Eddie Krawiec rode his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 6.824-second run at 196.66 mph to outlast Jerry Savoie's 6.851 at 195.79 mph on his White Alligator Racing Suzuki in the Southern Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle final. Savoie jumped ahead with a .016 reaction time to Krawiec's slower .038, but the Harley proved too much for the Suzuki on the top end.
This is Krawiec's second victory of 2016, 33rd of his career, and fourth at Atlanta Dragway. He has raced in all three Pro Stock Motorcycle event finals this season and has control of the Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead. Krawiec raced to his first career victory at the NHRA Southern Nationals in 2009.
“Atlanta has treated me well,” said Krawiec, a three-time world champ. “I got my first win here, and it’s one of those things where if you just feel comfortable and you’re in a groove, you’ll have confidence. For me, I think all of that has fallen into place. The track was a little tricky for us, but we were able to figure out our chassis setup, and as we made more laps throughout the weekend, it got better and better. It was definitely a good, exciting, fun weekend for me.”
Savoie, a Louisiana alligator farmer, beat Michael Phillips, Scotty Pollacheck, and No. 1 qualifier Angelle Sampey in the earlier rounds. Savoie is fourth in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points standings.
Krawiec’s teammate and reigning world champ Andrew Hines is second in points and Hector Arana Sr. is third.