Arana’s headed to Maple Grove with renewed zeal
Hector Arana Sr. brings momentum to Reading on Lucas Oil Buell
READING, PA – Lucas Oil Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr. took a big step forward last weekend in 
St. Louis, and he hopes to keep the momentum rolling at this weekend’s NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Arana found some speed with his Lucas Oil Buell in St. Louis, racing to the final round, which he lost to son Hector Jr., but he is encouraged by his performance.
“Going to the final in St. Louis and with the way I rode, I feel a lot better and a lot more comfortable,” Arana said. “That’s going to boost my confidence. What we need to do right now is start winning races.”
The St. Louis race helped erase some recent struggles by the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, including a first-round exit at the first Countdown to the Championship race in Charlotte, but the Lucas Oil team kept working, and both bikes made it to the final round at the second Countdown event.
“Boy, Charlotte was a tough race,” Arana said. “And even in St. Louis we struggled a little bit in qualifying, and then we started questioning ourselves. I told Hector and the team, ‘Listen, let’s just stay calm. Sunday is another day. Let’s keep working on it.’
“Hector getting the win and both of us running faster, picking up the pace is exactly what we needed after Charlotte.”
His final-round appearance moved Arana up two spots to seventh in the standings, and he’s 124 points (about six rounds) out of the lead, but Arana wants more.
“We definitely want to keep moving up,” Arana said. “I need to go home real quick, and we can’t waste any time. We need to look at my motor before we head back to Reading.”
Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1:15 and 4:15 p.m., Friday, and 11:15 and 2:45 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at noon on Sunday.
Lucas Oil rider Hector Arana Jr. on a roll heading to Keystone Nationals
READING, PA – Fresh off scoring his second victory of the 2015 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Lucas Oil rider Hector Arana Jr. is ready to contend for the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.
Arana beat his dad Hector Sr. in the final in St. Louis last Sunday, and he’ll be gunning for his second win in a row at this weekend’s NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. And just as important, Arana made up some ground in the Countdown to the Championship with his win.
“We’re back in the hunt for the championship,” Arana said. “That’s all that matters.”
Arana moved to second place in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, 34 points behind leader Andrew Hines, with his 11th career victory.
“We’ve got some momentum now,” Arana said. “We went back to the shop after Charlotte and rebuilt my motor. That can always been nerve-wracking, especially since we’re in the Countdown, but we rebuilt the motor and she’s back strong. She’s running well, and she got faster and faster every run in St. Louis.”
The victory capped a special week for Arana, who began it by getting engaged to longtime girlfriend Nicole Nobile. The two live in New York, which means his Lucas Oil team did the work last week to power Arana to the St. Louis title.
“I can’t thank them enough for doing all that work after Charlotte,” Arana said. “It’s a hard-working team, and we dig deep and do what we have to do in order to move forward.”
Now, Arana and his Lucas Oil team head to Reading, which could produce record-setting elapsed times this weekend. The three quickest elapsed times in Pro Stock Motorcycle history were run in Reading in 2012, and conditions could be conducive for racers to break Hines’ record of 6.728 seconds.
Arana has had success in Reading, too, winning there in 2011.
“Reading’s always been a good race for us,” Arana said. “It’s been fast, too, so we’re looking forward to seeing some good numbers out there.”
Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1:15 and 4:15 p.m., Friday, and 11:15 and 2:45 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at noon on Sunday.
