Karen Stoffer LATEST SNIPPET Stoffer clinches countdown spot in Brainerd. Direct access to this web page: http://bit.ly/bNfsFG Bio Latest News Snippets Career Highlights Karen Stoffer, Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racer Stoffer Successful in NHRA Return Diversity in drag racing The Final Race for 2010 Schedule 2006, 2007 Points Standing Related Issue: Women Racers Directory, Women in Racing, Women Racers, More Women in Racing, Race Schedules, Notable Women Bio Height/weight: 5'6", 115 lbs. DOB: April 21, 1964 Unsingle: Gary Hometown: Minden, NV Hobbies: Sand racing four-wheelers, water sports, rollerblading and going to the gym. Career Wins: 5 PSB - 5 Career Final Rounds: 11 PSB - 11 Career Best E.T.: 6.880 Career Best Speed: 194.3 Notable: NHRA announcer guild member since 2000; 1993 Division 7 Motorcycle champion; Former National Motorcycle Racing Association (NMRA) champion in Top Gas, Super Gas and Super Comp. Education: Holds two B.S. degrees (Business Management, Logistics and Computer Science) from the University of Nevada, Reno. Snippets Stoffer goes one-up, one-down at Firebird International Raseway. *     *     * Pro Stock Motorcycle has been a tug-of-war between Eddie Krawiec and Karen Stoffer, whose first-round loss in Brainerd, Minn allowed Krawiec to reclaim first by 51 points. Stoffer has steered her Suzuki to a win in four finals and her 17 elimination-round wins are one shy of Krawiec's total. *     *     * Thursday Pro Stock Motorcycle leaders Stoffer and Andrew Hines remained 1-2 in the field, but they got a more serious challenge Friday as the list of six-second qualifiers doubled to six. Stoffer's GEICO Suzuki still leads with a 6.982. *     *     * Karen Stoffer is on the leader-board at the final of 24-event NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, CA after the first day. *     *     * Stoffer enters this race ranked No. 7 in the Full Throttle Series with 2,213 points. She trails No. 6 Douglas Horne by 49 points and No. 5 Michael Phillips by 75 points. Stoffer's highest year-end ranking came in 2006 when she finished sixth. *     *     * Karen Stoffer finished 9th in 2008 with 2,167 points. She was 4th with 2040 points, in 2007 and ended 2006 in 6th with 814 points *     *     * Three women make the final 8 in Pro Stock Motorcycle this year. Angelle made it finishing 2nd in the series to date with 2060 points, 10 points behind 1st. Karen Stoffer was 4th with 2040 points, only 30 points out of first, and Peggy Llewellyn was 7th with 2010 points, 60 points back. Karen ended 2006 in 6th with 814 points *   *   * Geico-backed NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer scored a critical pair of round wins to advance to the semifinal from the No. 11 qualifying position at this past weekend’s O’Reilly Mid South Nationals. *   *   * Karen won the Pro Stock motorcycle race at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesvile (Fla) Raceway 3/18/07 Latest News Stoffer clinches countdown spot in Brainerd. GEICO Suzuki’s Karen Stoffer became the latest member of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class to reach the Countdown to the Championship after her first-round win in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway on Sunday. With one race remaining before the NHRA playoffs, Stoffer is locked in the Countdown. She secured her spot by advancing one round further than Steve Johnson, as she beat Jim Underdahl in the first round, and Johnson fell to Scott Pollacheck. “That was cool,” Stoffer said. “That isn’t necessarily our objective, as we have bigger fish out there to fry, but it’s nice that we’re locked in.” After taking out teammate Underdahl, Stoffer fell to Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Eddie Krawiec in the second round despite getting an advantage on the Christmas Tree. Still, Stoffer was pleased with the effort and performance of her GEICO team this weekend. “The GEICO Suzuki is still the fastest Suzuki on the block,” Stoffer said. “Props to (crew chief) Gary (Stoffer) and the team, specifically Gary. He’s been a tuning machine out there, and on Sunday, I’ve been racing good. We’ve been throwing down the lights we need to get these big guys – all the V-motors.” Stoffer threw down two good lights Sunday, leaving first on Underdahl with a .023-second reaction time (to his .031) and on Krawiec with a .012 (to his .037). “You’ve got to race them,” Stoffer said. “You can’t beat them on horsepower, but you’ve got to race them. I look back, and I’ve raced every one of them and Treed every one of them. Props to the team. We