2011 NHRA U.S.NATIONALS - PRO STOCK BIKE
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MONDAY NOTEBOOK - ARANA JR STAKES HIS CLAIM
Before you go and award the NHRA’s Rookie of the Year award to Vincent Nobile, you might want to consider Hector Arana Jr.
That’s exactly what the second-generation Pro Stock Motorcycle rider said with his actions and a friendly reminder during his post-race press conference following a milestone win at the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
“He had better watch his back,” said Arana, smiling broadly and clutching his first pewter Wally. “Not only did I win a race, I won the U.S. Nationals. I’m hoping this will give me a little extra look from the voters.”
Arana entered eliminations as the No. 5 qualifier and opened with a strong 6.929, 190.35 to stop an upset-minded Angie Smith, who left the kid on the line with a .009 reaction time.
He tweaked his tuning to pull a 6.912 elapsed time out of his Lucas Oil-sponsored Buell in beating defending event and series champion L.E. Tonglet.
Arana ran another 6.929 in beating Chip Ellis during the semis.
“We were fortunate to hit the tune-up right out of the gate,” Arana said. “We maintained what we had and made slight adjustments. We knew the key to making it work was in staying on top of the weather as it changed. Unlike Brainerd, where the weather got worse for the finals, it got better here and we did good with it.”
Arana still had the momentum of a Brainerd runner-up working in his favor and admittedly the lessons learned from the loss to Tonglet two weeks ago served as a reminder of what not to do in Indianapolis.
“The final round in Brainerd prepared us for today,” said Arana. “In the finals there, we slipped and got lost on the tune-up. This weekend we made sure we stayed on top of the tune-up. We picked up tremendously. When we got low elapsed time of the event, we knew we had done it.”
Of to the side was a proud father, and quarterfinalist in the event, Hector Arana, as he watched his son walk onto the winners podium to celebrate a hard-fought victory. The soft-spoken father waited until his son walked down from the stage.
He was careful not to grab any of his son’s first spot-light and offered his congratulations.
“Dad just looked at me and said, ‘Good job son,” Arana said.
And, then, even though he made his pitch for drag racing’s novice award, reality began to creep into his mindset that he’d won the big one.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Arana said. “This is the biggest race of the year and I was able to do it in my rookie year. For all of my family, this is a hometown event. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
QUICK HITS: RACE REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
ROUND ONE
WELCOME TO THE SHOW – Monday’s first round of eliminations featured four races of drivers who met for the first time in 2011 eliminations. On the other end 
of the spectrum, Karen Stoffer has raced Gerry Savoie, winning all three meetings.
NO. 1 OUTTA HERE – Andrew Hines rolled to the starting line in his first round match with Shawn Gann as an overwhelming favorite. This was dependent on his transmission going into gear, which it didn’t.
Starter Rick Stewart ordered Gann to stage and run for the victory by default as Hines watched.
“Something just locked up in the transmission,” said Hines. “I came out of the burnout and it just locked up the tire. It almost threw me over the handlebars. It freed up for a second and rolled a little bit, almost up to the starting line. It just seized up and I couldn’t move it at all. It’s just an inopportune for this to happen. Good thing it wasn’t during the Countdown.”
ELLIS, TONGLET ADVANCE – Chip Ellis, a past NHRA Full Throttle finalist, and L.E. Tonglet, the defending series and Indy champion, advanced to the second round.
Ellis beat Mike Phillips with a .001 margin of victory while Tonglet overcame a .001 reaction time from Steve Johnson to advance.
LITTLE ARANA SURVIVES – Angie Smith didn’t make the experience on first-time Indy participant Hector Arana Jr. as he chased down her .009 reaction to win with a 6.929.
Her husband Matt Smith didn’t fare much better as handling problems off of the starting line made him first round fodder to Jim Underdahl.
While the Smith’s went 0 for 2, the Aranas went 2 for 2 when Hector Sr. soloed to victory. His opponent Mike Berry broke a piston following the burnout.
SAVOIE ERASES THE GOOSE EGG – Gerry Savoie is chock full of life experiences as an alligator hunter. On Monday, he hunted down and eliminated another animal – the Gecko on the side of Karen Stoffer’s Suzuki.
Stoffer has beaten Savoie in all three of their three previous meetings.
