COUNTDOWN: ROUND 1/SEPTEMBER 15, 2013
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY/CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
DRAG RACING
P84
NHRA PRO STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP
V-ROD
REVIVAL
ANDREW HINES REBOUNDS IN A BIG WAY
WITH FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
BY KEVIN MCKENNA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT POLITO
L
ong before the start of the
2013 season, Andrew Hines
and the rest of the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson team
knew they were facing an uphill
battle. Forced to abandon their
dominant four-valve engine combination due to an off-season
rules revision, the team had just
three months to design, build and
test a new two-valve configuration. Following six more months
of growing pains, Hines made a
return to the winner's circle when
he stopped Lucas Oil Buell's
Hector Arana Sr. in the final
round of the Carlyle Tools NHRA
Carolina Nationals in Charlotte.
Hines won the title after Arana Sr.
red-lighted in the final.
"This is definitely the most
exciting win I've ever had given
everything that transpired this
winter," Hines said. "We debuted
this engine in Gainesville, just
three months after we got the
rules, and we've just been plugging away ever since. It is a bit bittersweet because we didn't make
the Countdown, but I plan to be a
nightmare for everyone else the
rest of the way. I said that one win
during the Countdown would be
sufficient for the year and now I'm
going for more."
Hines was only ninth quickest
in qualifying, but he managed to
make good runs when it counted
in eliminations - a virtual necessity
since he was paired with four of the
toughest riders in the class on race
day. Hines stopped recent Indy
winner John Hall in round one and
then scored a crucial round win
when he upset low qualifier Matt
