Denver finalist Hector Arana Jr. looks to keep momentum going

SONOMA, CA – Lucas Oil’s Hector Arana Jr., the hottest rider in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, heads to the NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway intent on keeping the moment rolling.

Arana has raced to the final round in each of the last two races, winning in Chicago and finishing second in Denver last weekend, and has moved up to second in the points standings with three races remaining before the Countdown to the Championship begins.

“I feel great,” Arana said. “Two finals in a row, and we’ve had a couple semifinals (this year). We’ve got the bike running great. Now, I’ve just got to tweak on me just a little bit more.”

Officially, Arana has one victory, two final-round appearances, and three semi’s in seven races this year. One of the semi’s came in Charlotte, where he reached the Four-Wide Nationals final, though NHRA considers that a semifinal finish since he came in third place.

Still, there’s little doubt that Arana has a lot of horsepower, especially lately. He has two No. 1 qualifiers in 2015 and has qualified sixth or better at the last six races. Plus, he’s 7-1 against the PSM class in the last two races.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum going on,” Arana said. “Unfortunately, as a team we hurt two motors in Denver, and we went there with four, so we’ve got some work ahead of us. I know our guys can do it; we have some good people.”

His dad, Hector Sr., suffered damaged to two engines, though one was a primary for Denver only. Still, the team will be busy this week fixing engines as it works its way from Denver to Sonoma.

“We’ll keep moving forward,” Arana said. “Once all those motors are fixed, we’ll be back in tip-top shape and we’ll be ready for Sonoma.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:15 and 6:45 p.m., Friday, and 1:10 and 4:15 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations begin at noon Sunday. ESPN2 will carry both qualifying and elimination action.