are definitely putting our best foot forward every attempt. We’re getting the light and getting good ETs. We’re just going to keep chugging away and do what we’ve got to do.” Stoffer made a pass of 6.926 seconds at 192.14 mph in the first round, beating Underdahl’s 7.014-second run at 192.06 mph. That put her against defending class champion Krawiec, who also had lane choice. “We had struggled in the right lane all weekend long,” Stoffer said. “Everybody was favoring the left lane, and we knew Eddie was going to put us in the right lane, so we had to swag at the clutch on that pass. The right lane was really, really tricky for us, and we did slow down a tic.” Despite Stoffer’s starting-line advantage, her pass of 7.000 at 191.73 mph wasn’t enough to hold off Krawiec, who went 6.876 seconds at 194.94 mph. “But even if we had our best pass of the weekend by a couple hundredths, we wouldn’t have beaten that .87,” Stoffer said. “They throw it down in the heat of the day, and it’s just unbeatable.” Now, Stoffer looks ahead to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on Aug. 31-Sept. 3. “We’re in the Countdown now,” Stoffer said. “I don’t know how we can change any strategy, but we’ll certainly look at things to see what we’ve got to do.” Source: femaleracingnews.com/drag_racing/stoffer-clinches-countdown-spot-in-brainerd/ Stoffer goes one-up, one-down at Firebird International Raseway GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer raced to a quarterfinal finish Sunday at the 27th annual Arizona NHRA Nationals to remain fourth in the Full Throttle championship points standings. Stoffer qualified fifth in the 16-bike elimination field with a 6.970 at 190.32 mph, although her path to the lofty mark wasn’t without drama. “We had an issue with me on the top end on the second (qualifying) hit, where I caught a bump at the same time I hit the brakes,” Stoffer said. “I had to put my foot down to keep the GEICO Suzuki upright. No problems there: The bike was fine, I was fine. I just had to get a new pair of shoes. “We had another gremlin with ‘Wilson’ (the nickname of an engine) in the bike, and it wouldn’t shift on two of our hits. Lucky enough, we got into the fifth spot. Unfortunately, on that last qualifying hit, it broke the motor.” The team had a long Saturday evening swapping out powerplants, leaving Stoffer feeling a bit anxious before her first round match-up with No. 12 qualifier Justin Finley. But when the two riders staged, Finley got a little too anxious and jumped the green light by -.007 seconds, giving Stoffer the win by disqualification. “We swapped motors after qualifying and put ‘Maverick’ in for our first round race against Finley,” Stoffer said. “Then it blew up on the top end. “We rushed back and had to put ‘Wilson’ back in there, and it didn’t shift again when we lost to Matt (Smith). It was all we could do. We had to go out on a wing and a prayer.” With her bike not shifting into top gear, Stoffer surrendered the lead and the race to second-round opponent Smith, who won with a 6.974 at 191.73 mph to Stoffer’s resigned 7.066 at 189.42 mph. “I’m so proud of the team,” she said. “We thrashed all weekend long. The boys did a phenomenal job getting that thing going and putting it all together. They gave me a great bike. ‘When it’s hot like this it becomes V-Twin weather, which you can clearly see if you look at who’s in the top four and how fast they’re going. The fastest Suzuki out here just doesn’t compare in these kind of conditions. If you’re on a Suzuki here, you’ve got to have luck on your side, and we didn’t really have it.” The NHRA tour takes a weekend off before heading to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 28-30 for the 11th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals. “Hopefully, going to Vegas, conditions will level out a little bit more, and it’ll help the Suzukis out,” Stoffer said. “We’re going to do what we can, repair all the motors we can, but realistically we’re going into Vegas with one motor right now. “It’s a challenge, but the good Lord puts challenges on those who can handle it. We have a good team and we all stick together. We pulled off a lot of switches this weekend, and we were able to get out there. We didn’t hang anybody out on the starting line, we made the call, we did a good job.” Source: femaleracingnews.com/drag_racing/stoffer-goes-one-up-one-down-at-firebird-international-raceway Thursday Pro Stock Motorcycle leaders Stoffer and Andrew Hines remained 1-2 in the field, but they got a more serious challenge Friday as the list of six-second qualifiers doubled