Throwback Thursday: Krawiec's winless championship season
Eddie Krawiec is the current points leader in Pro Stock Motorcycle, having scored five wins this season including two in the Countdown, but he claimed his first ever championship in 2008 without collecting a single race win.
Krawiec started his career with the Vance & Hines Harley team in 2007. He raced in two finals that year without a win. In 2008, he raced in four finals – all of them in the Countdown -- but once again left without a race win. In essence, he runner-upped his way to the title.
Krawiec joined 1979 Top Fuel champion Rob Bruins as the second driver in NHRA history to score an NHRA championship without winning an event during the season (thought Bruins’ championship did include wins at divisional events, which back then toward his points total).
By comparison, Shirl Greer in 1974 and Raymond Beadle in 1981 each won their Funny Car championship with a single win, while no one in Pro Stock has ever won a championship with less than three wins in a season.