THE LONE EAGLE – Eddie Krawiec forged ahead as the final remaining Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team member with a win over Criag Hope. Krawiec ran a 6.974, 190.14 in winning.
QUARTER-FINALS
THAT’S A CLOSE SHAVE – Indy will have a first-time winner in 2011.
Chip Ellis advanced to the semis where he will race Hector Arana III. Ellis won when Gann fouled. The second-generation, drag racing Arana knocked off defending event champion L.E. Tonglet with a holeshot, and a 6.936 to 6.912 margin.
Jerry Underdahl used a 6.936 and a quicker reaction time to eliminate past Indy winner Hector Arana.
Alligator business Gerry Savoie advanced to the semis by running a 6.931, 190.16 to beat Eddie Krawiec.
SEMI-FINALS
LIZARDS, CHICKENS AND GATORS, OH MY! - Gerry Savoie deals with alligators for a living, but on Monday in Indianapolis, he had to battle all kinds of critters en route to his first Indianapolis final round. His bike has been an animal of its own this weekend.
“I’m just as surprised as you are,” rookie NHRA Pro Stock Bike rider Savoie said to NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart. “The guys have been working in the shop until 4:30 in the morning and we blew up two engines this weekend.
“We have already outrun two lizards and a screaming chicken, I don’t know what else the gator has in it, but we are going down the track.”
Savoie ran a 7.005, 188.23 to dash Jim Underdahl’s first Indy final round bid.
On the other side, of the ladder, rookie Hector Arana III ran a 6.929, 192 to beat Chip Ellis.
FINAL
ARANA, THE KID, WINS - Like Father, like son.
Hector Arana Jr., competing in his first NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, scored the victory with a 6.867 second pass at 192.60 miles per hour to beat fellow first-time Indy competitor Gerry Savoie.
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - STOFFER MAKES BIG GAINS, HINES TOPS QUALIFYING FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW
HINES CAPTURES POLE – Once again Andrew Hines had no equal at the U.S. Nationals – at least in qualifying.
For the second year in a row, Hines, who pilots the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, won the pole position at the U.S. Nationals Saturday with a 6.909-second elapsed time at 193.90 mph.
“The two runs we made (Sunday) were near flawless,” said Hines, who came to Indy fifth in the point standings. “The V-Rod was going nice and straight down the track and that was all due to the testing (13 laps) we did here (at Indy) last week. We were able to get a nice good axle set up with the tire we had on the bike, which is the most crucial thing. When you put a different tire on it sometimes they have a tendency to go different ways and we were able to get it to go nice and straight down there in testing. We also had the top speed of the round that last pass and that shows that we have the horsepower we need out here in this Indy air.”
This is Hines’ first No. 1 qualifying performance this season and 29th of his career and third at Indy. Hines also captured the U.S. Nationals pole in 2005. Hines was accompanied at his press conference with his 13-month old son, Declan.
“To come out and get our first No. 1 qualifier of the year with my motorcycle at the biggest race of the year, the U.S. Nationals, is very special,” said Hines, a three-time world champion from 2004-2006. “Especially having the little one (Declan) here.”
Hines made two runs Sunday, a 6.945-second lap on his first run and a 6.909-second effort in his finale.
“With cooler weather, I knew it was possible to make some good runs (Sunday),” Hines said. “The only bad thing with the cooler weather is that the humidity rolled in with the clouds. It came in and the water grains went up substantially and we were able to learn from that last week in testing. We fixed a couple of the components on the motorcycle last week which enabled us to pick up the 2 mph that we were missing compared to (what) our teammate Eddie (Krawiec) was running in Brainerd. That has made all the difference. My bike runs to the eighth-mile just like his bike now.”
Hines has one win this season at Houston, but he is still chasing his inaugural U.S. Nationals victory. A year ago, he lost in the finals to eventual world champion LE Tonglet. Tonglet beat Hines by a mere four points to win the 2011 world title.
“I expect the bike to be way more consistent than it has been, especially compared to the Countdown last year,” Hines said. “My bike would progressively go slower each round on Sunday, and I would end up losing to LE Tonglet in the finals like four races in a row or whatever it was. That was getting old fast. We focused on trying to make my bike better for the last few races (last year) and we were testing stuff. People probably do not believe that.”
