Defending event champ Hector Arana Jr. looks for another 'awesome' Gateway race

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 20) -- For Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr., the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park was almost perfect.

The week of the event, Arana got engaged to longtime girlfriend Nicole Nobile, who joined him at the St. Louis race. Younger brother Adam raced that weekend, too, making a rare appearance that season. Younger sister Abigail was in attendance, too, as were his parents Hector Sr. and Grace. And with the family watching, Arana raced to the final round and defeated his father for his 11th career victory.

He returns to Gateway this weekend for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

"That Monday before the race, I proposed to Nicole and we got engaged," Arana said. "The following week we went to St. Louis, and then my dad and I raced in the finals and we won. (Nobile) came with me to that race, Adam raced, and it was just really awesome."

Arana could use another "awesome" Gateway race, because he's seventh in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points standings but is only 122 points out of the lead after a series of upsets in Charlotte among the top 10 riders in the standings kept things close.

He's less than two rounds out of fourth place, and the 122-point deficit amounts to only six rounds.

"Big players are in front of me and they went down in Charlotte," Arana said. "I didn't move up any spots after that race, but the championship is still within reach."

Arana entered the Countdown to the Championship, the six-race stretch that concludes the season and crowns the champion, with a new engine named "Jake" after Jake Lucas, the late grandson of Lucas Oil co-founders Forrest and Charlotte Lucas.

Arana raced to the final of the U.S. Nationals with Jake, but the Charlotte race threw a curveball to Arana and his team.

"We have a couple of ideas," Arana said. "We're going to look at the data now and try to see why we slowed down and if there's anything we can do to improve and go from there."

Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:45 and 5:15 p.m., Friday, and 1:45 and 4:15 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations start at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast qualifying action from 6 to 7 p.m., Friday. Eliminations will air live from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday. (All times listed in CT).

Defending AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals champion Hector Arana Jr. enters this weekend's event in St. Louis less than two rounds out of fourth place and six rounds from the lead.

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.TV for 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.

Visit LucasOil.com, LucasOilRacing.TV, and GeigerMediaGlobal.com for more information.