Eddie Krawiec loved the experience so much he had to have an encore.

Two weeks ago he became a first-time national event winner. Now the
rider for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team is a two-timer.

Krawiec used a combination of quick reactions and stellar elapsed times
to work his way through the sixteen-bike field at the NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals, eventually beating
Craig Treble to gain another trophy for his once barren mantle.

“To get that first one out of the way was a big weight off my
shoulders,” Krawiec said. “The end result of it all is you take that
pressure off yourself. Now I just go out there. I'm capable of winning.”

Jeg Coughlin, Jr. might not have had the quickest car in qualifying at the NHRA O’Reilly Midwest Nationals. But, he really didn’t need to be.

Coughlin, a 44-time time winner, was the quickest on the starting line
and that’s all he needed to secure his third win of the season. In the
first three of his four rounds Coughlin was the quicker on the starting
line and in the final round it didn’t matter because opponent Jason
Line red-lighted.

Coughlin credited his team with the success in St. Louis, his second victory at Gateway International Raceway since 2002.

Del Worsham received a call from his team’s publicist following a first round loss at the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Georgia. The driver was pressed with the question, “What’s wrong?”

Worsham clearly had not posted the victories commensurate with the
lofty expectations that he and the team carried into 2009. At this
point in the season, many expected the team would have had at least one
win under their belt.

The Atlanta race gave the publicity spinner every reason to believe the
team was in a slump after they used their final qualifying session just
to make the field. On top of that they landed in the 16th position.

Antron Brown has learned that nothing makes a good first impression on a new sponsor like winning a national event on the debut weekend.

The sophomore Top Fuel racer made sure that DirecTV had a weekend
they’d remember for a long time as he won the NHRA O’Reilly Mid-South
Nationals in St. Louis.

DirecTV picked up one of four open races that were not taken by Matco Tools on the Mike Ashley Racing’s Matco Tools dragster.

Nothing warms a sponsor’s heart like a successful test.

Roger Burgess recorded his first Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge victory in a weekend marked by record-setting performances
and thrilling wall-slamming action. The teams were racing not only to
beat one another Sunday afternoon, but also the rain that threatened to
delay the action again at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at
Gateway International Raceway as it had during Friday qualifying.
 
After qualifying in the No. 2 spot with a 5.931/244.96, Burgess' road
to the winner's circle began on Sunday with a single run when Rick
Stivers failed to show after a harrowing qualifying crash on Saturday
that saw the left-rear wheel sheared off the axle and slip up into the
chassis of his Trane-sponsored '06 Stratus, and push him from the right
lane to the left guard-wall, up onto the nose and then over on the back
before coming to a stop on all four wheels and the Kentucky HVAC
business-owner walking away from the scene without a scratch.
 
In round two, Burgess faced Mike Knowles in his Mike Strasberg-tuned
'63 Corvette. Burgess blasted away with his Al Billes-horsepower and
dispatched Knowles 5.953/243.28 to 6.217/228.65. The semi-finals paired
Burgess with reigning IHRA champ Kenny Lang who broke and coasted down
the track, giving the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-resident an easy pass,
5.928/243.06 to 14.000/59.73.

Del Worsham raced to his first win of the season and first win with
Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing at the 13th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest
Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.

Antron Brown, Jeg Coughlin and Eddie Krawiec also won in their respective categories.

Worsham drove his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara to a
4.135-second run at 302.48 mph to defeat No. 1 qualifier and current
points leader Ron Capps on a holeshot. For Worsham, it’s his first win
in over a year; his last coming at Houston Raceway Park in 2007.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following
the 13th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol at
Gateway International Raceway, the seventh of 24 events in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Sunday’s final-round results for the professional categories for the
13th annual NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International
Raceway.

Final round-by-round results from the 13th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest
Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, the seventh of 24 events in
the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Pro Modified racer Harold Laird, of Pride, La., crashed during the
second round of Get Screen America NHRA Pro Modified competition at the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.