Despite of all Hines’ accolades, he would like to close the deal at Indy. Hines also lost in the finals at the U.S. Nationals in 2008 to Steve Johnson.
“It is frustrating not being able to get that win,” Hines said. “I think I said that last year when LE beat me and ESPN put the camera on me. I told them that they will not have to ask him for the rest of his career when he will win Indy. It would be nice if it happens (for me). It is on my bucket list.”
SAVOIE ROLLS WITH PUNCHES – Jerry Savoie has had an outstanding rookie season in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks.
Savoie from Cutoff, La., came to the U.S. Nationals ninth in the point standings. Savoie’s top effort was a semifinal loss to Karen Stoffer at Englishtown, N.J., in June.
Savoie, however, has not had much luck at Indy this weekend.
“We blew an engine in our first run Saturday and we decided not to make another run Saturday,” Savoie said. “We decided to wait it out until (Sunday) because conditions were going to get a little better. On our first run Sunday, we blew a transmission seal. We have been having a serious problem, we can’t get parts, man. The guy who promised us valve springs said we would get them in 12 weeks and we didn’t get them for 17 weeks. We just got the springs on Friday morning and the springs we got, out of 25 of them, only four can make it. The other 21 were sh**. We are running into some problems, but we will get it all worked out next week and be ready for Charlotte (Sept. 15-18).”
Losing the motor was tough for Savoie to digest.
“The engine we blew Saturday was probably the strongest engine that he (Mark Peiser) has produced all year based on the numbers on the dyno,” Savoie said. “That was a brand-new engine and when it blew, it blew everything. We will get better (Monday).”
Savoie had his best run of the weekend in the last qualifying session Sunday at 7.024 seconds, but that still left him No. 14 on the qualifying ladder.
RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY – At 2:55 p.m. EDT, Sunday Mother Nature took center stage by bringing down a light rain.
The rain happened moments before Matt Guidera and Steve Johnson were going to make their fifth and final qualifying runs. Johnson and Guidera were both trying to make the 16-car field. Guidera was No. 17 and Johnson was No. 18. Racing resumed at 3:46 p.m. Right after Guidera and Johnson ran, it started raining again at 3:48 p.m. Racing resumed at 4:03 p.m.
Johnson made the Pro Stock Motorcycle field at No. 13 with a 7.022-second run at 190.14 mph. Guidera just missed the cut as he was No. 18 at 7.066 seconds. Shawn Gann was on the bubble at 7.047 seconds at 188.31 mph.
(GT) TONGLET EXITS EARLY – GT Tonglet had a forgettable U.S. Nationals.
Through Saturday, Tonglet’s best run on his Suzuki came on his first qualifying run Friday at 7.254 seconds.
“My brother’s bike is out of commission for this race,” LE Tonglet, GT’s 21-year-old brother, said. “We do not know when it’s going to be back. We have had so many problems with it since we built it. It has been one electrical thing after another and now we don’t really know what the problem is. We have changed everything so many times. Now, we are probably going to reposition the motor in the frame and get it back level. We will see what happens then.”
LE qualified No. 4 at 6.947 seconds at 190.38 mph.
“The goal (Monday) is just to go rounds,” said LE, the reigning world champion and defending U.S. Nationals champ. “Whoever you line up against they are going to try and beat you, that’s just racing. Whoever has the better bike and the better set up in it will win.”
PHILLIPS PREPARED FOR MONDAY – Michael Phillips qualified No. 9 for the U.S. Nationals with a 6.985-second run at 192.66 mph.
Monday, Phillips’, Edge Pain and Performance Chips motorcycle, meets No. 8 Chip Ellis in the first round.
Phillips, who has won six career races, has three runner-up finishes this season at Houston, Denver and Sonoma.
“I’m trying stuff and learning stuff and everything is coming around,” Phillips said. “I’m creeping up on it and on race day the bike will be ready.”
On her last qualifying run alone, Stoffer rocketed up from the No. 8 position at 7.010 seconds to the No. 3 spot.
“I really messed up bad on that (first Sunday) pass,” Stoffer said. “I knew there was a lot more in the bike. It is good for the team and good for me to know that we have a bike that can perform and compete on Monday.”
