Jim Whiteley Las Vegas wrap up

Whiteley scores a runner-up in Vegas

LAS VEGAS - NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Jim Whiteley and the YNot Racing team reached their second-straight final round in a runner-up finish during this past weekend's SummitRacing.com Nationals at 'The Strip' at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The strong showing moved Whiteley to fifth in national points standings.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., qualified his Norm Grimes tuned Blown Alcohol Dragster second in the field with a 5.336 second elapsed time at 268.44 mph. In round one he took out drag racing legend John Force's daughter Brittany Force with a 5.355 at 265.33 mph, then took out last year's No. 2 finisher Thomas Bayer in round two with a 5.385 at 266.27 mph. In the semifinals he defeated No. 3 qualifier Shawn Cowie with a 5.342 at 269.13 mph.

Whiteley's final round opponent would be first time finalist Jeff Isbell. After showing bracket-like consistency all weekend, Whiteley's mount went up in smoke off the line, handing the win to Isbell's 5.540 at 255.53 mph.

"It was a good weekend for the team," said Whiteley. "We're tickled to death with the way the car is running. We would have liked to get the win, but those are tough to come by. We left tune-up alone for the final, and it just smoked the tires. There was some tough cars out there, and that race with Cowie in the semifinals was a good, tight race."

"We got a set of the new Brad Anderson Stage 8 heads this weekend," added Whiteley. "I think they picked the car up a little. It wasn't a huge gain, but it seemed to give us some more power. Cowie had them, too, and to run 269 mph in the air we were in says something."

The next stop for the YNot Racing team will take them to the place of their first national event win for the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

"I won my first national event there last year, so that track is special," commented Whiteley. "Hopefully we can have the same success there this year."

For more information on the team, visit their website at www.YNotRacing.com

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

www.bandjtransmission.com - Choose the racing transmission that powers the YNot Top Alcohol Dragster down the track.

www.Goodyear.com - Fly with the Eagles with Goodyear Tires.

www.NGKSparkPlugs.com - 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

Contact: Will Hanna/ Pro Race Communications
Email: Will.Hanna@InsideTopAlcohol.com