PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

The pressure was definitely on in Sunday's finals of the Arizona NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway. But Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr. is proving he's up to the task.

Arana Jr., the No. 1 qualifier, faced Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Eddie Krawiec in the finals in what could be a pivotal moment in the 2011 championship. Krawiec came into the event with a 35-point lead and could have put some distance between he and Arana Jr.

But Arana Jr. had a perfect reaction time and out-ran Krawiec with a pass of 6.884 seconds at 194.30 mph to win his third national event of the season and second in a row. Arana Jr. now trails Krawiec by 10 points with two races remaining in the season.

"That was huge," Arana Jr. said. "You're talking about a 40-point swing in the points right there. If he had won we would have been in trouble. Now we're 10 points apart. It's anybody's game at this point."

Arana Jr. has had a splendid rookie year, winning three races and qualifying No. 1 six times. He's also won three of the last five races and reached the finals in five of the last six.