Gainesville, Florida (March 20, 2016) - Race 1 of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season didn't go as planned for Lucas Oil Racing TV rider Hector Arana Jr., but he knows a first-round loss at the NHRA Gatornationals on Sunday at Gainesville Raceway is far from the end of his Pro Stock Motorcycle season.

"It's definitely a long season," Arana said. "We had a long off-season, and we just had a couple little parts issues here. Once we get everything lined up, we'll be good to go."

Arana endured a difficult weekend, finally making a clean pass in the fourth qualifying session Saturday to make the field in the No. 14 spot. That left him in the unenviable position of racing the No. 3 qualifier, and Chip Ellis made a good pass in the first round.

Both racers were excellent on the Christmas Tree (.013-second for Ellis and .015 for Arana), but Ellis' pass of 6.855 seconds at 195.31 mph was more than enough to subdue Arana, who made a run of 7.132 seconds at 189.92 mph.

"As a rider, I feel confident," Arana said. "I know what to do for my lights to stay consistent and get good reaction times. I just had a .015 light, which is perfect on race day. I wouldn't ask for anything different.

"We've just got to get the bike back up to speed, but it's the beginning of a long season, and I'm not worried at all. We'll be ready when it comes time for Charlotte."

Arana and his Lucas Oil team have more than a month to get ready for the next race on the Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on April 22-24 in Charlotte. Arana is a past Charlotte winner, having gone to the winner's circle in the Four-Wide race in 2013.

"We're going to have to go testing," Arana said. "We need to make sure everything's fast. We'll be ready."