Hector Arana gets victory in Norwalk on his Lucas Oil Buell

Hector Arana rode to victory on his Lucas Oil Buell at the 2nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio today. Arana ran a 7.027 second E.T. at 187.60 MPH to beat the 7.061 second E.T. at 187.83 MPH run by Craig Treble on his Team Tigue Suzuki in the final round. Arana’s reaction time at the light was 0.014 versus Treble’s 0.015.

Arana made to the final round by defeating top qualifier Eddie Krawiec in the semi-final by 0.010 of a second. Craig Treble made it to the final round by defeating Steve Johnson’s Snap-On Tools Suzuki with a 0.0015 margin of victory. Johnson had his best showing in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle series so far this season at Norwalk.

The weekend was plagued by water, as water seeped through the track surface on Friday resulting in cancellation of Friday’s qualifying sessions, except for one round of PSM. Rain delayed qualifying twice on Saturday. Sunday was bright and sunny until more rain arrived, interrupting the racing for about an hour and forty minutes.

Eddie Krawiec earns Top Qualifier at Norwalk

Eddie Krawiec rode his Screamin' Eagle / Vance & Hines Harley Davidson to his first number one qualifying position at the 2nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals today. Krawiec ran a 7.011 second E.T. at 191.02 MPH in Saturday's final qualifying session, amid close competition in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying field. Krawiec's teammate, Andrew Hines was second fastest in qualifying with a 7.045 second E.T. at 191.21 MPH. The only entry with a DNQ was Brian DeLong.

The event was plagued with water issues. On Friday, qualifying was cancelled after the first PSM round when water began seeping out of the track near the finish line. The Norwalk area has had more than a foot of rain in the last week and the water percolates to the surface has the day warms up. Track officials worked for over five hours to dry the track before giving up. Saturday qualifying was put on hold twice due to rain, but the track workers were able to dry the track and complete the scheduled sessions.

ESPN2 will broadcast qualifying from 10:00:00 PM to 12:00:00 AM ET on June 28, and final elimination rounds will air from 7:00:00 PM - 10:00:00 PM ET on June 29th, and again at 3:00:00 AM - 5:00:00 AM ET on July 4th.

Qualifying results and Sunday's first round elimination pairings are:

Position Rider E.T. MPH

1 Eddie Krawiec 7.011 191.21
16 Joe DeSantis 7.167 186.82

2 Andrew Hines 7.045 191.21
15 Paul Gast 7.150 184.07

3 Steve Johnson 7.058 186.28
14 Junior Pippin 7.137 186.74

4 Matt Guidera 7.058 185.23
13 Hector Arana 7.118 184.72

5 Matt Smith 7.059 187.23
12 Wesley Wells 7.111 188.20

6 Chip Ellis 7.063 188.10
11 Angelle Sampey 7.103 186.61

7 Mike Berry 7.068 187.13
10 Craig Treble 7.098 189.04

8 Karen Stoffer 7.076 191.19
9 Chris Rivas 7.088 186.61

Chip Ellis wins PSM at Englishtown

Chip Ellis rode his Schumacher Electric Suzuki to victory in the final round of the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ.

The enthusiasm of winning was dampened for all racing classes by the untimely death of Scott Kalitta during final round qualifying yesterday. ESPN2 gave ample coverage to eulogizing Scott during their coverage and to drivers’ condolences for the Kalitta family and racing team.

The racing action was interrupted by rain twice, but resumed after the weather cleared and the track was dried.

Chip Ellis (7.040 second E.T. 187.21 MPH) defeated top qualifier Chris Rivas (7.104 second E.T., 183.52 MPH) for the win. Rivas suffered a red light on his Drag Specialties / S&S / G2 Buell during a weekend where he consistently ran fast, setting a career best elapsed time of 6.923 seconds at 192.19 MPH. Even without considering the red light, Ellis was a tenth quicker than Rivas.

In the semi-final rounds, Rivas defeated Andrew Hines with a 7.007 second E.T. at 190.40 MPH to Hines’ 7.116 second E.T. at 184.80 MPH. Chip Ellis made the final round by defeating Matt Smith with a 7.005 second E.T. at 190.14 MPH to Smith’s 7.079 second E.T. at 186.87.

