Atlanta performance has Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr. on right track

 

ATLANTA (May 15) -- Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr. saw the big picture after falling in the first round of the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on Sunday at Atlanta Dragway.

 

For starters, Arana knows his team took big strides with his Pro Stock Motorcycle in Atlanta, giving him encouragement for the rest of the season. And though he lost to his dad in the first round, he knew one of the Arana Racing bikes was advancing.

 

"It's fun to race him in the finals, but even then it's bittersweet," Arana said. "But you know what? It guaranteed one of the bikes to go to the second round."

 

Arana qualified No. 9 in Atlanta, his best effort this season, and he was making a terrific pass in the first round Sunday before sitting up because his bike wouldn't shift.

 

"We're definitely on the right track," Arana said. "The bike was running good, and I was on a killer pass. I got a great light off the line, but we just had issues."

 

Arana had a .019-second reaction time and was quickly moving down the track before hitting some bumps.

 

"It didn't want to shift into 5th gear," Arana said. "We'll go back and pull all that out and check it out. It could've just been the fact that this track is really bumpy and there's a bump right there in 4th gear. That could've thrown everything off because the gears in these transmissions are very finicky. If they don't line up just right, it won't shift. Sometimes when you hit a big bump, it knocks the alignment off in the gears and it doesn't want to shift."

 

Both father and son were ready for the first round as Hector Sr.'s light was .016-second.

 

"Him and I have been doing a good job on the Tree and racing," Arana said. "Now we've just got to get some bikes ready to go some rounds because we are. We'll move forward. We're definitely on the right track. We'll be ready."

 

Today's race will air from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET. on FOX Sports 1.

Hector Arana Jr. qualified No. 9 in Atlanta, his best effort this season, and he was making a
terrific pass in the first round Sunday before sitting up because his bike wouldn't shift.

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Lucas Oil pro Hector Arana Sr. races past son in Atlanta's first round

ATLANTA (May 15) -- Lucas Oil Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr. earned a round-win at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on Sunday at Atlanta Dragway, though it was both eventful and bittersweet.

"Well, the better man won this one," Arana said with a smile.

Arana had to race his son, Hector Jr., and neither racer reached the finish line at top speed. Both were sharp on the Christmas Tree -- Arana had a .016-second reaction time to his son's .019 -- and both were making good runs.

"We were neck to neck there," Arana said. "I stayed focused, but I also could see him right there in my periphery. He was right there, but then suddenly I saw him disappear. I took the lead, and I was wondering what happened to him. Then my bike made a hard move to the right, so I pulled in the clutch."

Arana then figured his son would speed past.

"Uh, oh," Arana thought. "He's going to come right by me."

But Hector Jr. had problems shifting and couldn't catch his dad.

"My concern was what happened to him," Arana said. "I kept looking back when I was in the shutdown area, and I couldn't see him. For one second, I was concerned because I didn't see him, but he was right behind me. I saw him and I was relieved."

Arana's winning pass was 6.934 seconds at 174.75 mph while Hector Jr. made a run of 7.227 seconds at 148.55 mph.

"It was going to be a helluva run," Arana said. "But that's OK."

Arana faced Angelle Sampey in the second round and left first on the No. 1 qualifier, but Sampey came around with a pass of 6.870 seconds at 195.39 mph. Arana's run was a 6.941 at 191.76 mph.

"We went the wrong way with the tune-up," Arana said. "Sometimes those things happen, but as long as we learn from it and do something about it, it's OK. We don't need to keep repeating those things. We're going to keep getting stronger and stronger."

Today's race will air from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET. on FOX Sports 1.

 Lucas Oil Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr. reached the second round at the 36th annual
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on Sunday at Atlanta Dragway.

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Fast Lucas Oil bike has defending Atlanta winner Hector Arana Sr. smiling

ATLANTA (May 14) -- Defending Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals champion Hector Arana Sr. was in a playful mood on Saturday after qualifying No. 8 for final eliminations at Atlanta Dragway.

That could bode well for a repeat of the 2015 race here for the Lucas Oil Pro Stock Motorcycle rider.

Asked about making improvements in each of his runs from the second qualifying session on, Arana said with a laugh, "It means we are getting lucky. No, it's good to laugh and to keep getting better because that's a good indication we are going in the right direction."

Last year, Arana beat his son, Hector Jr., in the semifinals en route to winning the race. And guess who Arana is facing in the first round Sunday? Hector Jr.

"I guess he's going home first," Arana said with a smile.

Arana does have reason for confidence, as his pass of 6.926 seconds at 193.02 mph was the fifth-quickest of the session, and it came on a hot racetrack.

"This is a new combination, new engine," Arana said. "Right now, we're playing it safe. We don't know exactly which direction it wants to go and little by little we're making changes, and it seems to be responding the right way. I feel confident that everything is looking good, and we should be running better.

"It's only been three races with this motor, so I've got to learn what this engine wants."

Another reason for Arana's upbeat mood was seeing his son run well, too. Hector Jr. had struggled in 2016, even missing the race in Charlotte, but his Q3 pass was more than good enough to get into the field here.

"When I saw him run the .92, I was so happy," Arana said. "He bumped me down, but it's OK. It took a big weight off. I was more happy for Hector that now he's back. From here on, he's just going to keep getting better and better."

FOX Sports 1 will air Saturday qualifying from 10 to 11 p.m. ET and Sunday's elimination action from 4:40 to 7:30 p.m. ET.

Lucas Oil rider Hector Arana Sr. feels confident going into eliminations because his 6.926 at 193.02 mph
was the fifth-quickest of the final session and it came on a hot Atlanta racetrack.