to six. Stoffer's GEICO Suzuki still leads with a 6.982 and Hines' Screamin' Eagle Harley is still No. 2 at 6.986 though neither picked up any bonus points in the session as they ran respective passes of 7.03 and 7.46. “The GEICO Powersports Suzuki was on a good run. I think if we had been in the other lane and had the same setup on it we would have bettered our 6.98,” said Stoffer. “For the Pro Stock Motorcycles, there happens to be a little bit of a difference in the lanes. The top end actually was pretty good; it was the first half of the track that we saw the difference in the track. But we’re happy with it, and we learned a lot about those lanes and the differences — at least for these two days there were some differences. “Gary was able to come out here yesterday and hit the tune-up pretty darn close, and that put us into the first position. I think tomorrow the conditions are going to be a little bit better, and I think that now that we all have data on both lanes, I think we’re probably going to see even more of those Larry Cook amazing runs come out, and I don’t think the 6.98 is going to hold. I think we’re going to have to better ourselves. I definitely think there’s room for us to improve.” Source: http://www.nhra.com/story/2009/11/13/2009-pomona2-friday/ The Final Race for 2010 After charting a field-leading 6.982, Stoffer is looking for her first No. 1 qualifying berth of what has been a disappointing season for her GEICO Powersports Suzuki, and she's simultaneously trying to fend off Shawn Gann in their battle for seventh place. He began the event four points behind her, but the three points she earned as the session's best qualifier nearly doubled the gap. "Those three points are nice, but it's kind of a melancholy feeling because this is the last race, and we want it to be good," said Stoffer, who has one No. 1 qualifying berth. "And we're just getting our momentum up, so we wish there was another pass today and another race next weekend so we can maintain that. I'm proud of the team, and the GEICO Powersports bike is running good right now, and, although this isn’t a home race, we have the conditions down because it's on the West Coast, so I hope these conditions continue. "That's just one hit and the first time out and a lot of people were spinning the tire, so I don’t think this really shows anything about the potential. But the next three qualifying runs will show us more. Our Suzuki inline fours can do better in these conditions than we do in the hot, sticky stuff, so there's going to be more parity." Karen Stoffer, Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racer - 3/20/06 Karen Stoffer has enjoyed High Speeds, High Performance and big interest in Motor Sports most of her life. She has been involved in Motorcycle Drag Racing since 1990 when she was selected as Rookie of the Year at Los Angles County Raceway. Karen's profession is the OS Global Programs Leader for a division of General Electric. She holds a BSBA in Logistics Management and a minor in Computer Science from the University of Nevada , Reno . Enthusiastic about sports, Karen stays in shape through bicycling and going to the gym. When she is not racing, at work or working out, Karen attends the University of Nevada , were she will complete her MBA. Karen is passionate about everything she does when she is at work she works hard and loves her job when she is racing she maintains a laser like focus. The key to Karen's racing success is her burning desire to win and the setting of achievable goals. Karen has displayed definite ability to compete in motorcycle Drag Racing's highest and most elite class - National Hot Rod Association's (NHRA) Pro-Stock. The evidence is in her record of achievements Class Champion 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1997 with an overall NHRA Division 7 Championship in 1993 . Karen is among the first women to be licensed in Pro-Stock Motorcycle Racing. She has held the AHDRA National Record and has competition experience in, NHRA, AMA Pro-Star, and NMRA with multiple wins in the very quick Pro-Modified class. Karen finished 11 th in 2003 and 10 th in 2004. Karen makes her home with husband Gary Stoffer in Minden, Nevada . Her dream to win a NHRA Pro-Stock Motorcycle World Championship fuels her Drag Racing enthusiasm. Karen understands the power of purpose with emphasis on personal development, her riding, and communication, viewing all of these skills as pertinent to a strong marketing partner relationship. Karen believes 2006 is the year to deliver an NHRA Pro-Stock Motorcycle World Title to a World Class