Whiteley looking to rebound in Phoenix

CHANDLER, Ariz. – NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Jim Whiteley and his YNot Racing team will be looking to rebound from a first round loss at the season-opening CARQUEST Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., during this weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series opener at Firebird Raceway just outside of Phoenix. After qualifying a strong third in Pomona, Whiteley fell prone to tireshake in round one. Post event testing has the team feeling they are back on track for this weekend.

Whiteley, of Grand Junction, Colo., and his Norm Grimes lead team tested some changes in the clutch department Monday which produced a shake-free, strong run.

“We were able to get a run in on Monday,” said Whiteley. “It made a good lap, but the best thing was it didn’t shake. Norm made some changes and the car responded, so hopefully we can put the tireshake behind us. I have to thank Goodyear Tires, they’ve really helped us out this year with tires on the dragster and our two Top Dragster Altereds. We’re going to test some more on Thursday, so we feel like we should be back on our game for this weekend.”

The weekend marks the season debut for Whiteley’s wife Annie and her twin sister Anita Pulliam (fiancé of crewmember Dirk Olsen) in Top Dragster competition. The identical twins race ‘identically’ prepared ’32 Bantam Roadsters.

“We’ve really been working on the girls’ altereds,” stated Whiteley. “The motors in them are making so much power, we’ve had a lot of trouble getting them off the line. We finally got them calmed down off the line and running consistent 7.30’s, so they should be able to mix it up with the ‘guys’ in Top Dragster.”

The team will test on Thursday and qualifying will begin on Friday. Qualifying will resume on Saturday with two more sessions, and final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday.

For more information on the team, visit their website at The Home of Y Not Racing - Home

For more information on the team's fine partners visit the websites below:

B&J Racing Transmissions - Choose the racing transmission that powers the YNot Top Alcohol Dragster down the track.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Fly with the Eagles with Goodyear Tires.

NGK Spark Plugs USA - Choose the spark plugs winning teams like YNot Racing use, NGK.

The team would also like to thank: J&A Service, Raptor Industries, Advanced Oil Field Service and Knowles Enterprises