Gainesville, Florida (March 19, 2016) - All it took was one good run to change Lucas Oil Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Sr.'s attitude -- well, one great run.
Arana snared the No. 2 qualifying spot in the final session for the NHRA Gatornationals on Saturday at Gainesville Raceway with a stellar pass of 6.821 seconds at 197.10 mph, lifting his spirits after a trying weekend.
"We've got a new member on the team (crew chief William Cavallo), so we're still learning to work together, and he's learning us, too," Arana said. "There's a lot of family, a lot of friends -- from Puerto Rico, Aruba, Miami -- and it has been overwhelming. It always seems like there's a lot happening at Gainesville: Teching the bike, teching the frames, a lot of meetings with NHRA.
"There's always a lot of pressure. It seems like you're always behind the eight ball."
Arana was solidly in the field heading into the final qualifying session, but his Q4 pass rocketed him to the top half of the field.
"Now, I just wish I could've gone .79," Arana said with a laugh. "You know how it is. But I was so tired that if you would've talked to me after Q3, I was bummed out. I had no energy, but to run an .82, I'm pumped up. I'm going over the whole bike and looking over things carefully. I have the energy, and I have a big smile."
Arana wasn't exactly smiling heading into Q4, mainly because son Hector Jr. was outside the top 16 with his Lucas Oil Racing TV bike, but Hector Jr. made a good-enough pass to get in the field, lifting a burden off his dad's shoulders.
"I was just happy when Hector qualified," Arana said. "As soon as he ran a .91, he was in, and then I saw the guys who could've knocked him out go one by one and he stayed there. He took the pressure off me, and I was so happy.
"The bike left good, and it felt good. It felt really good, but I was not expecting the .82. That came as a surprise, but it was the highlight for me."
Arana squares off against Mike Berry in the first round of eliminations Sunday. Berry, the No. 15 qualifier, made a top lap of 6.937 seconds at 189.71 mph.
Race day eliminations will air live from 1 to 4 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX Sports 1.
