Hector Arana Jr. makes big jump in points standings with semifinal finish

SONOMA, Calif. (July 31) -- Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr. finally broke through with an Arana-like weekend, racing to the semifinals of the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. In the process, he jumped four spots and into the top 10 of the Pro Stock Motorcycle points standings.

"Overall it's great," Arana said. "Honestly, we had the bike to win that (semifinal) round, but I'll get there. We made big strides and went two rounds. Next time we'll go two more. We learned some things, and I think we are going to be good for the rest of the year."

Arana finished in the top five of the final points standings in all five years of his career, but until Sunday in Sonoma, he had only one round-win all season. He and his team had struggled to find the right tune-up for his Lucas Oil Racing TV Buell, but they qualified No. 7 here and beat Karen Stoffer and Angelle Sampey before falling to Andrew Hines.

"Everything is getting right," Arana said. "Overall a great weekend. I can't complain."

Arana overpowered Stoffer in the first round with a pass of 6.813 seconds at 196.39 mph, outrunning Stoffer's 6.879 at 195.53 mph. He then got off the line first against No. 2 qualifier Sampey, .023 to .034, and made a pass of 6.827 seconds at 196.73 mph while Sampey slowed to a 10.865 at 73.78 mph.

Against Hines, Arana left .032-second too soon to draw a red-light, and he lifted early in the run. Hines, meanwhile, raced to the final round with a pass of 6.831 seconds at 195.45 mph.

Still, Arana moved to seventh in the points, his highest spot all season. He was 15th after the third race of the season and was 13th heading into Sonoma.

"It's a lot of weight off of my shoulders," Arana said. "Even though I've been keeping it on the back of my mind, it's been there. Now I'm in and I can relax and get back to my old self."

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Lucas Oil Racing TV is the first streaming TV network dedicated solely to the world of motorsports -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The new network is the world's premier motorsports destination. Programming includes live and pre-taped racing, expanded pre- and post-race action, behind-the-scenes content, unseen interviews, automobile build shows, and an extensive library of national and international motorsports content. The app is available through www.LucasOilRacing.TVfor viewing on smartphones and tablets, as well as Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Android Tablets, and Roku. Subscriptions are $59.99 with a one-year agreement, or $6.99 a month for a pay-as-you-go plan. Sign-ups are available now on www.LucasOilRacing.TV.

Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr. finally broke through with an Arana-like weekend, racing to the semifinals of the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

 
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