Tonglet Keeps Cool in 4-Wide Melee | Drag Racing
The Pro Stock Motorcycle final of NHRA’s disturbingly unique Four-Wide Nationals at North Carolina’s zMAX Dragway was par for the course of this annual twist on the Mello Yello circuit.
First, Scotty Pollacheck blew his cool in lane 4, leaving before the tree was activated and spoiling a great day of performance on his Underdahl/Stoffer Suzuki. Staging late and apparently mesmerized by Pollacheck’s flickering bulbs, Andrew Hines and his Vance & Hines/Screamin’ Eagle teammate Eddie Krawiec (remarkably bad .402 and .317 on the tree in lanes 4 and 3, respectively) froze and watched LE Tonglet notch a mundane-but-spectacular-by-comparison .071 bulb in lane 1.
Tonglet streaked to the 6.86 holeshot win while Krawiec threw away a 6.82. “I had a great light—if it were like 12 years ago,” laughed Hines, referring to the days when perfect lights were recorded as .400s.
It should have been a great final. 4-Wide Meister Hines had won three straight of these deals and ran a 6.868 in the semi—.001 behind Krawiec. Pollacheck and Tonglet advanced to the final with 6.886 and 6.889 respectively.
It was a good weekend for Pollacheck and teammates Karen Stoffer and Joey Gladstone, as all advanced to E2. The bad news was they all had to line up against each other and Tonglet in that foursome, with Stoffer and Gainesville revelation Gladstone heading back to the trailer.
Champion Jerry Savoie started raceday with his fifth straight number one qualifier but fell victim to the whole 4-Wide concentration thing. But since Tonglet rides Savoie’s other White Alligator Racing bike, Jerry still won anyway as team owner—not that he was easily convinced of that at the end of the day.
Chip Ellis qualified the Junior Pippin EBR fourth with a best of 6.852 at 194.69 mph, but Chip also stumbled at the tree with a .130 and was done in E1.
Joining the first round losers club was Angie Smith, Cory Reed, Shawn Gann, the Hector Aranas Jr. and Sr., and Steve Johnson. Matt Smith and Angelle Sampey went to E2 at a performance disadvantage to foursome opponents Krawiec and Hines, and that’s where their days ended.
Johnny “Balls” Hall was back on a Matt Smith Racing Buell this weekend, but the bike was lackluster at best and Hall was never a threat to qualify.
The PSM field moves a few hours down the road to Junior Pippin’s home track, Atlanta Dragway, in Commerce, Georgia next weekend for a welcome return to the drag racing’s traditional “two go down, one comes back” format. Thank God.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
Position | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Eddie Krawiec | Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson | 225 |
2. | Andrew Hines | Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson | 177 |
3. | LE Tonglet | Nitro Fish Racing Suzuki | 172 |
4. | Joey Glandstone | 135 | |
5. | Scott Pollacheck | Pertrolhead Buell | 124 |
6. | Gerald Savoie | White Alligator Racing Suzuki | 108 |
7. | Steve Johnson | Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki | 105 |
8. | Matt Smith | Victory Gunner | 104 |
9. | Karen Stoffer | Stoffer Enterprises Suzuki | 83 |
10. | Angelle Sampey | Team Liberty Victory Gunner | 82 |
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