In sports, intrasquad competition usually pits the first team against the scrubs.

That’s not how it works for Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Motorcycle when teammates Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines battle each other in an NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock Motorcycle event.

The dominant duo met for the title Sunday in the 49th annual Amalie NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in northern Florida for the 22nd time. For the third straight year the Wally Trophy went to reigning world champ Krawiec, who won after starting from a pole for the 40th time.

Krawiec won his 44th event title matching the mark set by the late Dave Schultz, who has been his racing idol.

Wins over L.E. Tonglet, Steve Johnson and Hector Arana Sr., led to a match-up with Hines for the 49th time in their careers with Krawiec holding an all-time edge at 29-20.

After about a minute of starting line games between the drivers that entertained fans as both balked at finally staging their bikes, Hines left the line first before Krawiec pulled around with a time of 6.824 seconds at 198.44 mph. He needed his best run of the day to beat Hines’ 6.853.

The starting line shenanigans hid their dedicated teamwork.

“Andrew calls the shots on a lot of our engine tune-ups,” Krawiec said. “Before the final in the pits he said he was going to try some different things and asked if I was good with that. I said absolutely.”

The duo left Gainesville after the year’s first event with Krawiec atop the points standings with Hines close behind in second. Just the way the past season ended.

“I’m very confident and its’s great to carry that confidence through the winter and then roll into the first race (with it.)

“We came here with the mentality of not changing too much stuff. There are too many qualify motorcycles out here to not know what you have.

“I have a great motorcycle underneath me and a great team behind.”