Runner-up finish has Arana Sr. gunning for his own Wally

NORWALK, OH – Lucas Oil Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr. was thrilled to see his son win in Chicago last weekend, but he was also terribly disappointed he wasn’t the one holding up the Wally.

So heading into the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals this weekend at Summit Motorsports Park, Arana is motivated to get his own trophy.

“It means that I’m going to have to work harder,” Arana said. “(Winning) is something that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”

The all-Arana final in Chicago was the first time that happened in the four years father and son have been riding together, but Arana wanted to be the one first to the finish line.

“Losing to Hector didn’t soften the blow at all but it was a win for the team,” Arana said. “We’ve worked hard lately, around the clock, so a win is just what we needed. This will keep us going, and we’ll dig deeper and keep going forward.”

Arana, the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, moved to seventh in the points standings after reaching his first final round of the season. He has had something of a roller-coaster ride in 2014, but he has qualified in the top half of the field at the last three races, including back-to-back No. 5 efforts in Epping, N.H., and Chicago. And now he has a final-round appearance.

“It’s exactly what I needed to get my confidence back,” Arana said. “Now I need to get back to the finals and get my Wally. I’m so excited to go back to work, tear down my bike, and see where else we can fine-tune and find some more speed.

“We need to find some more horsepower so we can lower our e.t. and stay on pace with the Harleys.”

Qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals will be held at 4:45 and 7:15 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and eliminations begin at noon, Sunday. ESPN2 will carry all qualifying and elimination action.