NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Karen Stoffer defeated Andrew Hines to get her first victory since 2015. The rider brought home the third-straight victory for White Alligator Racing, which moved Stoffer to second in points, behind Hines as she battles for her first Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship. 

Stoffer last won in Norwalk in 2015 when she defeated Angelle Sampey. She got a .002-second advantage at the starting line and extended that on the race track against Hines, who was chasing his eighth victory of the season. It's her ninth career victory, first against Hines and first in St. Louis. 

Stoffer pulled off a pair of upsets based on her seeding in the first couple of rounds, defeating Ryan Oehler and then No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith in succession. She cut a .005-second reaction time and ran a 6.916 while Smith, the defending world champion, turned on the red light by .002-second alongside her. That moved her into the semifinals against Eddie Krawiec. 

She left on Krawiec by .045-second but spun the tire right at the hit, putting her in a vulnerable position. But Stoffer rode her Suzuki past the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider with a quicker elapsed time to go with her holeshot to reach her second final of the 2019 season, booking a matchup against his teammate. 

Hines continued his terrific 2019 season by reaching his ninth final round, bouncing back from a second-round exit at the NHRA Countdown to the Championship opener in Reading. He defeated Michael Ray in the first round before taking down Angie Smith and Reading runner up Steve Johnson in the semifinals. 

Jerry Savoie, who entered St. Louis on top of the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, lost to Hector Arana Jr. in the first round despite grabbing a nearly three-hundredths advantage at the starting line. That dropped the former world champion down the standings and helped Hines climb back in front. Hines entered the Countdown to the Championship as the points leader. 

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship continues at the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals from Oct. 11-13. You can grab tickets here.