NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Every year since her debut in 1996, Karen Stoffer has got to the starting line with the comfort that comes with knowing her husbang, Gary, has her back. Gary Stoffer is still Karen’s biggest supporter, and she’s still and integral part of the team he operates along with partner Greg Underdahl, but this year is different because Stoffer is riding Jerry Savoie’s Suzuki and her new crew chief is Tim Kulungian.

“It’s very different, that’s for sure, but at the same time I feel like I’m someone who has the ability to adapt and make adjustments when necessary,” said Stoffer. “I have a specific routine that I try not to deviate from, but we’ve been able to make a very smooth transition to riding Jerry’s bike and working with Tim.”

On Friday night in Charlotte, Stoffer made the best pass of the round with a 6.864 to lead the field. On a night where many of the top bikes in the class struggled to make full runs, she had no problems. Ironically, in was Gary and Greg Underdahl that guided her to the starting line because Stoffer was in the same quad as Savoie, and Kulungian was two lanes over, busy helping his boss stage his White Alligator Suzuki.

“It was a little funny to have Gary up there guiding me again, but Tim gets all the credit; it was his tune-up in the bike and we had our best sixty-foot time since I got here. It’s been a bit of an adjustment for him because I’m by far the lightest rider they’ve ever worked with, and it takes some time to get the clutch settings right and to figure out balance and weight distribution. We’ve made good runs and I’m really encouraged because we seem to keep improving.

“That [6.86] run was not stellar by any means,” Stoffer said. “The encouraging part is that I know that I can improve but I also know the rest of the field can improve. We’re not safe [in the No. 1 spot] at all. In fact, I’d say there is no way that holds up because I think you’re going to see some 6.7s today.

Off the bike, Stoffer splits her time between Savoie’s WAR camp and the Stoffer/Underdahl trailer which happen to be pitted next to each other at every event this year. One minute, she might be going over data with Kulungian and Savoie in the WAR camp, and then she’s next door, helping to mentor first-year rider Jianna Salinas.

“It’s a really good situation for all of us, Stoffer said. “I’ve already had an influence on the WAR guys and gotten them to start eating a little healthier, and we’re making good progress with Jianna and Jimmy [Underdahl]. I’ve got no complaints at all.”