Treble claims Second Brainerd Pro Stock Bike win
 

Brainerd, MN. – Sunday post race: Craig Treble put his Matco Tools Suzuki into the winners circle Sunday, earning his first victory of the season at the 23rd annual NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota.

 Appearing in his fourth final of 2004, Treble beat Army rider Angelle Savoie in the championship round on the strength of a quicker reaction time, and a straight basic run. The Matco Tools rider stopped the top three points earners on the day, moving himself into 4th place in the 2004 NHRA Pro Stock Bike POWERade points' battle.

 "Truthfully we had a few stumbles today, but we went the whole mile and that's what matters," said Treble. "This is my third Brainerd final and second win here so I guess this place works well for me."

 Treble opened against Mike Berry, and after a vacuum pump failure on the pass, escaped with a narrow win, running a 7.233 second 184.47 mph pass to Berry's 7.276 second 183.27mph.

The pairing against Berry was the third time in three races these two had faced each other in the first round. The Matco Tools win put the tally at 3-0 and sent Treble out to face two time '04 winner Shawn Gann in round two.

 "We had our act together against Gann in the second round," said Treble. "The .015 reaction time, and 7.164 / 185.00 pass was our best of the day, and that's the round I needed it."

 Waiting in the semi-finals was NHRA Pro Stock Bike POWERade point's leader Andrew Hines. Treble again suffered through a minor problem on the pass, but still earned the victory when the Vance & Hines v-rod broke on the run.

 "The bike went from 2nd to 4th gear against Andrew and I thought I was done," said Treble. "We dodged a bullet there because losing that much elapsed time after pulling the motor down like that will usually put you on the trailer."

But it was Andrew Hines and the rest of the Vance & Hines crew who were now Treble's biggest supporters for his final round against Savoie. Although nowhere near the manic thrashing needed before the Denver final, the entire V&H crew helped the Matco Tools team prepare for the Brainerd final round.

In what has become one of the best rivalries on the NHRA POWERade tour, the Treble / Savoie final was over quickly as Treble was out of the gate first, .047 to .073, then taking the stripe with a 7.199 second 183.00 mph pass after Angelle was forced to lift on the run.

 "We did just what we needed to do to stay in contention for the championship," said Treble. "Our goal was to go rounds and collect points and that's what we did. Now it's off to Memphis and hopefully we can keep this thing rolling and reach another final."

Treble improves during Saturday qualifying in Brainerd
 

Brainerd, Saturday: A fast run by Craig Treble in the last qualifying session of the weekend put the Matco Tools Suzuki in the No. 3 spot heading into final eliminations for Pro Stock Bike at the 23rd annual Lucas Oil Nationals.

Starting the day experimenting with a new engine combination, Treble rode to a 7.186 second, 183.44 mph finish in the early qualifying session, the followed it with a best of weekend 7.125/187.94 run in the late afternoon heat.

"We were confident in our set-up from Friday so we changed motors and went in a new direction on the Saturday passes," said Treble. "The 7.125 hit was second quickest of the session so we think we have a handle on both setups if we need them."

For the third race in a row, Treble will face Mike Berry on the MB Precision machining Suzuki in round one of final eliminations Sunday morning. Treble is 2-0 in the last two meetings against Berry.

Treble second after Friday qualifying
 

Brainerd, Friday: Craig Treble took advantage of the cool temperatures and overcast skies Friday to put his Matco Tools Suzuki in the No. 2 qualifying spot at the 23rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Treble started the day with a tire spinning 7.186-second, 184.40-mph run, followed by a 7.130 at 187.11 mph pass to finish the day.

"Our first hit was a handful," said Treble. "It left hard but ended up spinning the tire so much at the top of the track that it just killed our elapsed time."

In the second session, the Matco Tools bike actually tied Andrew Hines for low E.T. on Friday, but lost the No. 1 qualifying position to the Vance & Hines Harley rider due to the tie-breaking mph, 187.11 to 187.16.

"We are in good shape for tomorrow," said Treble. "I think the morning session will be the one to set the field for Sunday so we will be going after it then."

Treble ready for repeat victory in Brainerd
 

Brainerd, pre-race: As Craig Treble looks forward to the 23rd annual Lucas Oil Nationals, the Matco Tools Suzuki rider knows he can find both happiness and heartache in his past visits to Brainerd International Raceway.

"Brainerd will always be special because of my first NHRA Pro Stock Bike win here in 2000," Said Treble. "The fact that it was against the late Dave Schultz only adds to how meaningful that weekend is too me. A runner-up in '02 and the first round loss last year tend to even out my Minnesota experience, leaving the door wide open as far as what to expect at BIR this year."

With six events remaining on the 2004 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bike schedule, the Matco Tools Suzuki team knows it needs round wins and points.

"Going rounds is key," said Treble. "We left the bike setup alone after Sonoma hoping that we have a handle on our tune-up. Our goal is that we come out of the trailer strong, but more importantly, win rounds on Sunday."
 

Brainerd Photos 2004