Arana ready to climb the Pro Stock Motorcycle mountain in Denver

DENVER, CO – If improvement in qualifying is any indication, ProtectTheHarvest.com/MAVTV Buell rider Adam Arana will be among the riders to beat at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Bandimere Speedway.

Arana got quicker in every qualifying session, and his pass in Q4 was in the top eight.

“Improving feels great,” said Arana, who qualified No. 11. “We are definitely taking a step in the right direction. I’m only a little over two-hundredths slower than my dad and he has a fast bike, so we are moving in the right direction. It’s just taking a little time.”

Arana started with a pass of 7.370 seconds in Q1, going quicker with each run: 7.337 in Q2, 7.239 in Q3, and 7.281 at 183.84 mph in Q4 for his best pass.

Arana will face Steve Johnson in the first round of eliminations. Johnson qualified No. 6 with a pass of 7.235 seconds at 183.15 mph.

“My confidence level going into tomorrow is way better than it was earlier,” Arana said. “I had a .109 60-foot time, which is a pretty good improvement from earlier runs. But that also means there is even more room to improve, which is nice, knowing you’re going into Sunday and you can improve on what you have done.”

Arana is coming off a semifinal appearance at the most recent race in Norwalk, Ohio, and would love to keep that momentum rolling Sunday. The Norwalk race included a holeshot victory and a round-win over Eddie Krawiec in what was his best performance of his sophomore season.

Plus, it came after failing to qualify in Chicago, so Arana appreciates the chance to race Sunday.

“I have learned the hard way that racing isn’t easy,” Arana said. “We’re going to do all we can to take advantage of each opportunity we get, and we have another one Sunday. I hope we can go a long way tomorrow.”

Final eliminations at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals begin at noon, Sunday. ESPN2 will broadcast all elimination action, including live coverage of the final two rounds.