Whiteley returns to defend Topeka crown

TOPEKA, Kan. – Just one year ago at this event, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster racer Jim Whiteley and his YNot Racing team were celebrating their first national event win. Now after having over a month off since their runner-up finish at the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Whiteley and his Norm Grimes lead team hope to defend their crown during this weekend’s O’Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., went on to finish fourth in national points last season after collecting another national event win a few weeks later in Englishtown, N.J. He enters this weekend’s event on a roll following a win on the Divisional level in Tucson, Ariz., and a national event runner-up in Las Vegas.

“We seem to be hitting our stride right now,” said Whiteley. “It’s no secret the blown cars have a better chance when the weather heats up. We hated to sit on the sidelines over the past month, but it’s a lot smarter to play our cards when it’s hot. Norm has the car running great right now. We tested a few things after Vegas so we’re definitely looking forward to the weekend.”

“This will always be a special track for us since we got our first national event win,” Whiteley continued. “There will be a tough field there this weekend, so it won’t be a cakewalk by any means to win again. To have the team I have behind me gives you a lot of confidence as a driver when going into a tough field like we’ll be running this weekend. We’re looking forward to it.”

Qualifying begins on Friday for the alcohol cars with two sessions, followed by one final session Saturday morning. Eliminations begin with round one on Saturday afternoon 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