No Luck for Treble in Las Vegas
 

Las Vegas, Nevada - Post Race:
"A round one exit at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals means one thing for Craig Treble and his Matco Tools team, there is work to be done before the season ending race in Pomona

"We just never put it all together this weekend," said Treble. "Our tune-up was based off our qualifying runs, and we now know that by fixing an ignition problem Saturday night, the bike wanted more fuel than we were giving it on Sunday."

The Matco Tools Suzuki ran a losing 7.342 second, 174.44 mph pass, ending their Vegas weekend much earlier than anticipated.

"There is no doubt that since the fire in Denver, our bike has not performed the way it can," said Treble. "The tricky part has been that there has been more than one issue to deal with. From the information gained in our first round race today, I would say that we learned something valuable and hopefully we will be competitive in Pomona."

Treble to Start from 12th Position in Vegas
 

Las Vegas, Nevada. – Qualifying:
Craig Treble used his best run of the weekend, a 7.260 second, 183.10 mph shot to grab the No. 12 position on the NHRA Pro Stock Bike ladder at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas Nevada.

Treble began his qualifying attempts with an off-pace 7.451 / 182.48 run in the first of two sessions on Friday. A much improved 7.266 / 183.10 pass moved the Matco Tools bike into the No. 6 spot to finish Friday qualifying.

On Saturday, two consistent runs put the Treble bike in its final qualifying position, but again left the Matco Tools team wondering what else may be troubling their Pro Stock Bike.

"We ran a 7.260 and 7.281 Saturday and all that tells us is that something is still wrong with this bike," said Treble. "I really thought we had it figured out with our Memphis testing session but now I believe that there are more problems here than we thought."

Sunday's final eliminations at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will pair the Treble Suzuki against Matt Smith in round one of Pro Stock Bike. Smith qualified his Suzuki No.5 with a 7.195 / 182.13 run.

"The plan is to do our normal pre-race tune up," said Treble. "We'll use our basic set-up, try for a good clean pass, and hope for the best."

Treble Ready to Roll the Dice in Las Vegas
 

Las Vegas, Nevada. - Pre-race:
In Las Vegas, a throw of the dice can bring either fortune or heartache, depending on what numbers come out on the roll. At the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Craig Treble would love nothing more than to see a pair of sixes from his Matco Tools Suzuki, a pair of numbers many at the Vegas craps tables would gladly get rid of.

"The truth is, I don't even need two sixes to be happy, just one would do it" said Treble.

Given the fact that the last NHRA Pro Stock Bike race produced the fastest side by side race in history, and two oh-so-close near record breaking runs, many in the class still believe that the elusive first six-second run can be made yet in 2004.

"The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway does have the potential to be a fast racetrack," said Treble. "The Harley's and the Suzuki's are both running faster than they were last season, so it is possible to have a new record set before the weekend is over."

For the Matco Tools Suzuki team, it will be tough to beat last years Vegas effort. After securing the No 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock Bike, Treble rode past reigning NHRA champion Angelle Savoie for the event title. It was the first time in his professional career for Treble captured both positions at the same race.

"2003 Vegas was a great race for our team," said Treble. "We have the same bike we won with last year, but now we have much more information to work with as we tune the bike. Hopefully we can match some of that success this year"

In preparation for this next-to-last NHRA event of the season, Treble decided to act on a nagging problem that the bike seemed to be having ever since the NHRA nationals in Denver. During the semi-final round the Matco Tools bike caught on fire, and then went through a thrashing rebuild before running in the final round.

"We replace lots of different parts on the bike that day, and in the races that followed, but I always felt that everything was not exactly working the way it should be," said Treble. "Last week I decided to strip the electrical system and replace everything connected to it."

The work seemed to payoff immediately, running a 7.11 elapsed time during a test session at Memphis Motorsports Park.

"Putting that issue behind us before coming into this race could be the key to how we do here," said Treble. "This is Vegas, so I expect we will have to roll the dice sometime this weekend. When we do, nothing would be better than putting a six on the board."

Vegas Photos 2004