Electrical Failure Leads to Final Round Loss for Whiteley in Seattle

Courtesy of Pro Race Communications
Photo Courtesy of YNot Racing

KENT, Wash. – In one of the most bizarre finals in class history, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster points leader Jim Whiteley experienced an electrical failure which shut his car off in the final round of this past weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals just outside of Seattle. The failure caused the car to shut off, rendering him helpless while he watched his opponent Chris Demke, who back-fired his supercharger, coast to the win ahead of him.

Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., qualified his Norm Grimes tuned YNot Racing blown alcohol dragster second in the field with a 5.284 second elapsed time at 271.46 mph. In round one, he defeated Ray Martin with a 5.306 at 270.92 mph. In the semifinals, he defeated the A/Fuel juggernaut of Mark Taliaferro with a 5.316 at 270.64 mph, setting up a final round match up with the current No. 2 man in national points, Demke.

Whiteley grabbed the jump off the line, but launched into heavy tire shake, which triggered an electrical failure, shutting his car off. Demke had problems of his own, pedaling several times before back-firing his supercharger. Demke’s on board safety system deployed his parachutes when his supercharger backfired. Just when it looked like Whiteley was going to coast around Demke, his parachutes inadvertently deployed, slowing his momentum, and handing Demke the win.

“We were trying to be conservative in the final; we had it backed down,” said Whiteley. “It shook pretty hard, and a component in the electrical system failed, shutting the car off. It looked like I was going to coast around him, then for some reason the parachutes deployed. We still don’t know why it happened. The burst panels were intact; so the safety shut off should not have triggered our parachutes. That’s drag racing, though. Things happen and you just have to move on.”

Whiteley maintained a 64 point lead on Demke with the final round finish. The next event for the YNot Racing team will be at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 17-19.

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The team would also like to thank the continued support of J&A Services and Advanced Oilfield Services.