Team YNOT Ready to Get Back on the Horse

Team YNOT Ready to Get Back on the Horse

At the beginning of the year, Team YNOT had very high hopes on the 2007 season, Norm Grimes had been hired to be the crew chief, a new team had put together. Grimes had put a great deal of time in getting the Chip Nielsen dragster up to speed with his combination. Pre-season testing had gone well, and expectations were high as the team went to Pomona. Going into the final qualifying session at the season opening Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, things were going according to plan, the car was qualified very solidly in the field and conditions, though somewhat cool, showed the potential for a very strong pass and moving back to the top half of the field.

Fate intervened in a very cruel way, when Whiteley was bucked off his favorite "horse" that Friday night. The car was destroyed on the final qualifying run when it got away from driver/owner Jim Whiteley and made heavy contact with both guard walls and ended up sliding upside down, backwards, and on fire into the dark Pomona shutdown area. Whiteley emerged from the crash unscathed,
Now after nearly three months Team YNOT is getting ready to get back on a new horse. After the accident, Whiteley and Grimes and Team CFO Dirk Olsen discussed buying pre-owned cars from other teams, fixing the current car, or having a new car built. A quick phone call from the track to chassis builder Chip Nielsen gave the team the answer to that question. Order a new car. Nielsen had a new car already on the jig, one he was building it to have for stock. So the team secured the car, and Whiteley spoke with Nielsen about a couple of changes he wanted made in the cockpit area, and Grimes also wanted some changes made to other parts of the car. With those changes made, the car was sent to Grimes So Cal shop the third week of April, with the plan to be at Fontana and the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division Seven Event on May 4-6, 2007

Team YNOT would like to thank Permatex, NGK Spark Plugs, and Joe Gibbs Racing for their continued support during this brief down time while the new car is being built. To John Schneider of Impact Race Products and John Hall and his staff at Valspar/House of Kolor for their assistance in getting products to help in the build , and of course to Chip Nielsen and his team for their diligence in getting this project done with such professionalism. Team YNOT would also like to thank all the fans who have emailed, called, and written in their support for the team.
Also keep a look out at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Events for Jim's wife Annie and her twin sister Anita in their twin Top Dragster/ Altereds, that have been built by Dennis Blackstone Race Cars in Boise, Idaho and are being painted with Valspar/House of Kolor products by Tony Applegate at Air Design Customs also in Boise, Idaho.
An updated schedule for team YNOT is being assembled at this time
Brian Losness

Contact: YNOT Racing
Brian Losness (208) 870-3022
Main Office (208) 376-1767