Arana Sr. (near lane) got the win in the quarterfinals with a 6.924/192.38 against Jerry Savoie’s 7.010/190.78.  (James Drew photo)

Arana Jr. qualified No. 1 for the fourth consecutive time and was gunning for his third straight win – as well as to close ground in the points standings.

But the 22-year-old rookie struggled in eliminations, losing in the second round to Angie Smith. Arana Jr. made a quicker pass of 6.975 seconds at 191.35 mph to Smith's 7.046 seconds at 189.47. The difference, though, was off the starting line, as Arana Jr.'s reaction time was .117 to Smith's .021.

"It was just one of those days," said Arana Jr., who knocked off Matt Guidera in the first round with a pass of 6.977 seconds at 192.03 mph.

"I got lucky the first round. I had a .080 light there. I don't know if I'm tired or if I can't hang with this Las Vegas lifestyle. No, we've been doing really well. We did well overall this weekend. I just made a little mistake. Nothing we can do about it but learn from our mistake and be better prepared for Pomona.” 

Arana Sr. could have helped ease his son's deficit in the semifinals, as he faced points leader Eddie Krawiec. But Arana Sr. had an issue on the starting line and made his slowest pass of the weekend, 7.157 seconds at 191.48 mph.

"I lost my concentration," Arana Sr. said. "It shut off and came back on. I dropped the clutch, and I was going to drop the handlebar, and I double-clutched it. Once you do that, you spin the tire, and you're now chasing the 8-ball.

"The weekend was great until then, and then you do something like this, it doesn't matter what you've done before. This is what you remember. I just have to let it go."

Justin Finley’s Suzuki was pretty in pink but the Connecticut racer did not make the Pro Stock Motorcycle field. (Donna Bistran photo)

POINTS WITH ONE EVENT LEFT
Top Fuel Funny Car
1. Spencer Massey, 2,503; 2. Del Worsham, 2,501; 3. Antron Brown, 2,489; 4. Larry Dixon, 2,459; 5. Tony Schumacher, 2,367; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 2,326; 7. David Grubnic, 2,220; 8. Doug Kalitta, 2,207; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2,198; 10. Morgan Lucas, 2,084. 1. Matt Hagan, 2,416; 2. Jack Beckman, 2,415; 3. Cruz Pedregon, 2,390; 4. Mike Neff, 2,382; 5. Robert Hight, 2,345; 6. Ron Capps, 2,344; 7. Bob Tasca III, 2,295; 8. Jeff Arend, 2,270; 9. John Force, 2,200; 10. Tim Wilkerson, 2,179.
Pro Stock Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Jason Line, 2,592; 2. Mike Edwards, 2,424; 3. Greg Anderson, 2,393; 4. Vincent Nobile, 2,344; 5. Allen Johnson, 2,338; 6. Erica Enders, 2,337; 7. Rodger Brogdon, 2,275; 8. Greg Stanfield, 2,238; 9. Shane Gray, 2,186; 10. Ron Krisher, 2,167. 1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,589; 2. Hector Arana Jr, 2,520; 3. Matt Smith, 2,403; 4. Andrew Hines, 2,384; 5. Karen Stoffer, 2,329; 6. Hector Arana Sr, 2,312; 7. Jerry Savoie, 2,305; 8. LE Tonglet, 2,299; 9. Michael Phillips, 2,246; 10. Jim Underdahl, 2,201.