Arana Racing: November 2016

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Lucas Oil Racing TV's Hector Arana Jr. ends season with semifinal in Pomona

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13) - Lucas Oil Racing TV racer Hector Arana Jr. closed out the 2016 season with a semifinal appearance in the Auto Club NHRA Finals on Sunday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

And Arana Jr. will be a new man when the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season begins next March, as he'll marry Nicole Nobile on Dec. 10.

"We finished out on a good note," Arana Jr. said. "I got the bike working well in the third qualifying session Saturday, and we ran well today. I learned a lot this year as far as tuning the bike, and I'm excited to start my career as a new married man. I think she will be cracking the whip, so I'll go even better."

Arana Jr. qualified No. 3 and dispatched No. 14 qualifier Freddie Camarena in the first round Sunday. Arana Jr.'s pass of 6.899 seconds at 194.86 mph was more than enough to beat Camarena's 6.977-second run at 192.69 mph.

Arana Jr. then got a pass to the semifinals when Chip Ellis couldn't make the call in the second round. Ellis had lost his brakes and put his Pro Stock Motorcycle in the sandtrap and netting at the top end of the track, and the damage was enough to keep him from racing Arana Jr.

Arana Jr's winning pass was 6.945 seconds at 191.59 mph, setting up his third semifinal appearance of the season. There, he ran into eventual race winner Matt Smith, who left first with a stellar .018-second reaction time. Smith's pass of 6.946 seconds at 192.44 mph got the victory as Arana Jr. slowed to a run of 7.569 seconds at 134.10 mph.

"It's been a long season," Arana Jr. said. "Although when you here and you look back, you're like, 'Man, the season's done already.' We all put in a lot of hard work and tried everything we could to try and get our motors back to where they were.

"We are working on things and I believe that we should have everything resolved come next year."

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.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Hector Arana Jr. wants to close 2016 with a victory in Pomona

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12) - Lucas Oil Racing TV superstar Hector Arana Jr. put himself in the middle of the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship hunt by qualifying in the No. 3 spot for the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals Saturday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Arana Jr. isn't in the championship battle himself, but contenders Jerry Savoie, Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines may have to get around Arana if they want to win the 2016 title.

But Arana Jr. isn't worried about that in the slightest. He wants to get a victory for himself, his race team and his sponsors.

"I think Jerry and I should be on opposite sides of the ladder, but I'm not even looking at that," Arana Jr. said. "I want to win this race, too, and whatever happens, happens."

Arana Jr. made a top qualifying run of 6.856 seconds at 195.51 mph and will square off with Freddie Camarena in the first round. Camarena qualified No. 14 with a run of 6.916 seconds at 195.39 mph. No. 2 qualifier Krawiec is on Arana's side of the ladder, but that potential matchup wouldn't happen until the semifinals. Arana Jr., too, is simply focused on one round at a time.

The No. 3 qualifying spot is Arana Jr.'s best since Brainerd, where he was No. 3 and raced to the semifinals. He's confident in his bike for Sunday.

"I really learned a lot this year as far as tuning the bike," Arana Jr. said. "Unfortunately we are a little down on power from what we have had in previous years, so it made me learn to the tune the bike better to try to get everything out of the bike and go as fast as we can and compete. I feel like it has made me a better driver and a better tuner.

"I'm just excited for tomorrow. We still have one more race and I'm not giving up until it's over. I'm looking forward to next year from everything I learned this year and hopefully we fix the power issues and go from there."

Eliminations start at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air elimination action live from 1-4 p.m., Sunday. (All times listed in PT).

Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products is the world leader of high-performance lubricants and problem-solving additives and produces and markets more than 270 unique formulations in more than 40 countries. Products include engine oils, greases, gear lubes, problem-solving additives, and car-care products. Please visit LucasOil.com for more information.

Please visit www.LucasOil.com and www.GeigerMediaGlobal.com for more information.

Top speed has Lucas Oil pro Hector Arana Sr. excited for Pomona eliminations

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12) - There is not a faster Pro Stock Motorcycle on the property for the Auto Club NHRA Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona than the Lucas Oil Buell of Hector Arana Sr.

Not No. 1 qualifier Jerry Savoie, not championship contenders Eddie Krawiec nor Andrew Hines. Nope, the top speed of the weekend belongs to Arana Sr. His pass of 6.870 at a whopping 196.82 mph has him in the No. 7 spot for final eliminations, and that speed has him confident for a good showing.

"I feel pretty good about my chances tomorrow," Arana Sr. said. "We started good and the power is there. The bike is running awesome right now."

Arana Sr. starts eliminations against Matt Smith, who qualified No. 10 with a pass of 6.889 seconds at 193.93 mph. Arana Jr. is confident he can do better than he's shown in qualifying.