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Hector Arana Jr. back 'on track' after solid qualifying run with Lucas Oil Racing TV bike

ATLANTA (May 14) -- That sigh of relief you heard from Atlanta Dragway came from the Lucas Oil Racing TV camp of Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr.

Arana made a solid pass in the third qualifying session, enough to put the talented rider in the field for the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on Sunday. That was an effective bounce-back after failing to qualify at the race in Charlotte two weeks ago.

"It was definitely a weight off my shoulders," Arana said. "It wasn't just because it was a perfect run and we ran a .92. Friday night; the whole team worked really hard, and we went through the whole bike. We found a couple of little issues that were hurting us, so we fixed those. Now we're definitely on track."

Arana snared the No. 9 qualifying spot, easily his best of the three races this season, with a pass of 6.929 seconds at 192.25 mph.

"Are we 100 percent yet?" Arana asked. "No, but we're on track. We finally got the motor running strong. The motor has proven itself that it's running right there. It's still in the break-in stage, so we'll see what we can show these guys tomorrow."

The Arana Racing team rebuilt Arana's engine after Charlotte, and while breaking it in during Friday's qualifying sessions, Arana couldn't crack the top 12, but on Saturday he was much better, making the third-quickest run in Q3 and following up with a quick pass of 6.955 seconds at 192.88 mph in Q4.

As the No. 9 qualifier, he'll face off against the No. 8 rider on the ladder, which happens to be his father, Hector Sr., who recorded a top lap of 6.926 seconds at 193.02 mph in Q4 to bump Arana back one spot.

"I've got to race my dad tomorrow, but at least I'm racing tomorrow," Arana said. "It's going to guarantee one of us going to the second round, and we'll go from there."

FOX Sports 1 will air Saturday qualifying from 10 to 11 p.m. ET and Sunday's elimination action from 4:40 to 7:30 p.m. ET.

Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr. snared the No. 9 qualifying spot, easily his
best of the three races this season, with a 6.929 at 192.25 mph in Atlanta.

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A 'motivated' Hector Arana Jr. ready to bounce back in Atlanta

ATLANTA (May 10) -- A slow start to the 2016 season won't get Lucas Oil Racing TV Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr. down. If anything, he's more pumped to get to Atlanta Dragway for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend than anyone in the sport.

Arana failed to qualify for the second race of the season, in Charlotte, but he's ready to bounce back in Atlanta.

"I'm very motivated," Arana said. "My last DNQ was my first race, so I'm extremely motivated. I want to show everyone that it was a fluke and that's not what you can expect out of 2016."

Arana can take some solace in history. The last time he failed to qualify for a race was in 2012, his rookie season, when he ended up second in the points standings.

"The last time I had a DNQ, we had a good season," Arana said. "Hopefully, we're going through all our hiccups early in the year rather than when the Countdown (to the Championship) comes. We're getting that all out of the way, so we'll be ready for the Countdown.

"I have all the confidence in my dad and my team that we'll be ready to go for Atlanta. I'm really focused and ready to cut some good lights and go some rounds."

The Arana Racing team has spent the time since the Charlotte race diagnosing the issues with Arana's bike, putting the engine on the team's dynamometer to figure out what's wrong.

"First thing we did was pull the motor out of the bike and put it on the dyno to see whether it was the engine or something in the bike and eliminate that," Arana said. "If the engine was down on power, then we knew it was the engine. If it had power, then we knew we had an issue with something else. That's the route we took to diagnose the issue, and we found out it was some engine issues."

With Arana living in New York, his dad, team owner Hector Sr., has been working on the engine.

"We've been working hard, trying to figure out why the engine was down on power," Arana said. "We're currently dynoing the engine, and by the time Atlanta comes around, we should be ready to go.

"We have a great engine program. There might be a hiccup here or there, but overall we've proven that it's a solid engine program."

Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m., Friday, and 1:30 and 4 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations start at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air Friday qualifying from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday qualifying from 10 to 11 p.m., and Sunday's elimination action from 4:40 to 7:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 A slow start to the 2016 season has Lucas Oil Racing TV Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr.
pumped about this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.

 

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2015 Atlanta win holds 'special place' in Lucas Oil rider Hector Arana Sr.'s heart

 

ATLANTA (May 10) -- The 2015 edition of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will forever be in the memory of Lucas Oil Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr. The veteran campaigner snapped a six-year, 86-race winless streak with the victory last year, and he'd love nothing more than to repeat as event champion.

 

"It was great," Arana said. "How many years was it since I had previously won? It was 2009, and I didn't win any races after that. To come to Atlanta last year and win the race, that was six years. That trophy holds a very special spot in my heart."

 

And while it was important for Arana to get a win, to prove to himself that he still knew how to get to the winner's circle, it was also significant to him as a parent. His children, Hector Jr., Adam, and Abigail, were teenagers or younger when he had last won, so for them to see him win as adults was big.

 

"If I were to retire right now, I know that I showed my kids that hard work pays off," Arana said. "If you believe it, you work at it, anyone can accomplish anything. That's what Atlanta showed."

 

Arana will enter this weekend's event with some momentum, too. He qualified No. 2 and raced to the final in Gainesville, Fla., to open the season, then qualified No. 6 and went to the semifinals in Charlotte. He sits third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings and is the top non-Harley-Davidson rider in the points.

 

"I'm looking forward to going to Atlanta," Arana said. "I know the pressure is on because you want to keep that momentum and win races. I'm going to stay focused and keep doing what I've been doing since the start of the year, and that's to stay calm and see what happens."

 

Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m., Friday, and 1:30 and 4 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations start at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air Friday qualifying from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday qualifying from 10 to 11 p.m., and Sunday's elimination action from 4:40 to 7:30 p.m.

Lucas Oil's Hector Arana Sr. will enter the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta
third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings and as the top non-Harley-Davidson rider.

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