Whiteley hopes to keep Vegas win streak alive

Whiteley hopes to keep Vegas win streak alive

LAS VEGAS – The last time defending NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Jim Whiteley was at “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he was celebrating a win and clinching the Division 7 Championship here last fall. As the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series rolls in town for the Western Regional this weekend, Whiteley and his YNot Racing team hope to keep that win streak alive.

Whiteley, of Grand Junction, Colo., has traditionally experienced success at “The Strip” with his Norm Grimes tuned blown alcohol combination.

“We like racing in Vegas,” said Whiteley. “We race here a bunch. They have two regionals here a year and two nationals we run at, and that’s not counting any testing. Everyone else in this part of the country races here quite a bit too, so we’re all familiar with it. It’s a great track with some real teeth, but it can also kick your butt. The conditions should be cool enough to be pretty fast for Vegas.

Whiteley has another “ace in the hole” he hopes will help him this weekend, but it’s not of the normal nuts and bolts variety.

“I finally went in to the eye doctor and got a new pair of glasses,” Whiteley explained. “I can’t believe the difference. I feel like I’m blind without them. Obviously I’m looking forward to driving the car with them.”

The team will also debut a second Top Alcohol Dragster this weekend with Mike Austin behind the wheel. The team has retrofitted the car they campaigned from 2007-2010 with a B&J Converter Drive in place of the conventional clutch. Darren Mayer will lead the project as a tuning consultant.

“That car was a pretty darn good car,” stated Whiteley. “We would have to make some pretty significant changes to the chassis to fit a three speed in the car, so we are going to see what we can do with a two speed. Hopefully we can make enough progress this weekend to learn something with it. I know Mike is pretty excited to get back behind the wheel and I’m glad that we were able to get a driver of his caliber for the project. Darren has worked with a lot of Pro Mods that are running torque converters, so we are letting him spearhead this venture. It is going to be very interesting to see what it can run.”

Top Alcohol Dragster will have two qualifying sessions on Saturday. 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