Semi-Finals Appearance Caps Off Successful Race Weekend

Event: Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Scrappers Racing Results:

·      Top Fuel – Mike Salinas – Round 2

·      Pro Stock Motorcycle – Jianna Evaristo – Semi-Finals

NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – Jianna Evaristo rode her Scrappers Racing Pro Stock Motorcycle to the semi-finals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio on Sunday afternoon. 

After Friday night’s qualifying sessions for Pro Stock Motorcycle were canceled due to inclement weather throughout the day, Evaristo was able to qualify sixth with a time of 6.941 after two qualifying sessions on Saturday.

With more weather threatening Sunday’s eliminations, NHRA moved the schedule up by one hour to get the day’s activities completed. In round one, Evaristo would compete against Ryan Oehler and with a .017 reaction time and an ET of 6.903, she would punch her ticket to round two. 

In round two, Evaristo lined up alongside Gaige Herrara, who has had an incredible streak of wins until a red light in Bristol against Steve Johnson. But Evaristo became the first rider in four races to beat Herrara head-to-head dating back to the 2022 season. Evaristo had a .050 RT to Herrara’s .067. At the line, Evaristo’s ET was 6.897 to Herrara’s 6.988 – punching her ticket to the semi-finals where she would meet Steve Johnson.

“All of that right there is Matt Smith Racing,” said Evaristo, following her win in Round 2. “It’s Matt (Smith), Angie (Smith) and the whole team and all the hard work that they put in every day, 24 hours a day. I’ve had the pleasure of being able to work with them now and it’s really paying off. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’m very excited about what’s to come.”

Unfortunately, in the semi-final round, Evaristo’s reation time proved too fast and she would red light at the starting line, ultimately resulting in a loss to Johnson. But Evaristo knows the results of the weekend in Norwalk are a showcase of the speed in her Scrappers Racing motorcycle and a good stepping stone as she continue to learn and gain momentum in the series.

“This is all definitely still a learning experience,” said Evaristo, following her semi-final race. “I’m definitely getting more comfortable on the bike, which is why I feel like I saw the light. I really feel like I was ready. I felt good about it and I swore I saw the light. The moment I went, I was like, ‘Well, shoot.’ But it was good. The run was good. I saw the bike drifting towards the wall, but the bike definitely had the ability to be able to win that round and now I know that I also have that ability and had that ability to win that round. All I can do is learn from today. I’m getting way more comfortable and that’s something that is a really big positive out of today.”

The NHRA Drag Racing Series and the Pro Stock Motorcycle class will return to action in two weeks at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado for the Mile High Nationals, July 14 to 16. The riders will start a three week stretch of events on the west coast from Colorado to Seattle and ending at the home track for the Salinas family at Sonoma Raceway.

ADDITIONAL QUOTES – JIANNA EVARISTO:

Can you talk about the momentum you’ve gained coming from this weekend?

“This is one of the very few races from when I first started this season, I told myself that one of my main goals was consistency. I always really struggled with Q1 with not making a consistent run and then struggling with the rest. For as little runs as we got, we only got the two, I’m really happy. My first run was a decent run, made it down the track, so that was a huge plus for me. I feel like I’m working toward that consistency and just making solid runs in eliminations also. Altogether, I feel like I achieved a big goal of mine with consistency.”

How do you feel about three events in a row for the west coast swing?

“I know, I’m going to get so much seat time, I love it! Seattle will be interesting because we’ve never raced there so I think it will be an interesting learning curve for everybody. But we’re also going to Sonoma, I love Sonoma and Sonoma is my home track so that one, I need to go big or go home. I would love to win that one for everybody. Denver is first and Denver is always a tricky track, but like I always say, I’m going to go out there and race my race and stay in my lane and just focus.”