Treble suffers second round loss in Memphis
 

Memphis, TN. – Sunday post race: Craig Treble picked up a single round of NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bike points in Memphis, exiting in round two at the O'Reilly Mid-South NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil.

 "We had a good bike here in Memphis, but we got caught totally by surprise in the second round by a bog that just killed the run, and that cost us the round," said Treble.

 The Matco Tools team started the day in fine shape, easily handling Michael Phillips in round one, running a 7.247 second 182.85 mph winning pass to Phillips' 7.350 / 179.71 effort.

 "The first round run was exactly what we were looking for," said Treble. "We put a tune-up in the bike and it responded perfectly. So well in fact that I told my crew chief Mike Stevens to leave everything alone for the next round."

 Treble's second round match-up against Angelle Savoie was a repeat of last weekends final in Brainerd, a race Treble lead from start to finish. This weekend's race was a different story completely. Savoie left the starting line first, then took the finish line running a 7.248 to Treble's 7.316.

 "We were dead right off the starting line with that bog," said Treble. "Right now it is completely unexplainable as to why it reacted so differently in the second round. The bog killed both the reaction time and elapsed time on the run and left us scratching our heads as to why it happened."

Treble in the middle of the pack in Memphis
 

Memphis, Qualifying: After two Pro Stock Bike qualifying sessions at the O'Reilly Mid-South NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Craig Treble rests in the No. 8 position, patiently waiting for the two qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday.

 "So far we have a 7.267 and a 7.237 out of the Matco Tools bike, and both of those runs could have been much better," said Treble. "On both passes the motor was lean, and on the first one, I was hanging off the side trying to keep it straight for almost the whole run. Your not going to get good numbers with runs like we had today."

 The Matco tools team will have two chances to improve on Saturday, with qualifying runs at 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. 

"It has been hot in Memphis, but we're hoping that maybe on of those Saturday sessions will give us some cooler temperatures," said Treble. "If we can get tune up in this bike that likes this Tennessee air, we should improve and hopefully move up a few positions tomorrow."

Treble keeps it rolling in Memphis
 

Memphis, pre-race: Hoping to continue where he left off from the last NHRA national event, Craig Treble rolls into Memphis Motorsports Park intent on going rounds, earning points, and winning the O'Reilly Mid-South NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil.

 "We're coming off our best showing of the season so our plan for Memphis is to leave the bike alone and start right where we left off in Brainerd," said Treble. "We have only six passes on the motor we ran in the final last weekend. We need to learn a bit more about what this motor is hungry for, then feed it." 

Although this will be the only time the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bikes race in Memphis this year, Treble has tested at Memphis Motorsports Park earlier this season while competing in the NHRA Lucas Oil Division 4 event back in March.

 "We ran with eight other bikes at the NHRA Divisional earlier this year and went as fast as a 7.12 / 192 mph," said Treble. "If we can combine that early trip to Memphis with our success from last weekend, we would put ourselves in great shape fighting for the championship."

Memphis Photos 2004