Stoffer is trying to bounce back after a first-round loss at Brainerd, the previous event, to Andrew Hines.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - NO CHANGES ATOP THE FIELD
Matt Smith didn’t improve on his Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time Saturday at the U.S. Nationals, but he didn’t care.
Smith is still holding the provisional pole, thanks to his 6.954-second run at 190.97 mph at Lucas Oil Raceway Friday.
“The first run (Saturday) was real hot,” Smith said. “The second run it started cooling down real quick, but I think some of the water was coming up in the air. A lot of times when it starts cooling down real quick after a hot day, water comes up and the bikes do not run good when there is a lot of water in the air. I think that is why we didn’t see any improvements.”
Smith, however, plans to make plenty of adjustments before Sunday’s qualifying.
“I think we have a little something going wrong,” Smith said. “The motor is coming out of the bike and we are going to tear it apart (Saturday night) rebuild it and put a new crank in it. There’s no way that elapsed time (6.954) will hold. (Sunday) is supposed to be 10 degrees cooler. I think we will be fast (Sunday).”
Smith, the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, won his lone national event this season at Englishtown, N.J., in June.
Smith’s top-qualifying spot so far at the U.S. Nationals is especially impressive since he is serving as the crew chief for three motorcycles – his, his wife Angie Smith’s and Michael Ray’s. All three motorcycles are Matt Smith Racing Buells.
“Angie’s bike is good,” Matt said. “She ran two 7.02s (Saturday) and Michael was on a good pass the second time and then it didn’t shift. There’s no reason for it not to shift.”
Angie Smith is qualified No. 8 at 7.023 seconds and Ray is No. 11 7.066 seconds.
In addition to his Pro Stock Motorcycle duties, Smith also is driving a Pro Mod car and is his father Rickie Smith’s teammate. Matt hasn’t made the 16-car field. He is No. 19 at 6.164 seconds. Burton Auxier is on the bubble at 6.131 seconds. Rickie Smith is No. 4 at 6.037 seconds.
“My dad has to get the car to quit shaking,” Matt said. “Like I said, he is the best tuner out there. He just has to figure it out. It is shaking (in) the top of low gear and second gear. Both runs (Saturday) I pedaled it. I went a 16 pedaling it and a 23 pedaling it. It might be the tires. The best thing to do is probably try his (his dad’s) tires (Sunday) and see if it will quit shaking.”
NOT HER DAY - Karen Stoffer has had an amazing season in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks.
Stoffer came to U.S. Nationals second in the point standings.
Stoffer’s success, however, has not translated this weekend to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. The first qualifying run Stoffer didn’t make it off the starting line and her best lap so far after three runs is 7.174 seconds at 185.69 mph. That elapsed time is 20th best in the 27-Pro Stock Motorcycle field. The top 16 qualifiers will compete in eliminations.
“(On the first run) when I went to put it on the two-step, it actually came back down and went down to idle, so we knew there was a problem,” Stoffer said. “Taking it back to the trailer we investigated it and the throttle positioning sensor on the fuel injection had malfunctioned, so we had to change that out. The good thing was I was quick and caught it and we didn’t have to worry about making a terrible pass and doing more damage. We took it back and fixed it.”
Stoffer’s problems at the U.S. Nationals have not been lost on Matt Smith, the top qualifier in the class so far.
“Karen is struggling, and I do not know what it going on,” Smith said. “Her last run, it sounded like she double buttoned it down there in the last two gears.”
Although Stoffer has had Indy troubles, she is optimistic her Geico Powersports Suzuki will bounce back.
“That why this is a team sport, instead of just a driver sport,” Stoffer said. “It is going to be the team that figures it out and puts it together and gives me the bike on Monday. Every crew chief is probably sitting there and scratching their head and looking at their notes and seeing where there best weather was because it is probably going to be some of the best weather we have on Monday. It is going to make Monday a very interesting day. Monday is going to be a totally different day and nobody is going to have a tune-up for it.”
Stoffer has made four final-round appearances this season. She lost in the finals at the Gatornationals, Atlanta and Englishtown (N.J.), and she won the Mile-High Nationals in Denver in July.
Stoffer now has six career NHRA national event wins, but she had not won since she beat Matt Smith in the finals at Atlanta in 2007.
Regardless of what happens at Indy, Stoffer will compete in the six-race Countdown Playoffs which begin Sept. 15-18 at Charlotte.
