Shawn Gann said the regular season was all about getting to the NHRA Full Throttle Series'
Countdown to 1 and the remaining five Pro Stock Motorcycle events of 2009 were about racing for his
first title. He made a step in the right direction Saturday by qualifying third for the NHRA
Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Drageway, his best effort of the season. He faces teammate Bailey
Whittaker in the first round of eliminations.
The four-time Nationals winner ran a 7.009 at 189.84 mph in the third round of qualifying early
Saturday. He clocked low ET in both rounds and, under NHRA's new points system, earned six bonus
points. Gann and his XTreme Rebellion/RumBum Buell have been consistent qualifiers all season and
on Sunday, he plans to show he can be just as consistent in eliminations.
"Our bike has been fast off the truck all year long," he said. "As long as we're not having
electrical issues, we have one of the best bikes in the field. For the most parts, I've been good
off the line and we plan on starting the Countdown off on the right foot Sunday."
A native of Stoneville, N.C., Gann lives less than 100 miles from Bruton Smith's ultra-modern drag
strip. Nothing would make the 33-year-old racer happier than to return to the Winner's Circle at
what he considers his home track.
"Oh, man, I don't even want to think about that," he said, laughing. "That would be a dream come
true to be able to win here. I'll tell you one thing, if we win, it'll definitely be a long night!"
Hector Arana continues to be on a hot streak after his U.S. Nationals win, picking up top qualifier
honors for Sunday's eliminations running a 6.965 at 189.98 mph.
Sunday's eliminations begin at Noon. For more information about the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at
zMAX Dragway, visit them on the Web at LowesMotorSpeedway.com/Dragway. Eliminations air at 7 p.m.
EST Sunday and again Thursday at 1:30 a.m. The race can be heard via live streaming Sunday at
NHRA.com.
Fans can follow Shawn Gann at Twitter.com/ShawnGann or on his page on Facebook.
