Stoffer Marches Forward in Denver
Heading into to Bandimere Speedway and the oxygen-starved altitude of Denver, Colo, for the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals, July 11-13, Geico-backed Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer knew she had her work cut out for her. It always proves to be a challenge to run quick elapsed-times in such adverse conditions, especially for the smaller-motor Suzuki riders like Stoffer.
Stoffer and her team overcame the less-than-favorable air and got off to a great start by qualifying in the No. 9 spot with a 7.37, just five-hundredths behind the 7.32 of pole-sitter Eddie Krawiec and his Harley-Davidson V-Rod.
"Denver has always been a great challenge for us," Stoffer said. "I felt like the team gave me a great bike during qualifying and I knew we had a chance to go some rounds on Sunday."
In round No. 1 Stoffer was paired with one of her old West Coast bracket racing rivals, No. 8 qualifier Craig Treble. The duo of talented racers didn't disappoint, as they both left the line with bracket-racing like reaction times. Treble hit a perfect .000, and Stoffer nailed a near-perfect .008. Stoffer then outran Treble's 7.44 with a 7.42 and took the win by .003, or approximately ten inches at the finish line. The victory evened the all-time head-to-head record between the two at five wins a piece.
In round No. 2 Stoffer's day came to an end when she fouled out on the starting line with a -.037 against Krawiec.
Following the event Stoffer is ranked No. 11 in the PowerAde Points Championship Chase. Stoffer's quest to get back into the top-ten will resume at the 21st annual Fram Autolite Nationals from Somona, Calif, July 25-27.
Stoffer went on to extend special thanks to all
of the 2008 sponsors and supporters.
Geico Motorcycle Insurance 1-800-44-Cycle, Speed Dawg, Mac Tools, Bates Leathers, NGK, Airtech, Wrath Motorsports, Square One Graphics, Suzuki Extended Protection, and Kymco. |
