Annie Whiteley enters Brainerd with hot hand

Annie Whiteley enters Brainerd with hot hand

BRAINERD, Minn. – NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car rookie Annie Whiteley and her YNot Racing team will be looking to build on her strong performances of late during this weekend’s Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. Whiteley enters the event fourth in national standings and has established herself as one of the favorites to win this weekend with her recent string of low 5.5 second elapsed times.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., cites recent performance gains by her Crew Chief Roger Bateman have her more excited than normal to get behind the wheel for this weekend’s race.

“I can’t say enough about my team and the car they have given me this year,” said Whiteley. “It just seems like it gets faster and faster every race, and I’m getting more and more comfortable in the car. They really have the car hauling right now. We have run good at the regional races and good during qualifying at the nationals. Hopefully we can turn that into a good showing this weekend.”

As good as her car has been running, Whiteley and her team are anxious to put a first round loss in Seattle behind them.

“Roger came up to me after the loss in Seattle and said, ‘well at least we both screwed up on the same run,” explained Whiteley. “The car shook pretty hard, but I had a really late light. I noticed some clutch dust in the cockpit while I was staging and I just lost my concentration. I looked down and when I looked up the light was green. I know better than to do that. I don’t know if it was the light in the car or if I am just now noticing the clutch dust, but it distracted me. Sometimes you learn lessons the hard way. Hopefully we can learn some good lessons this weekend.”

Qualifying begins on Friday for the Top Alcohol cars with two sessions, followed by one final session Saturday. Eliminations begin with round one on Saturday evening and final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday.

To find out more about YNot Racing’s promotional partners, visit the websites below:

RaceGoodyear.com - Goodyear's position as the leading tire maker in drag racing is unquestioned. The quickest, fastest and most powerful earth-bound machines in the world look to Goodyear for tires that generate enough traction to take advantage of their stunning ability to go fast in a straight line.

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The team would also like to thank the continued support of J&A Services and Advanced Oilfield Services.

Contact: Pro Race Communications 979.415.4959
Attached photo courtesy of James Drew Photography