After all, Hines – the defending NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion – earned the victory in a shootout between the two riders for the second consective race. Tonglet took the victory and the category points lead last weekend at the race in Brainerd, Minn., but Hines was the top racer this weekend in Memphis. It was also the third consecutive final round appearance for Hines.

Hines rode to the win with a 7.161-second pass at 180.52 mph while Tonglet fouled at the starting line. The victory gave Hines the points lead for the first time of the 2005 season. It is his second victory in four final rounds this season and his fifth career win.

"This was completely opposite from the last race," Hines said. "I won the Full Throttle Award (given to the most consistent team in qualifying) in Brainerd and qualified second and didn't win the race while GT had the top qualifying spot, the points lead and the win. This weekend I edged him in qualifying for the No. 1 spot and won the race while he took the Full Throttle Award, which shows how consistent our team is. We definitely bring out the best in each other."

Hines has 850 points with just four races remaining on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule for the ultra-competitive Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Tonglet, who had led for the past seven events, now sits in second with 835 points.

"Andrew is going to be tough to catch down the line," Tonglet said. "We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend than both of us qualifying so high and facing off in the final round. It’s a tough and competitive field out there with several good riders and teams. Our goal right now is to keep going rounds and earn as many points as possible. We need to stay focused and keep working as a team."

Hines qualified in the highest position for the seventh time this season and 15th in his career. He turned in a 7.127 pass at 181.57 while Tonglet was second with a 7.129 at 186.15.

"Every time this team has success, they go back to the shop and work even harder to get ready for the next race," Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. "They want to be the most consistently competitive team on the circuit and they are willing to work for it. This team's performance is due to the long hours of work put in at the track, in the shop and through Byron (Hines', team owner) constant research and development. They just keep getting better."

Tonglet faced Geno Scali (Suzuki) in the first round, earning the victory with a 7.263 at 181.59 while Scali fouled at the starting line. In Round Two, Tonglet beat Michael Phillips’ (Suzuki) 7.263 at 181.13 to Phillips' red-light start before Tonglet rode to the semifinal victory with a 7.233 at 183.49 over Shawn Gann (Suzuki) at 7.476 at 175.14.

Hines beat Matt Smith (Suzuki) in the opening round with a 7.202 at 179.18 to Smith's 7.341 at 179.64. In the second round, Hines went 7.226 at 181.79, beating Ryan Schnitz’s (Buell) 7.230 at 183.02. In semifinal action, Hines turned in a 7.207 at 180.14 in the semifinals against Chris Rivas (Buell), who broke at the starting line and was unable to make a pass after staging.

Byron Hines was more impressed with the team effort than anything else.

"I stood there in the pits a couple of times and was just amazed at how well this team works together," Hines said. "To see everyone work on the bikes, all knowing what to do, all so coordinated, was just incredible. We had to make a lot of adjustments and changes to the bikes, especially GT's, and the team got it done every time.

"Our goal is to give the riders the best vehicle possible to go down the track. When we do our job it makes everyone on the team more confident and it's a good time of year to be consistent and confident."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing event is the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Aug. 31-Sept. 5.