“I’m trying really hard to stay focused and treat it (the Countdown races) like the racing at the beginning of the year,” Stoffer said. “It is really about consistency for me. If I can ride what they give me and be consistent and fast and straight every time the win lights will turn on. I really do not want to put too much emphasis in anything. I just need to go to each race track and do the best we can do every single pass down the track.”
HINES STAYS STRONG AT INDY – A year ago, Andrew Hines had the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson on the pole at the U.S. Nationals with a career-best 6.815-second run.
Hines, a three-time world champion, has fallen short of the mark this year in Indy, much shorter, namely because of the hot, sticky weather.
Hines, however, has been able to battle the elements and is second on the qualifying ladder after three sessions with a 6.962-second elapsed time at 191.40 mph.
“That was a good solid run,” Hines said about his elapsed time which he clocked in the final qualifying session Saturday night. “The track was about as good as it was last week, nice hot and humid. I can’t wait for that cloud front to roll through (Saturday night). Hopefully it will rain a little bit and cool this whole entire track off and we will get our V-Rods out there flying and take care of some of these competitors.”
Hines came to the U.S. Nationals fourth in the point chase. Eddie Krawiec, who is the point leader, and Hines’ teammate, is qualified No. 7 at 7.004 seconds.
GATOR OF A DIFFERENT COLOR - When Pro Stock Motorcycle's Jerry Savoie rode up to the starting line for Saturday's first run, announcer Bob Frey told the crowd that the Cutoff, La., alligator farmer and environmental enthusiast competes for W.A.R., White Alligator Racing. Then Frey quipped, "I guess the pink, blue, and green alligator business isn't doing as well."
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -
MATT SMITH TAKES PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE POLE - This has been a season of highs and lows for Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Matt Smith.
Smith won his lone national event this season at Englishtown, N.J., on June 5, and lost his sponsorship from Al-Anabi Racing the next week.
However, Smith, the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, keeps on going about his business and Friday he was back on top again.
Smith earned the Pro Stock Motorcycle provisional pole with a 6.954-second run at 190.97 mph at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.
“We missed the tune-up a little bit by looking at it, but all in all we got away from the line good and that is where we gained all of our momentum,” Smith said. “Some other people had problems spinning the tires and the track was 132 degrees out there when I made that run, but we made adjustments and that’s kind of what I’m good at is getting the first eighth-mile. We just need power for the back half and we need some sponsorship to help us finish this year out.”
This weekend at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Smith has a full schedule. He is serving as the crew chief for three motorcycles – his, his wife Angie Smith’s and Michael Ray’s motorcycle. All three motorcycles are Matt Smith Racing Buells.
In addition to his Pro Stock Motorcycle duties, Smith also is driving a Pro Mod car and will be his father Rickie Smith’s teammate. Originally Smith was to drive his father's car but at the last minute doctor clearance put the elder Smith back in the seat.
Rickie Smith suffered a fractured left knee in the crash when his ’68 Camaro drifted into the opposite lane and was collected by Farber’s '69 Daytona where they remained together through the shutdown area.
Although Matt Smith is a Pro Stock Motorcycle veteran, Pro Mod is a work in progress.
“I have never done competition in the (United) States (in a Pro Mod), but a lot of things are coming together,” Matt said. “We would like to have a full deal for our bike program and a full deal for the car. My dad has told me if we can find money to do both, we will do both. We are trying to find little stuff and we will see what happens.”
Matt also said Pro Mod star Billy Glidden and his wife Shannon, are crewing the car he is driving at the U.S. Nationals.
“My dad is calling the shots on it (the car) and Billy and Shannon are working on it,” Matt said. “Billy and Shannon are doing this is just for this race because they live right here in Indiana. My dad has helped Billy with the nitrous stuff on his 10.5 car, and we needed some extra hands for this weekend and they are coming up to help. It is going to be fun.” 
Smith suffered a severe knee injury and underwent surgery following a high-speed crash in Bristol with Pro Mod racer Pete Farber.
“I’m driving my dad’s (other) car,” Matt said. “The one he wrecked is the clone of the one that is sitting in the shop. He had two identical old ’68 body styles and then he built the 2012 (car). I ran over at Qatar (in Pro Mods), and I’m still the quickest and fastest guy in the eighth-mile in one of these cars. We did some testing at Martin Mich., two days ago and I ran it (the Pro Mod car) to 1,000 foot and shut it off and went 6.03, 216 (mph), and I had some good numbers up to that point.”