Sponsor. Stoffer Successful in NHRA Return GEICO-sponsored Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer made a triumphant return to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series with a sixth-place qualifying effort and a crucial first round win at the AC Delco Gatornationals, from Gainesville FL. 2011: Earned first win since 2006; Set career-best E.T. and speed; Earned fourth consecutive Countdown playoff appearance; Finished in the top 10 for the eighth season in a row 2010: Earned second No. 1 qualifying position of career; Raced to a runner-up finish in Denver; Earned fourth consecutive NHRA Playoff appearance; Finished in the top 10 for the seventh consecutive year 2009: Raced to a runner-up finish in Charlotte; Earned third consecutive NHRA Playoff appearance; Finished in the Top 10 for the sixth consecutive year 2008: Earned second straight NHRA Playoff appearance; Finished in the Top 10 for fifth consecutive year; Earned first career No. 1 qualifier at her home track (Sonoma) 2007: Earned appearance in inaugural Countdown to 4; Finished in the POWERade top 10 for the fourth consecutive year; Won in two final-round appearances; Posted a career-best time 2006: Earned one victory in two final-round appearances; Joined the Mickey Thompson 6-Second Pro Bike Club with her performance in Reading; Finished a career high sixth in points to put her in the POWERade top 10 for the third consecutive year 2005 Houston OReilly ProStock Motorcycle Winner. Earned one victory in three final-round appearances; Finished in the POWERade top 10 for the second consecutive year 2004 Set career-best elapsed time and speed; collected first career win (Houston); finished in the POWERade top 10 for the first time in her career 2003 Recorded career-best performance numbers; was the runner-up at Columbus; earned a career-best finish in the point standings 2002 Scored runner-up finish to Angelle Savoie at Reading; Competed in her first NHRA event since 1996; Qualified for all four events she entered 1996: Made her debut at Denver along with Angelle Savoie and Stephanie Reaves 1993: Division 7 Motorcycle Champion 1990: Began racing Stoffer Back in the Saddle GEICO-sponsored Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer made a triumphant return to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series with a sixth-place qualifying effort and a crucial first round win at the AC Delco Gatornationals, from Gainesville FL. “It was so great to be back,” said Stoffer, who suffered a near career-ending accident last November. “I got to have a lot of great conversations with a lot of the fans that sent me get well emails and cards throughout the season. It’s hard to put into words just how much I appreciate all the support. The next goal is to win an event for all of them. They really deserve it.” Stoffer qualified her GEICO Suzuki TL-1000 in the No. 6 spot with a best lap of 7.06 at 192 mph. “We learned a lot this weekend,” Stoffer said. “We feel like we can be competitive out here and that we have a legitimate shot at the championship.” Stoffer scored a huge holeshot win over friendly rival Craig Treble in the opening round with a .004 reaction time and a 7.13 to Treble’s quicker but losing 7.11 and .032 bulb. “Craig brings out the best in me,” Stoffer said. “He has taught me so much about racing and I have had so many tough races with him.” Stoffer is now seventh in the POWERade points series, just 60 points out of the lead. “I’m really excited,” Stoffer said. “I can feel the team starting to gel. It’s going to be a great season.” Next up for Team Geico will be the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals from Houston, TX, March 31st-April 2nd. Stoffer and the entire team extended a special thanks to all of this season’s loyal supporters: GEICO Motorcycle Insurance 1-866-326-2035, Mac Tools, Bates Leathers, NGK, Airtech, Wrath Motorsports, Square One Graphics, and Vance and Hines Motorsports. 