Jim Whiteley set for Championship showdown at Las Vegas Regional

Jim Whiteley set for Championship showdown at Las Vegas Regional

LAS VEGAS – While the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster National Championship may be clinched, the Western Region Championship is the last to be decided and will be settled during this weekend’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Western Regional at “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jim Whiteley and his YNot Racing Team already have the National Championship clinched, and hope to secure the Western Region Championship this weekend.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., has a good bit of momentum on his side. He enters this weekend’s event after running the table at last weekend’s national event where he ran the table – winning the event, qualifying No. 1 and setting low elapsed time and top speed. His 5.266 second low qualifier lap in less than ideal conditions may go down as one of the best runs of the year in the class.

“I wish every race went like last weekend,” said Whiteley. “We were fortunate to have the opportunity to try a few things with the points deal locked up. It’s showing a lot of potential right now. We seem to run pretty good in Vegas, so it will be interesting to see if we can translate that performance in better conditions.”

Entering the event, Chris Demke, who Whiteley battled all year for the National Championship, holds a narrow eleven point lead over Whiteley. Competitors racing for the Regional Championship can claim their best five out of seven events. While Demke holds the lead, Whiteley has only been to four events, so he will take whatever points he earns at this event. Demke has attended six, so he will have to advance past the first round to add any points (replacing a first round loss). In the event of a tie, Demke would win due to more scored in-region events (Whiteley scored wins at Tulsa and Denver in the Central Region).

If Whiteley qualifies (32 points), he will become the points leader going into Sunday, giving him a 21 point advantage. At that point, Demke will have to at least make it to the final to overtake Whiteley. If Whiteley loses in the first or second round, Demke can win the Championship by just reaching the final. If both racers make the final, the winner will be the Champion.

“It’s going to be a fun weekend,” commented Whiteley. “The Maddern team (Demke) is a tough group and we will have our hands full no doubt. There are a lot of good cars that will be there this weekend that can take either one of us out, but it would be pretty neat if it goes down to the final round for the Championship.”

If Whiteley were able to win the Championship, he would be a part of NHRA history, as his wife Annie, has already clinched the Western Region Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship. They would be the first husband and wife to both win a Region (or Division) Championship, much less in the same year.

“This has been a pretty special year,” stated Whiteley. “Not only did we reach our goal of finally winning the National Championship, but to see how well Annie has done in her rookie year has been pretty awesome. She has done a great job all year and really made a lot of progress. I’m very proud of her, and if we can put it together and win the Championship together, it would really be something.”

Qualifying begins on Friday for the alcohol cars, followed by two sessions on Saturday. Final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday.

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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 YNot Racing