Annie Whiteley scores first career win in Vegas

Annie Whiteley scores first career win in Vegas

LAS VEGAS – In only her fourth ‘start’ behind the wheel of the YNot Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car, Annie Whiteley scored her first win during this past weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Western Regional at “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Whiteley’s husband Jim made it to the final of the Top Alcohol Dragster category only to have an errant piece of debris trip the finish line beam after the race had started in what could have been the first husband and wife winner’s circle in the history of the Top Alcohol categories.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., shook the tires and shut off during the first qualifying session, but rebounded with four straight runs within .011 of a second. Whiteley piloted the Roger Bateman tuned 2011 Mustang to a 5.689 second elapsed time at 253.61 mph to qualify third in the field. In round one, she took out defending Division 6 Champion Brian Hough with a 5.681 at 254.57 mph, and then took out former Division 2 Champion Jay Payne in the semifinals with a 5.688 at 253.99 mph to reach her first final.

In the final, Whiteley maintained her near bracket-like consistency to defeat the No. 1 qualifier and defending Division 4 Champion Tony Bartone. Bartone encountered heavy tire shake and was forced to pedal, while Whiteley streaked to victory with a 5.678 at 254.76 mph over Bartone’s 5.788 at 257.24 mph.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Whiteley. “Our goal this weekend truly was to just get our first round win. After we beat Payne in the semis, that was just a bonus. When we beat Bartone in the final, it was just unbelievable.

“I was a little nervous after we shook the tires and I shut off in the first qualifier,” Whiteley continued. “Our rule has always been if it shakes the tires or does something stupid is to just shut it off so we can bring it back and fix whatever the problem is. After I shut it off, I was thinking, ‘that was dumb, you only have one more shot to qualify.’ I finally made myself quit thinking about the situation and just focused on getting the car down the track.”

Whiteley cites the team took the same approach to the final against the favored Bartone, who had been as quick as 5.56 in the first round.

“The team made the decision to just leave it alone for the final,” Whiteley explained. “They were concerned if they went out and tried to rotate the earth we might beat ourselves. We were going to make another solid run and be there if they fell off. Luckily for us, it worked out that way.”

Whiteley and the YNot Racing Team won’t have to wait long to get back into action as the team will stay in Las Vegas for this weekend’s SummitRacing.com Nationals. The win moved Whiteley to first in the Western Region points standings and fourth nationally.

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