Andrew Hines didn’t expect to wait eight years to win another world championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle after earning three straight series crowns early in his standout career.
But now that the opportunity has once again arrived, Hines plans to finish the job at this weekend’s 50th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Hines has enjoyed a spectacular 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance and Hines Harley-Davidson, winning six races and advancing to eight final rounds. Two of those wins have come in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and he holds a commanding 92-point lead over teammate Eddie Krawiec heading into the weekend.
That means Hines is on the cusp of his fourth career world championship, which would break the tie between Hines, his brother Matt, Krawiec and Angelle Sampey for second all-time in the class.
“It’s been a long road to get back to this point,” Hines said. “I won three championships when I was a naïve, young kid. You really realize what it takes to win a championship after all these years. This one would definitely mean the most if I got it. To break that tie and get my fourth, it would be very special. It is great to have the opportunity and to pull it off would be phenomenal.”
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Rickie Jones (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the revered season-ending race that will once again be televised nationally on ESPN2.The event marks the 50th anniversary of the Auto Club NHRA Finals, a number not lost on Hines.
He has put together a number of big wins throughout his career, but capping off a championship season with a victory at a historical anniversary event would make for an ideal finale. The fact that Hines’ hometown of Villa Park, and the Vance and Hines California shop location are close by adds even more incentive to finish the season in style.
“You don’t get a chance to win these big annual races very often,” Hines said. “I missed out at the 50th U.S. Nationals a decade ago, so it would be great to win here. You win a 50th anniversary race, you get that special Wally and it’s something that’s remembered for a long time. It would be nice to cap off the year with a win like that and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”
Hines has every reason to be excited considering his massive run of success in 2014. After struggling for all of 2013 and missing the Countdown to the Championship, Hines rebounded in championship fashion, winning events in Charlotte, Englishtown, Norwalk, Denver, Dallas and the most recent event in Las Vegas.
That race also included his first No. 1 qualifier of the season, another sign of the huge improvements Hines and his team have made this year. The victory extended the gap between Hines and Krawiec, and Hines wants to take the exact same mindset into Pomona.
“I’m just focused on having a good event,” Hines said. “I’ve overthought things in the past and shot myself in the foot. Qualifying is going to be really big and I have to go in relaxed. That’s what I did in Las Vegas and it worked out pretty well. That was big. I will approach it as business as usual and hopefully we can keep rolling like we have been.”
That seems likely based on how Hines and his team have recovered in 2014. He hopes to clinch the world championship as soon as possible in Pomona, which would also give him an opportunity to reflect on how far he and Krawiec have progressed since the end of last season.
The team showed impressive work ethic in making rapid improvements and that is part of what will make a possible fourth championship so satisfying.
“We had to go through an entire year of development last year,” said Hines, who has 38 career victories. “To come back after finishing 11th and possibly have that No. 1 on the side of my bike would mean a lot. Everybody has excelled as a team throughout this entire process and that pays huge dividends. Having a fast bike and going rounds throughout the year, you’re able to gain a lot of training knowledge.”
Seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher is closing in on an eighth world championship in Top Fuel, winning three times in the Countdown. Schumacher also has four wins at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, but will be challenged by the likes of recent Las Vegas winner Spencer Massey, Vegas No. 1 qualifier and event runner-up J.R. Todd, Doug Kalitta, Steve Torrence and reigning world champion Shawn Langdon. Several other drivers will be looking for a race victory, including 2012 champ Antron Brown, four-time runner-up Brittany Force, Winternationals winner Khalid alBalooshi and U.S Nationals champ Richie Crampton.
In Funny Car, Hagan took home the Auto Club NHRA Finals victory last season, but lost out on a championship to reigning champ John Force. Hagan enters the final race with a 21-point lead over Force and is primed to make a run for a second world championship crown and deny Force a record 17th title. Force’s daughter Courtney – a two-time winner in the Countdown playoffs – is still is a longshot for the championship at the controls of her Traxxas Ford Mustang. The list of potential event winners in Funny Car is deep, and includes three-time season winner Alexis DeJoria, Tommy Johnson Jr., five-time season winner Robert Hight, Ron Capps, Tim Wilkerson, Las Vegas winner Del Worsham, and Cruz Pedregon.
In Pro Stock, one of the most intense playoff battles could be settled at Pomona. History-chaser Erica Enders-Stevens leads the pack in her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. A five-time winner this season, she is trying to become the first female to win an NHRA world championship title in Pro Stock. Hot on her heels is two-time world champ Jason Line, driver of the Summit Racing Camaro, who trails by 17 points. Dave Connolly is 84 points back in third place and still in contention for the title.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, NHRA will feature many of the sport’s greatest legends and those drivers will share some of their favorite memories from 50 years of the Auto Club NHRA Finals. “The King of Speed” Kenny Bernstein, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, “TV” Tommy Ivo, Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen, Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme will be featured during the event and participate in a series of special NHRA Legends Chats and a special autograph session on Saturday afternoon in the popular Hot Rod Junction.
The NHRA Legends Chats will run from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday and the special legends autograph session will take place between Saturday’s pro qualifying sessions. Fans can attend the Legends Chats and autograph session by obtaining a special commemorative 50th Anniversary NHRA Legends Card, which will be available on a first come, first served basis at the Hot Rod Junction.
NHRA fans also will play an important role in the 50th anniversary celebration as they will help decide the most iconic moments in the history of the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Fans will vote for their favorite moments from the event via interactive pages set up on NHRA.com and NHRA’s Facebook page.
Special celebrations throughout the weekend are scheduled to highlight this significant milestone event. In addition to the NHRA Legends Chats and special autograph session featuring the legends, there will be several NHRA-exclusive Cacklefests showcasing the vintage dragsters of the sport’s early days, a special car corral in the Hot Rod Junction featuring a wide variety of vintage dragsters and classic race cars and The SealMaster Track Walk, where fans can walk on the famed Auto Club Raceway at Pomona track prior to Sunday’s final eliminations. The SealMaster Track Walk also will feature several of the sports legends.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and enjoy some cherished face time and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
Fans also will want to visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.
The event also will feature thrilling competition and world championship finishes in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Nov. 14, with sessions at 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Nov. 15, at 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.
To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRAtix.com.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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