This is the first of two races the Top Fuel Harley’s will compete on the NHRA national event stage.
The Akea/Ray Price sponsored drag bike spun the big rear tire during the first round of qualifying on Friday afternoon. The team then returned to the pits to ready the drag bike for Saturday’s qualifying sessions. The team determined that they over powered the track and needed to take power away.
During the second round of qualifying on Saturday the team backed the power down enough to get into the field with a 6.676 ET at 221.02 MPH. This moved them from the number nine qualifying spot to number seven.
In the third round of qualifying the team ran a 6.430 ET at 226.66 MPH, which at the end of qualifying placed them at number 5 in the 8 bike field.
Sunday’s eliminations saw Grimes versus Mike Pelrine in the first round with Grimes crossing the finish line first at 6.295 ET at 228.27 MPH to advance into the second round.Grimes led the race all the way, steadily opening the gap.
In round two of eliminations Grimes posted a 6.259 ET at 228.27 mph win over Randal Andras to move into the finals. Facing Jay Turner in the finals, Turner had a starting line advantage, but Grimes made up the distance before reaching the 330-foot timer, pulling away for the win with a 6.247 ET at 232.91 MPH. The win gave the Akea/Ray Price Racing Team its second win in a row.
“I am very proud of our efforts this weekend. The win puts us in first place in the Harley-Davidson Champion points standings”, said Ray Price.
The Akea/Ray Price Racing heads to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH on May 16-18, 2014.
The Ray Price Motorsports team sends sincere thanks to all their sponsors for their support for the 2014 race season. They include our Primary Sponsors: Akea, Ray Price Harley-Davidson, with special thanks to our Associate Sponsor Raleigh H. O. G. and our Support Sponsors: Vanson Leathers, PJ1 Products, RC Components, Nationwide Insurance, CP Pistons, Royal Purple, Barnett Clutches & Cables, Autolite Sparkplugs, Mickey Thompson Tires, Gates Belts, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, JIMS USA, Industrial Machine Solutions and Wiley X. Additional thanks: Bill Hayes, Hargis Consulting, Ultra Pro Machining and Freddie Robbins.
Ray Price Harley-Davidson – Raleigh, NC – www.rayprice.com www.LiveToRideLonger.com