Notably, Ryan Schnitz qualified his Team Muzzy Kawasaki 16th in the field with a 7.442 second E.T. at 177.56 MPH, the first time a Kawasaki has qualified for a race this year. Schnitz was eliminated in the first round when his 7.364 E.T. at 176.37 MPH was no match for Chip Ellis’ 6.979 E.T. at 190.19 MPH run. Junior Pippin and his Stone Mountain & Granite Mountain HD Buell was the only Pro stock motorcycle entry that did not qualify for the event.

Funny Car Driver Scott Kalitta killed in tragic crash at Englishtown race

Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, age 46, passed away this afternoon as a result of a tragic crash at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ. The crash occurred during the fourth round of qualifying at the track where Scott started his drag racing career. Near the end of the run, he had a huge, fiery engine explosion, blowing the body off of the car. The car then went off the end of the track, hit the safety net, then burst into a large fireball, possibly striking the camera crane.

Scott Kalitta was transported to Old Bridge Township Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The remaining racing was canceled for the rest of the day. ESPN2 continued their scheduled final round qualifying coverage with NHRA drivers eulogizing Scott Kalitta.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Kalitta family, friends and everyone at Kalitta Racing during this tragic experience.

Chris Rivas fastest at Englishtown Friday Qualifying

Chris Rivas was the fastest entry during Friday's qualifying sessions at the 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ. Rivas ran his Drag Specialties / S&S / G2 Buell to a 6.932 second E.T. at 191.21 MPH. Two weeks ago in Chicago, Rivas was not only the fastest qualifier, his first, but he also won his first event that same weekend.

The second fastest provisional qualifying time was set by Matt Smith, running a 6.952 second E.T. at 191.38 MPH. The next three fastest riders were Chip Ellis, Andrew Hines, and Matt Guidera, all of whom ran in the high six second range.

Driver reports from all pro classes indicated that the track was in great shape, traction was very good and the weather conditions were favorable. The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies on Saturday and a 70% chance of rain on Sunday. If conditions hold though, the weekend will bring some great racing.

Pro Stock Motorcycle ace Llewellyn eyeing Denver return

As we noted on May 31st, Peggy Llewellyn is returning to NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racing this year, with Matt Guidera's Rocklin Motorsports Team. NHRA.com has this update:

Peggy Llewellyn, the popular San Antonio-based pro who finished fourth in last year's Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, is planning a return to the NHRA POWERade Series, most likely at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver July 11-13. Llewellyn, who was released from the Klement team at the end of 2007, will ride an S&S-powered Buell that is owned and maintained by the Guidera family's Rocklin Motorsports team.

“Ever since I found out I didn't have a ride for this season, I've been...

Read the full article by Kevin McKenna at NHRA.com

Chris Rivas wins Route 66 NHRA Nationals

Chris Rivas won his first Wally at the NHRA Powerade 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL. (Chicago) on his S & S Drag Specialties Buell. Rivas (7.051 seconds, 185.43 MPH) defeated Craig Treble (7.134 seconds, 185.38 MPH) on his Team Tigue Suzuki in the final round of the rain delayed race.

Angelle Sampey had a perfect 0.000 reaction time during second round elimination, which was a byerun, because Shawn Gann unable to make the run after going off the end of the track in the prior round against Matt Smith. Gann reported that the high wind almost blew him off of his Suzuki.

First Round Pairings – Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals

After a rain delay, tornado warnings, and high winds, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class completed their final qualifying session at the NHRA Powerade 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL.

Here are the final qualifying results and first round pairings for Sunday's eliminations.

E.T. - MPH
1 Chris Rivas 7.027-188.46
16 Wes Wells 7.209-184.93

2 Andrew Hines 7.028-189.90
15 Tom Bradford 7.200-181.40

3 Chip Ellis 7.039-186.92
14 Craig Treble 7.154-186.41

4 Matt Smith 7.061-187.42
13 Shawn Gann 7.153-185.41

5 Angelle Sampey 7.088-183.29
12 Joe DeSantis 7.145-186.48

6 Mike Berry 7.098-184.85
11 Hector Arana 7.132-186.15

7 Eddie Krawiec 7.106-187.21
10 Matt Guidera 7.129-185.87

8 Karen Stoffer 7.108-187.76
9 Steve Johnson 7.113-188.15

Next Page »