Stoffer advances to semifinal in Memphis By: Jack Korpela GEICO-backed NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer scored a critical pair of round wins to advance to the semifinal from the No. 11 qualifying position at this past weekend’s O’Reilly Mid South Nationals from Memphis, TN. “It was a great weekend,” Stoffer said. “We bounced back after struggling in qualifying. It was really hard to tune in those conditions. Memphis is not our forte but we learned a lot.” In round No. 1 Tom Bradford red lighted with a -.002 and Stoffer took the win with a 7.26 to Bradford’s 7.21. “That’s a tough break for Tom because their bike was running so well,” Stoffer said. “I’ve been on the other side of this situation several times though. I’m glad we could advance. I’m also glad we had a nice clean pass.” Sunday evening a rain storm moved into Memphis Motorsports Park and the remainder of the race was postponed until Monday morning. Stoffer and her crew took advantage of the downtime and stayed up until three in the morning swapping engines and making improvements to the bike. The team’s hard work paid off in round No. 2 as Stoffer outperformed Shawn Gann with a 7.14 to a 7.16. “We had him on both ends of the track,” Stoffer said. “My team gave me a really good bike.” Stoffer’s bid for the final ended when she got out of the groove and slowed to a 7.62 as Antron Brown recorded a new track record of 7.04 in other lane. “I got him off the tree but the bike started pulling so hard to the left I had to shut it off,” Stoffer said. “Antron had a very stout pass and it would have taken near perfection to beat him.” Television coverage from the drama-filled O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil from Memphis Motorsports Park will air this evening on ESPN2. The show is scheduled to begin at 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT. Stay tuned to NHRA.com for further updates, including a possible repeat broadcast. Stoffer extended a special thanks to all of the 2006 sponsors. Geico Motorcycle Insurance 1-866-326-2036, Mac Tools, Bates Leathers, NGK, Airtech, Wrath Motorsports, Square One Graphics, and Vance and Hines Motorsports.