MADISON, Ill. - Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Sr. is having one of his best seasons since winning the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Arana Sr. is fifth in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points standings with four races remaining. He leads the class with four No. 1 qualifiers and has raced to the semifinals in seven of 12 races this year, including two final-round appearances.
Plus, he's qualified fourth or better in all 13 races in 2012 and extended that streak to 19 in a row dating back to last year.
He's qualified second - behind only his son Hector Arana Jr.- at Gateway with a pass of 6.827 seconds at a track-record 196.56 mph.
"Overall, it's OK," Arana Sr. said. "The bike ran four runs, so that's good. It was consistent. We still need to get some improvement with the 60-foot. If we do that, maybe we could be running just like Hector's."
In the first round of eliminations Sunday, Arana Sr. faces Mike Berry, who qualified 15th with a pass of 6.984 seconds at 189.79 mph. Arana Sr. knows he can go rounds Sunday, but he and his team will need to work hard to accomplish that goal.
"We've just got to stay focused and make sure we don't overlook any small detail," Arana Sr. said. "We'll check everything we can and make sure the bike fires up on Sunday."
Arana Sr. continues to use the engine "Forrest" - named after Lucas Oil founder Forrest Lucas - as he works on tuning the bike for the best performance.
"He's running good," Arana Sr. said. "We need to improve on the 60-foot, and we'll be OK. I look forward to a good, long race tomorrow."
Source: Lucas Oil
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