Gainesville, Florida (March 15, 2016) - The wait has been long and trying for Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr., but the Pro Stock Motorcycle star doesn't have to wait in the cold and snow of his home state of New York any longer because the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals are slated for this weekend at Gainesville Raceway.
"I'm very excited, ecstatic," Arana said. "I love racing, and now I don't have to sit at home in the cold and wait for the season to come."
Arana is a bona-fide superstar in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, winning 11 races and finishing in the top five in the final points standings in his five years of racing. But despite winning twice and finishing fifth in 2015, he isn't satisfied.
At the request of Lucas Oil co-founder Forrest Lucas, Team Arana added a crew chief over the winter, William Cavallo.
"I have a lot of big expectations for this year," Arana said. "We've got a lot of great things going on. Forrest Lucas wanted us to add some new help, and I told my dad, 'Let's look for someone who can really help us, rather than just getting another crew guy to turn some wrenches on the bike.'"
Arana was introduced to Cavallo by his future father-in-law, John Nobile, and after numerous conversations, Cavallo was hired to serve as crew chief. Cavallo has raced in Pro Stock car and Pro Extreme Motorcycle in IHRA, and Arana is confident he will help the Lucas Oil Pro Stock Motorcycle team.
"We know we have really good horsepower, but we were struggling leaving the starting line," Arana said. " Sometimes we'd get it, but for whatever reason in these last two years, we've struggled with that. We figured it would be a good move to hire a guy like William."
Arana holds the class record for speed, 199.88 mph set last year in Charlotte, and he hopes Cavallo can help translate that horsepower into better elapsed times.
That speed record could be in jeopardy in Gainesville, which is known as one of the quicker tracks on the schedule. Could Arana break the 200-mph barrier this weekend?
"The 200-mph barrier is always a possibility in Gainesville," Arana said. "But like I always say, you could be at the fastest track in the world, and if the weather's not there, it won't be. Ultimately, it'll come down to what the weather does. If it's there, we'll go for it and see what happens."
Friday night qualifying will air from 9 to 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, with a second qualifying show from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Race day eliminations will air live from 1 to 4 p.m. ET Sunday, also on FOX Sports 1.
