Event No. 7 / Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals / June, 24 - 26 / Madison, Illinois

Every stop on the NHRA POWERade tour is unique, with each track and event displaying its own features and characteristics that make it distinct. Some the racers like, and some they definitely do not.

 At the 9th annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, most of the professional action takes place at night under the lights. The air and track temperatures are cooler, and the fans love to see racing after dark. An excellent marketing tool for the NHRA, but a tricky track to tame for the crew chiefs.

 “I really like racing at night, but it’s a challenge,” said Mike Berry. “The racetrack does not act the same after the sun goes down, it’s a different animal at night.”

 Berry started the weekend Friday, laying down the first of four qualifying runs with his MB Precision Machining Pro Stock Suzuki. A 7.252 second 185.31 MPH lap qualified the Colorado racer 10th in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle field, but unfortunately, it would be the quickest run of the weekend for the team while in Madison.

 “We went at it pretty soft trying to get a good pass under our belt to start the weekend,” said Berry. “It was our baseline run which gave us somewhere to start from to build a tune-up.”

 Of the three remaining qualifying attempts, a best of 7.291 / 181.30 in the final session Saturday night settled the MB Precision Machining Suzuki into the No. 14 position on the Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations ladder.

 “It is quite a trick to get a motorcycle down the track in Madison,” said Berry. “It was as slippery and greasy as any track we have ever been on.

 When we would give the bike some clutch, we would spin and lose elapsed time. When we would got the other direction and loosen it up, we would drive through the clutch and not get enough power to the track, and run slow again.”

 Entering eliminations Sunday morning, the Berry team faced No. 3 qualifier and 2005 Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals presented by Summit Racing event champion Ryan Schnitz on his Team Muzzy Buell.

 In the round one match, it would be Berry out of the gate first, .019 to .036, only to be chased down by Schnitz with a winning 7.213 / 185.18. Berry’s off-pace 7.340 / 181.01 was good early in the run, but the Buell picked it up in the last half of the track to reach the finish line first.

 “The thing for us to do is get back home and hit the Dyno as much as possible before our next race. We need to get a motor or two together with all our best stuff for the race in Denver in two weeks. I don’t know if there is any advantage to the next event being in our backyard, but I want to be as ready as I possibly can for it.”