Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/339119
DRAG RACING NHRA MELLO YELLO PRO STOCK SERIES ROUND 6/JUNE 29, 2014 ROUTE 66 RACEWAY/CHICAGO, ILLINOIS P90 rode perhaps one of the best races of his career to reach his 19th career final. The number- five qualifier, Arana Sr. beat de- fending event champion Star Buell's Michael Ray, reigning World Champion Matt Smith, and Smith's wife, Angie. Arana's best round came against Matt Smith when he used a starting line holeshot to take a 7.050 win over Smith's quicker 7.038. Asked after the final if losing to his son helped soften the blow of a winless streak that now spans 73 events, Arana Sr. was quick to respond. "Not even close," he said. "But this is just what we needed. I needed this to get my confidence back. Now we can go back and work harder. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all before the final. I was relaxed and calm and I felt like we'd al- ready won the race. I cut a good light, but he just happened to have a better bike." For the Arana team, the only negative aspect of the weekend came when younger brother Adam failed to qualify for the 16- bike field and was relegated to a spectator on Sunday. "It's a shame that Adam didn't qualify, but that didn't change anything as far as me and my dad were concerned," Arana Jr. said. "We missed him out here, but we have a strong team. We have two strong Lucas Oil Buells right now and now we just need to get that third one to run with us." CN FINAL 1. Hector Arana Jr. (Buell) 6.925/193.93 mph 2. Hector Arana (Buell) 6.946/192.82 mph Briefly... ed Adam Arana, Justin Finley, Mike Berry, Joe DeSantis, Elvira Karls- son, and Redell Harris. Scotty Pollacheck debuted his new sponsorship from Petrolhead, an apparel company founded by NHRA racer Bill Windham and his partner Ben Carey, the lead guitar- ist for the band Lifehouse. Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson's Eddie Krawiec turned in one of the most dominant performances in recent memory when he put an almost seven-hundredths cushion between himself and the rest of the field. Krawiec's 6.872 was well ahead of the 6.941 turned in by Hector Arana Jr. "The track here is great and we had a good tune-up for it," Krawiec said. "I don't think that we're as dominant as it looks because I think some of the other teams may have missed the set- up a bit. This is the first time this year we've had to deal with really hot conditions and that may have thrown some guys a curve." At the start of the 2014 season Angie Smith wasn't sure when or if she'd be racing, but at mid- season she now finds herself with a win and a solid spot in the top 10. Smith's fortunes changed when she gained a sponsorship from Kandy Magazine and won last weekend's Epping round. Af- ter reaching the final four in Jo- liet, she's already looking ahead. "We're working with the Kandy people right now to try and extend our deal," Smith said. "We'd love to have them on board for the rest of the season. I think we've shown them what we're capable of." Eddie Krawiec was the number- one qualifier but he lost in the second round when he red- lighted against Angie Smith.