Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Chris Bostick ended his first Countdown experience differently than he planned. His last race of the season was full of ups and downs, but the talented drag racer already has his sights set on a more promising 2024 season. He’s made some impressive improvements throughout the Countdown, including achieving a new personal best elapsed time.
Hopes were high in the Bostick pit as qualifying kicked off at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Out of the three engines he had with him when he began his first foray into the Countdown to the Championship, only one remained. Interestingly, the engine that got flooded under his RV was the last one standing. It performed well in Las Vegas and Bostick was eager to see what it could do at altitude.
Qualifying began on a positive note as Bostick took to the track in his fan-favorite “Evel Knievel” leathers. He made a clean pass of 6.952 seconds at 193.96 mph to put him near the middle of the pack. The team was confident that the engine had even more in it as they serviced the bike for the second qualifying pass.
True to Bostick’s philosophy that it’s always something; it’s never nothing, the next qualifying attempt did not go as well. At first glance, it appeared that it was simply an issue of shifting at the appropriate time. However, upon closer inspection, the crew discovered that the crankshaft was broken. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something that could be replaced as Bostick no longer had any backup engines. The only option was to bring out his backup bike.
While the wind may have temporarily left Bostick’s sails, he recovered quickly but was pragmatic about his expectations for the remainder of the qualifying passes.
“I knew that this motorcycle wasn’t ideal,” said Bostick. “We didn’t expect to put up stellar numbers, but in drag racing, you never know what could happen. I’ve made it to a final round before with a bike that had less power. If it could get me from A to B, I wasn’t going to give up hope.”
His qualifying passes on the backup bike went from abysmal to decent. The first time he hit the throttle, the motorcycle didn’t make it down the track. However, in the last session of the day on Saturday, he ran a 6.996 at 183.92, giving the team a better outlook as they entered race day to face Eddie Krawiec.
In the first round of eliminations, Bostick had a killer reaction time of .008 seconds but that starting line advantage wasn’t enough to outpace Krawiec.
“Our countdown experience definitely wasn’t what I expected,” said Bostick. “But we’ve had an incredible time. I want nothing more than to continue racing out here. We’re developing a strong fanbase, and I think our program is ready for some outside partnerships. That’s what I will be focusing on over the next few months.”
Bostick ended his Countdown experience by having a fabulous time with his better half, Teri, at the NHRA Awards Banquet. They are both excited to hit the track again in the Spring.
This story was originally published on November 15, 2023. 