Matt Smith is No. 22 in the Pro Mod field after a 10.518-second run.
“This day has been exciting,” Matt said. “In the Pro Mod car, we shook, so I just let it out. I do not have enough laps in it to drive out of it, and I’m not going to do it right now. I just have to let my dad tune the car, and I think he will be fine with that. I actually messed up in the car. I was setting my line lock and I let the clutch out a little bit and the car shutoff. So I had to start my whole routine over and crank it back up. I didn’t panic. My dad is the best tuner out there and I had Frank Manzo teach me how to drive and he is one of the best drivers out there. I have a win-win situation.”
Angie Smith qualified No. 12 Friday at 7.140 seconds and Ray slowed to 8.818 seconds as is No. 23 in the field.
“Michael’s bike didn’t shift, but it left good,” Matt said.”Angie’s bike rolled the beam or it probably would have gone an 02 or 03. We knew it was going to be hot and we put a brand new tire (on his bike). Normally a new tire isn’t good on the first hit or the second hit and the third hit is great and we are just trying to get a tire ready (on all three bikes) for the race on Monday.”
Smith doesn’t expect his Pro Stock Motorcycle time to stick.
“We should see something better,” Smith said. “The weather is supposed to be cooler through the weekend and it was pretty hot out there and the track was slick, and I’m sure we will see some mid-80s on Sunday if the weather cools off.”
Ray has competed in three 2011 Pro Stock Motorcycle events at Gainesville, Fla., Houston and Atlanta. He was competing for George Bryce’s team.
“The plan is for us to run all the races in the Countdown (Playoffs) with Matt Smith except for Reading, Pa.(Sept. 29-Oct. 2), and Phoenix (Oct. 14-16),” Ray, 27, said. “I have another race the weekend of Reading and I’m getting married the weekend of Phoenix. I do quite a bit of land speed racing in Bonneville. That was another reason why we just did the first few races, so we could get our Bonneville program focused and ready to roll. That’s a big project. We are just trying to come out here and have a little fun and see how we stack up against everybody.”
Gruene and Javelina, two Harley-Davidson dealerships near San Antonio, and Gottspeed are sponsoring Ray’s motorcycle he is renting from Matt Smith.
learning curve.Arana Jr., however, has been a quick study. He came to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals sixth in the point standings and his top highlight has been making it to the finals at Brainerd, Minn. (Aug. 18-21).
“I’m happy about the way things have gone,” said Arana Jr., whose father Hector Arana Sr., is the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. “I have really just had to get used to riding the bike itself. It is just getting used to the power of the bike. It is powerful.”
Arana Jr., 22, was especially battling nervousness the first part of the season.
“When it gets to race day I have had even more nerves and I have overreacted and I just messed up and drifted to the wall too much and stuff like that,” Arana Jr. said.
As the season has progressed, Arana Jr. has been able to slow his heartbeat down a little bit.
“Now I have more seat time and like at Brainerd I was more relaxed,” Arana Jr. said. “All the other days on race day I was so nervous I couldn’t even eat breakfast because I was so sick to my stomach. Brainerd I woke up and I felt fine and I had a big breakfast and I went to the finals.”
When Arana Jr., isn’t competing on the track, he is hitting the books.
“I go to Purdue University College of Technology at New Albany (Ind,),” Arana Jr. said. “I go to classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I just drove up here (to Indianapolis) (Thursday night) from school. I’m studying to be a mechanical engineer. Definitely engineering can help the racing a lot. My dad has been my biggest supporter, if it wasn’t him I would not be able to do any of this that I’m doing.”
STOFFER STRUGGLES – The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals isn’t won on Friday, which is a good thing for Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer.
Stoffer, who is second in the point standings behind Eddie Krawiec, had engine problems with her motorcycle almost immediately off the starting line and she didn’t make a full pass.
LE TONGLET IS NO. 7 – LE Tonglet, the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, begin his run to the championship last season by winning the U.S. Nationals.
Tonglet qualified No. 7 Friday with a 7.043-second time in his Nitro Fish Suzuki.
