ARANA JR. ADJUSTING TO RACING LIFE WITH BABY DAUGHTER

by Tracy Renck    Thu, 2020-09-24 07:31

 

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Hector Arana Jr. loves to compete.

He has become a standout in NHRA’s PSM ranks, winning 15 races and collecting 12 runner-up finishes in 147 career races.

And, his desire to win has never wavered.

However, he did acknowledge leaving his wife, Nicole and their daughter, Sofia, 21 months, for races is hard.

“It’s has been great with her, but the tough part is when you have to leave and they stay at home,” Arana Jr. said. “Every day I will FaceTime her and I don’t know if she really understands what’s going on, but I enjoy talking to her. Unfortunately, circumstances for this year changed. I was really looking forward to bringing her out to the race track this year, but hopefully we will be able to bring her out at least one time this year for the Texas races when we go see my brother.”

Arana Jr. and his fellow PSM racers are scheduled to compete at the AAA Texas NHRA Fallnationals, Oct. 14-18 at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas. They are then slated to compete at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil, Oct. 23-24 at Houston Raceway Park.

Arana knows he has to deal with the circumstances that the COVID-19 pandemic has put people in since mid-March.

“Listen, everybody is going through it, it is not like it is just us in the NHRA community, it is all of us,” Arana Jr. said. “We just have to stick together, stay strong, which I think NHRA and the whole drag racing community has done, and just progress and move forward. We have to start doing things so we can get back to normal. If we keep hiding and staying at home and not going out, it is not going to change.”

Arana is seventh in the points standings after the only three PSM races this season – Indy 1, Indy 3, and Indy 4. He’s coming off a first-round loss to Cory Reed at the U.S. Nationals, Sept. 6, in Indianapolis.

He enters the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Feb. 25-27 in Gainesville, Fla., optimistic that his team can change its fortunes. He rides a Lucas Oil-sponsored Erik Buell Racing motorcycle.

“It’s hard work and dedication and I have that with my team, with my father (Hector Arana Sr.) and Lucas Oil,” Arana Jr. said. “We have all the backing that we need to get back on track. It’s not because of a lack of effort. We have worked really hard.”

A year ago, at the Gators, Arana Jr., qualified No. 4 with a 6.784-second lap at 199.02 mph and advanced to the semifinals before losing to Andrew Hines on a Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

 

 

 

 

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