Stoffer rounding into shape as season draws to a close

"It's bittersweet since it's the last race of the season," Stoffer said. "Bitter because it's the end of the season but sweet because we think we have finally figured out the bike.

"We don't have much of a chance to move around in points but we do have a chance to go out and make a big statement by winning the race. It's been a while since we've just gone out and won a race but we finally think we've got a really good chance to do it this weekend."

Stoffer and the rest of the NHRA pros will conclude their season Thursday-Sunday at the 46th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona. Adding to the excitement is the fact Stoffer was raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Panorama City, Calif., which gives her many hometown supporters a chance to come and watch her ride in person.

"We're heading into another home track for us since Southern California is where I'm from," said Stoffer, who now resides on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. "We have a lot of people visiting and we're really excited about that. It's always great to have the extra support.

"We did really well in Las Vegas and the whole set-up seems to be jiving right now. We'd like to just go out there and ride the momentum from Las Vegas all the way to the winner's circle."

Professional qualifying begins at 1:30 p.m. PST, Thursday, with all action shown on the ESPN family of networks.