2006 Race Schedule March 16-19 ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville, FL Mar 31 - Apr 2 O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals Houston, TX May 4-7 NHRA Southern Nationals Atlanta, GA May 18-21 Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals Columbus, OH June 8-11 CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals Chicago IL June 15-18 K&N Filters NHRA Supernationals Englishtown, NJ June 23-25 O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals Madison, IL July 14-16 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals Denver, CO July 28-30 Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals Sonoma, CA August 10-13 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Brainerd, MN August 18-20 O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals Memphis, TN Aug 30 - Sep 4 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Indianapolis, IN Sept. 14-17 Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals Reading, PA Oct. 26-29 AC Delco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals Las Vegas, NV Nov 9-12 Automobile Club NHRA Finals Pomona, CA Source www.prostockbike.com Diversity in drag racing Take a look at the National Hot Rod Association standings, and see what's there. Antron Brown is first in the Pro Stock Motorcycles, and teammate Angelle Sampey is third. Melanie Troxel is fourth in Top Fuel standings. J.R. Todd is 10th in Top Fuel but has three victories, including last Sunday at Reading, Pa. Tony Pedregon (fourth) and Cruz Pedregon (10th) compete in Funny Cars, Hillary Will is ninth in Top Fuel, and Karen Stoffer is fifth in Pro Stock Motorcycles after a victory at Reading. That's what those drivers want you to see when some of them come to Virginia Motorsports Park tomorrow. Not their sex or their skin color. "Right now, it's a big deal because I'm an African-American," Todd said. "If I weren't, I don't think they'd be making as big a deal as they are. "I've been on CNN and SportsCenter and USA Today because I'm African-American. Eventually, it's going to slow down, and it will just be, 'Hey, J.R. won another race.' That will come with time when you get more minorities involved." The NHRA will bring its show to Dinwiddie this weekend for the Torco Racing Fuel Nationals. What fans will see is while other racing series may give lip service to diversity, it's a base principle at the top level of drag racing. The participants know it's a story. They're constantly going to cities they see only once a year, and there will be new interviews and more talk about them. But they don't want it to end there. "I think that's an important next step in the progression of women in motorsports," Troxel said. "It's natural for it to be noteworthy, but it makes it kind of a novelty, like 'Oh, look, there's a woman.' But when that's all there is, people get tired of it." Troxel and Sampey participate in the Hostess Race Divas program, appearing on calendars and snack packaging along with the Indy Racing League's Danica Patrick. Troxel said she agreed to the program because she knew it would bring attention to herself, her team and her sponsor. It wasn't as easy for Sampey. "I had to have people tell me that I needed to use that to my advantage. That's why I hate it more than anybody else," Sampey said. "People are having trouble finding sponsorships, and it's not fair for me to say, 'Sponsor me because I'm a girl.'" "In my mind and in my heart, I'm just a racer. When the helmet goes on, you can't see the faces. We want you to give us attention because we're winners." They've definitely earned that right. While Sampey and Brown won't be competing at the Torco event -- it's a weekend off for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class -- they've combined for five wins, including the first four events of the year. Brown, an African-American, and Sampey, a woman, are shining examples of how diversity isn't a dirty word for the NHRA. They've both worked their way to the top ranks of the motorcycle class, and Brown said that gives the NHRA an advantage over NASCAR or most other forms of racing. In comparison, NASCAR's top three series offer only two women (Erin Crocker and Kelly Sutton), one Hispanic (Aric Almirola) and one black man (Bill Lester), none in the top 10 in points. The NHRA also offers a diverse group of fans. "With the NHRA, there's a lot more entry-level racing for minorities," Brown said. "NASCAR, they have [the Automobile Racing Club of America] and all that other stuff, but you still have to be rich. NHRA, you can go to the drag strip and race anything from your mom's station wagon to dirt bikes. You just have to come out there and drag race with it. That's the advantage they have." For Todd, who is just 24, it's a time of new role models and new chances to shine. "There's still a lack of women and minorities out here, but we need to see more of them," Todd said. "By me picking up the win this year, the first African-American to win in a nitro category, that opens up the door for more minorities. It shows it can be done." Source: Jill Irwin, www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190982731 *    *    * WomenInRacing.org | Contact Us ©1996-2023 by Gordon Clay