her second round win at the 12th annual…
4V or 2, Suzuki and Savoie on Top at zMAX
The zMAX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle pits weren’t buzzing about this week’s approval by NHRA (for 2020) of the 4-valve Monster head as much one thought they might be, but that didn’t stop me from talking to Monster’s Mitch Brown about it. “The old die-hard Suzuki guys are going ‘Yeah! Finally,…
Stoffer Storms Gateway for PSM Win
Karen Stoffer is a meteorological genius. On Friday, she predicted that Tropical Storm Karen and Hurricane Jerry would swamp World Wide Technology Raceway (AKA Gateway) just across the Mississippi from St. Louis during the eighth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. She was half right, which is pretty strong for…
Smith Takes Pole, Johnson Wins Oscar
Defending NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champ (and Gateway winner) Matt Smith is known for putting on quite a show. I’m told his repertoire at Maple Grove consisted of a display of raw emotion when confronted with race-winning Suzuki performance. But in qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway, Smith confined his…
Super Spoiler Johnson, Wave Riding Savoie at Gateway
When Jerry Savoie and his White Alligator Racing Suzuki picked up their second consecutive Pro Stock Motorcycle win last time out at Maple Grove, it was Steve Johnson in the other lane for the final. What’s exceptionally significant about that is that Johnson isn’t in the Countdown to the Championship—that…
Full Story Behind WAR’s Second Straight Indy Win
White Alligator Racing (WAR) head honcho Jerry Savoie scored his second U.S. Nationals win in dominant fashion, winning on Labor Day at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana. Qualified only 8th, Savoie and tuner Tim Kulungian found their mojo on raceday, running a string of laps between 6.84 and 6.86…
Hines Wins Norwalk, You Get the Scoop
Five-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ and points leader Andrew Hines rolled to his fifth win out of seven races in 2019 at the 13th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Hines’ best season result has been six wins in one season. “(One more)…