{"id":12617,"date":"2017-09-14T20:50:34","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T01:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=12617"},"modified":"2017-09-15T21:06:54","modified_gmt":"2017-09-16T02:06:54","slug":"reigning-pro-stock-motorcycle-world-champ-jerry-savoie-feels-relaxed-heading-to-nhra-carolina-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/14\/reigning-pro-stock-motorcycle-world-champ-jerry-savoie-feels-relaxed-heading-to-nhra-carolina-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Jerry Savoie feels relaxed heading to NHRA Carolina Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA<\/em><\/p>\n

CONCORD, N.C. \u2013 Having achieved a lifelong dream in 2016 with his first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series<\/a> world title, Jerry Savoie<\/strong> is feeling good entering the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, which starts at this weekend\u2019s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jerry Savoie. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

It is the first of six NHRA playoff races, yet the reigning world champion feels no pressure to defend his crown on his White Alligator Racing Suzuki. The easy-going alligator farmer from Cut Off, La., is simply enjoying the challenging of competing against the elite in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Savoie\u2019s desire to continue winning is as strong as ever, but he remains determined to not let the pressure of defending his world championship get the best of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that wining the championship helps you relax more the following year,\u201d said Savoie, who enters the Countdown to the Championship in fourth. \u201cI\u2019m not under pressure that I have to (win a title). Winning last year took the pressure off. I\u2019m just going to roll with it and if it all falls in place, so be it. Now, let me tell you, I want to win. I definitely want to win. We\u2019re going to go have some fun and we have two really fast motorcycles. LE (Tonglet) is in a really good position.\u201d <\/p>\n

Antron Brown (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Line (Pro Stock) and Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year\u2019s winners of the event that will be televised on FOX Sports 1, including live final eliminations coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 17.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jerry Savoie. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Savoie\u2019s teammate, Tonglet, has the points lead starting the Countdown to the Championship on the strength of an impressive five regular-season wins. Combined with Savoie\u2019s two victories thus far, they have clearly formed a dynamic combo in the first year of working together. Savoie believes teaming with Tonglet has helped him in a number of regards and thinks it\u2019s been a great move for his own operation, even if Tonglet ends up winning his second world championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was concerned that I put somebody on a bike that could win a championship I wouldn\u2019t have done it,\u201d said Savoie, who has eight career Pro Stock Motorcycle wins. \u201cI\u2019m out there because my heart\u2019s in it and I want to be out there. We talk to each other about who we\u2019re racing, their habits, so we learn from each other. It\u2019s fun. It helps you gather more information, number one, but as a rider it\u2019s helped me become more knowledgeable. That\u2019s what you need because it\u2019s tough out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a nod to the competition level in the class, which includes standouts like Eddie Krawiec, Andrew Hines, Matt Smith, Hector Arana Jr., Angie Smith, Joey Gladstone, Scotty Pollacheck and Karen Stoffer in the Countdown to the Championship field. Counting Savoie and Tonglet, there\u2019s a combined 12 world championships in the class in the top 10, which makes for a daunting challenge starting in Charlotte, but also makes the victories more rewarding. <\/p>\n

Savoie credits the work of his team, led by crew chief Tim Kulungian, for a job well done thus far in 2017, but he knows everyone must continue to raise the bar if a second world title is possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe struggled in Indy, but we\u2019re pretty confident we\u2019ll get our groove back,\u201d Savoie said. \u201cIf we run like we did in Indy, we don\u2019t stand a chance. If we get to struggling, Tim will find something that\u2019s a problem. It\u2019s a complete team thing and when you\u2019ve got people behind you like that, it gives you confidence. It takes a team effort and this whole crew is great. It\u2019s going to be tough and there\u2019s a lot of fast bikes, but we\u2019ll see if we can do some damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indy and seven-time Top Fuel winner this season Steve Torrence starts with the points lead, but will have to fight off back-to-back world champ Brown, Leah Pritchett and Tony Schumacher.<\/p>\n

Ron Capps will again take the Funny Car points lead into Charlotte, looking to repeat last year\u2019s title run, while defending event winner Force will look for a late-season surge.<\/p>\n

Line\u2019s Pro Stock title defense continues in Charlotte, but he will have to chase down top drivers like points leader Bo Butner, rookie Tanner Gray, who has four wins, and teammate Greg Anderson.<\/p>\n

The NHRA Carolina Nationals also features thrilling competition in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, as well as the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. After Nitro qualifying, fans can watch spectacular jet cars. Larsen Motorsports\u2019 four jet dragsters sponsored by Florida Tech, Matrix System Automotive Finishes, Halo Technology, and the American Dream, will make exhibition passes. As always, fans can interact with their favorite drivers as they\u2019re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This opportunity gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite drivers.<\/p>\n

Fans also will want to visit NHRA\u2019s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.<\/p>\n

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 2:45 and 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 12:45 and 3:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17.<\/p>\n

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-455-FANS (3267). Tickets also available at www.zmaxdragway.com. Kids<\/a> 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. To honor the Salute to First Responders, military and first responders can save 20 percent on general admission tickets at the gate. For info about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA CONCORD, N.C. \u2013 Having achieved a lifelong dream in 2016 with his first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world title, Jerry Savoie is feeling good entering the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, which starts at this weekend\u2019s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway. It is the first of six […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[487,255,6,178],"class_list":["post-12617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-carolina-nationals","tag-jerry-savoie","tag-nhra","tag-zmax-dragway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Savoie-Jerry_Action_.jpg?fit=3175%2C2117&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-3hv","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12617"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12621,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12617\/revisions\/12621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}