Annie Whiteley looking to bounce back in Sonoma

Annie Whiteley looking to bounce back in Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. – NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car rookie Annie Whiteley and the YNot Racing team will be looking to defend their Western Region points lead as they compete at this weekend’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Western Regional in Sonoma, Calif. Whiteley won the last regional event she competed at in Tulsa, Okla., but is looking to bounce back from a first round loss two weeks ago at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., is looking forward to racing in Sonoma this weekend. While she has not raced in Top Alcohol Funny Car at this track, she has run several times in Top Dragster.

“The track and the conditions are always pretty nice in Sonoma,” said Whiteley. “It will be a nice break from the 100 degree heat we had a couple of weeks ago in Norwalk. It was so hot there I told the guys it felt like my eye balls were sweating.

“We ran pretty well in qualifying in Norwalk, but it shook pretty violently in the first round and I had to finally just shut it off,” explained Whiteley. “Goodyear has a new tire we will be running this weekend. They make a great tire and give us a lot of technical support, so we don’t expect to have any problems making the transition.”

Whiteley enters the event with a 53 point lead over Jay Payne and Steve Gasparrelli who are both tied for second place. Brian Hough trails another ten points behind in fourth.

Her husband Jim, who leads national and Western Regional points in Top Alcohol Dragster will sit out this weekend’s race and drive the team’s new blown Top Dragster.

Qualifying begins on Friday with one session, followed by two more sessions on Saturday. Final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday.

To find out more about YNot Racing’s promotional partners, visit the websites below:

RaceGoodyear.com - Goodyear's position as the leading tire maker in drag racing is unquestioned. The quickest, fastest and most powerful earth-bound machines in the world look to Goodyear for tires that generate enough traction to take advantage of their stunning ability to go fast in a straight line.

NGKSparkPlugs.com - When performance counts, the fastest teams on two wheels or four, on land or on water choose NGK Spark Plugs.

The team would also like to thank the continued support of J&A Services and Advanced Oilfield Services.

Contact: Pro Race Communications 979.415.4959
Attached photo courtesy of James Drew Photography