NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

It has been a far different start to the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season than it was a year ago for Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer.

 

The class veteran put together two early-season wins in 2015, including a victory at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, the site of this weekend’s 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

 

This season has been a different story, as Stoffer has just two round wins through the first four Pro Stock Motorcycle races. But after making a number of changes to her Stoffer Enterprises Suzuki and returning to the site of her second victory from 2015, Stoffer hopes it all adds up to building momentum for the most important time of the season, the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

 

“I’m hoping we’ve gotten through all of the issues and we come into Norwalk and show we have a bike on an upward trend the rest of the year,” said Stoffer, who is currently eighth in PSM points. “It’s really tight and all of these positions (in the points standings) can swap out. It’s a challenging season, but we’re trying to change things up and we really want to start peaking at the right time. You always have to try different things and we’re working on it real hard.”

 

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) joined Stoffer in the Winner's Circle at the track that sits just west of Cleveland. For the first time, the race will be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1. It is the fifth of 16 races for the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors and Stoffer hopes it marks the turning point in her season.

 

Winning in Norwalk a year ago gave Stoffer her eighth career win, knocking off three-time world champion Angelle Sampey in what was just the third all-female final round in NHRA history at the time. Stoffer and Sampey, who won in Englishtown this season to claim her first victory since 2007, met for the first time in a Pro Stock Motorcycle final round in 2002, and Stoffer was thrilled to do it again, this time at a track and event that creates an exciting race atmosphere.

 

“We had both struggled in qualifying, but we were both able to pull it together and meet in the final,” Stoffer said. “(Norwalk) gives us a great venue and to be able to put on a great show is what we strive for. It’s a phenomenal track and the Bader family puts on a fantastic show.”

 

Stoffer left Norwalk with her second win and was second in points a year ago, but struggled down the stretch, advancing past the second round just once and finishing seventh overall in points. The multitude of changes her team, led by crew chief and husband Gary Stoffer, have made are centered on improving that and Karen Stoffer said it boils down to one key aspect.

 

“We have to improve our 60-foot times,” Stoffer said. “We usually run pretty good on the top end, but we have to improve off the starting line. We have to get that first part better.”

 

That has led to significant trial and error on Stoffer’s Suzuki. The team struggled out of the gates, failing to qualify at the opener in Gainesville, but Stoffer showed a glimpse of what could be coming in Atlanta, advancing to the semifinals. A first-round loss at the most recent event in Englishtown was frustrating considering the progress they had made, but Stoffer has stayed positive thanks to the work the team has put in.

 

“We’ve been spending a lot of times focusing on the little things,” Stoffer said. “We’ve been trying some out of the box things to improve our 60-foot times and we have to keep continuing to try to make improvements and get better. We’re coming into the real hot part of the year and it’s not a very comfortable place usually for Suzukis, so it’s going to be an even greater challenge.”

 

But Stoffer is up for it, even if it means competing against a deep and talented field in Norwalk. Three-time world champion and 2011 Norwalk winner Eddie Krawiec currently has a grip on the class points lead with two wins and three finals appearances. Others in the two-wheeled category hoping to race to the winner’s circle include reigning world champion Andrew Hines, who has four Norwalk wins, Sampey, Hector Arana, two-time champ and two-time event winner Matt Smith, Jerry Savoie, veteran rider Steve Johnson, Chip Ellis, Scotty Pollacheck and Hector Arana Jr.

 

“We’ve got a new gameplan for Norwalk and it will be a good test for us,” said Stoffer, who with a victory this weekend would become the sixth different female driver to win a race this season, an NHRA record.

 

“It’s a fine line you have to walk at this point in the season,” she continued. “You can’t be complacent or you’ll fall behind in this class, and you have to try new things. But you also can’t make too many mistakes because the Countdown is coming up. You have to put together a good strategy.”

 

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5 and 7:45 p.m. on Friday, June 24 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 25, at 12:30 and 3:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 26.

 

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park at (419) 668-5555. Tickets also are available online at www.summitmotorsportspark.com.  Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult.