Life is pretty good for Pro Stock Motorcycle veteran Eddie Krawiec right now.

Currently sitting atop the PSM points, Krawiec is the most recent race winner on the tour, he has been the top qualifier in two consecutive races - including securing the top spot Saturday night at Sonoma Raceway - and he added a win in the Pro Bike Battle against teammate Andrew Hines Saturday as well. That means, despite a talented field hungry for wins and valuable NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series points, Krawiec simply has not been challenged in quite some time.

That is bad news for the rest of the Pro Stock Motorcycle field.

“It has been a lot of hard work to get down that road and really see a clear path,” said Krawiec, who secured his 25th career top qualifier award and second of the season on Saturday. “We struggled early on in the year, not necessarily in the performance department, but we just weren’t consistent. Right before Denver, we opted to go to a test session and really tried to iron our stuff out. 

“Matt, Andrew and all of the guys back at the shop, I can’t thank them enough for putting in the work to make sure that we have two competitive Harley-Davidsons.”

Krawiec, the defending race winner at Sonoma Raceway, got his bid for a repeat weekend off to a tremendous start on Saturday, winning the Pro Bike Battle shootout against Andrew Hines and then holding on for the top qualifier award later in the day at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Sonoma, Calif. Krawiec paced the bike field with a 6.787-second pass at 196.99 mph, placing him just ahead of his Harley-Davidson teammate. Hines was second with a 6.837 at 195.25 mph and Jerry Savoie was third with a 6.838 at 196.39 mph.

Krawiec was especially pleased with his second consecutive pole award, considering the two quick laps were made under two extreme opposite conditions - from last week’s mile-high altitude in Denver to this weekend’s near sea-level conditions in California.

“I think it is starting to show that, not only can these bikes run in altitude, they can run at sea level,” Krawiec said. “It is definitely great to be able to come out here and make some good laps down this Sonoma track.”

In addition to taking the top qualifier award, Krawiec also went three rounds to win the Pro Bike Battle against his teammate. Krawiec defeated Scotty Pollacheck and Savoie on his way to the final, a race turned anticlimactic as Hines went -.010 red in the deciding round to hand the win to Krawiec.

It wasn’t quite the payday he expected, with recent sponsor issues drastically reducing the purse for the special Pro Stock Motorcycle shootout, but a win is a win and Krawiec will take any he can get right now.

“In past years, we have had an opportunity to hold up a higher paying check and, unfortunately, this year there has been a little bit of a sponsor loss,” Krawiec said. “It is unfortunate for everybody, but in the end, we are here to race for the fans and I think that is what it is all about.”

In the main event, Krawiec will face Angie Smith in round one on Sunday. Hines, second on the charts and third in points, will face Melissa Surber in the opening round, while third-place qualifier Savoie will face Katie Sullivan. 

Now it is time to buckle down and prepare for a tricky Sunday afternoon with ever-changing track conditions awaiting Krawiec and company.

“Conditions here change quite often. You never know quite what you are going to get here,” Krawiec said. “I ran a 78 earlier just to go a high 86 in the second session and slow up to a 90 there. It is definitely a little more difficult when you are fighting mother nature because you never really know what you are going to have.

“Things are going to change from minute to minute no matter what. We just try to do our best and setup our motorcycle to go down the track in just about any condition. Sonoma has given us an awesome facility and a great opportunity to race. Now we just have to go out there and make it happen.”

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