Whiteley loses close race in quarterfinals

JOLIET, Ill. – In a field that was a virtual ‘who’s-who’ of NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster, Jim Whiteley and his YNot Racing team qualified strong and reached the quarterfinals of this past weekend’s Torco Race Fuels Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago. The event featured all ten of last year’s top ten points finishers.

Whiteley, of Grand Junction, Colo., qualified his Norm Grimes tuned blown alcohol dragster third in the tough field with a 5.329 second elapsed time at 267.16 mph. In round one, he defeated Division 5 All-Star Richard Putz with a 5.366 at 264.44 mph, before lining up against defending two-time World Champion Bill Reichert in the quarterfinal round. Reichert gained a slight advantage off the line, and was able to hold off Whiteley’s 5.348 at 268.97 mph with a holeshot-aided 5.355 at 266.64 mph.

“Losing on a holeshot is a tough pill to swallow,” said Whiteley. “All we can do is try to put it behind us and move on to the next race. The car is running great right now and we seem to be holding our own when we can get a little heat. Luckily nobody is running away with the points right now, so we’re still in the mix. It still hurts to lose to a guy like Reichert who you’re trying to beat in points.”

Whiteley returns to his home state for this weekend’s Division 5 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Bandimere Speedway just outside of Denver.

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