"I'm just struggling with leaving the starting line," Arana Sr. said. "I don't know if it's a bad tire, or a bad switch, but the rpm is also getting away from me. I have to take a close look at the one thing that didn't respond, and I'll just have to do something else. If it leaves strong tomorrow, it's going to be even faster."

Savoie, Krawiec and Hines are all fighting for the championship in the final race of the season, and a potential second-round matchup looms with Krawiec. But Arana Sr. isn't worried about anyone else but himself and son Hector Arana Jr., who is qualified No. 3.

"I know they are going for the championship," Arana Sr. said. "They're good friends, and I wish for all of them the best, and may the best one win. But I still want to win, so I'm going to do my job because I want to keep going on and we need a win. We need a win to boost us up even more for going on to the next year."

Eliminations start at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air elimination action live from 1-4 p.m., Sunday. (All times listed in PT).

Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products is the world leader of high-performance lubricants and problem-solving additives and produces and markets more than 270 unique formulations in more than 40 countries. Products include engine oils, greases, gear lubes, problem-solving additives, and car-care products. Please visit LucasOil.com for more information.

Please visit www.LucasOil.com and www.GeigerMediaGlobal.com for more information.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Victory in finale is all the motivation Lucas Oil's Hector Arana Sr. needs

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 8) – Lucas Oil Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Hector Arana Sr. is trending in the right direction heading into the final race of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals, to be held this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Arana has mostly struggled in the Countdown to the Championship, the six-race segment of the season that determines the Pro Stock Motorcycle champion. But Arana turned things around in Las Vegas, as he qualified No. 6 – his best since the second race of the season.

Plus, son Hector Arana Jr. qualified No. 7 in Las Vegas, and the two good performances lifted the spirits of the entire Arana Racing team.

"I definitely feel positive going into Pomona," Arana Sr. said. "We qualified sixth and seventh at Las Vegas, and it was the boost that we needed, especially at the end of the year with us going into the last race of the season."

The 16-race Pro Stock Motorcycle season can be a grind, especially for a team owner/rider like Arana Sr. He works in the shop all week, building engines and preparing the race bikes, and then helps drives the team hauler to and from races. Days off are rare.

"Truthfully, I'm worn out and I needed something like what we did in Vegas to give me a burst of energy," Arana Sr. said. "Now I am looking forward to going to Pomona so we can do well and hopefully we can go more than just a couple of rounds in eliminations."

Arana Sr. raced to the final round of the first race of the season, in Gainesville, Fla., and another final-round appearance – or a victory – would be a great bookend to the season.

"It's exactly what the team needs right now so we can get the motivation to keep on working through the winter," Arana Sr. said. "Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that I'm going to stop or that I'm not going to do anything. I'm just as hungry. I want to keep working, but to have something like a win happen, it just boosts you up and it would make my trip home shorter."

Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions will run at 12 and 3 p.m., on both Friday and Saturday. Eliminations start at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast qualifying action from 8:30-9:30 p.m., Friday. Eliminations will air live from 1-4 p.m., Sunday. (All times listed in PT).

Lucas Oil Racing TV's Hector Arana Jr. races for final time as a bachelor

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 8) – The 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona will be a milestone for Lucas Oil Racing TV racer Hector Arana Jr.

Not only is this the final race of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, but it's also the final time Arana Jr. will be racing as a bachelor.

Arana Jr., 27, is getting married Dec. 10 in New York to fiancé Nicole Nobile.

"It's my last race as an unmarried guy and that's exciting," Arana Jr. said. "I'm super thrilled to be getting married. I'm marrying my best friend, Nicole Nobile. She won't be Nicole Nobile for long though -- she'll be Nicole Arana soon -- but she'll also always be a Nobile, and I love her for that. I'm excited that my family is growing. I can't wait."

First things first, as Arana Jr. will be looking to take some late-season momentum to Pomona. After a tough start to the Countdown to the Championship, Arana Jr. has qualified seventh or better in each of the last three races, racing to the quarterfinals at the last stop in Las Vegas. Plus, Arana Jr. shook off some red-light blues that had plagued him this season.

Closing out the year with a solid performance in Pomona is his primary goal, and Arana Jr. hopes to score his first victory of the season, too.

"It would be awesome to be able to get a race win for the year, to go out on top and give everybody a little preview of what we have for next year," Arana Jr. said. "I feel really good about next year. I'm excited. I'm also excited for what Pomona holds for us. Like I said, I feel like I'm 100 percent confident that I got over the hump as far as my riding goes. I'm ready.

"Lucas Oil, who has sponsored me my whole career and my dad also, they have a big office in Corona so it's a big race for them as well because a lot of the employees come out and cheer for us. There's always a good vibe in Pomona and I want to add to that feeling."