Qualifying in Houston.
Big Crowds in Houston.
Completing a Burnout.
Jason Line goes red in Round 2.
The Thrill of Victory.
The Celebration Begins.
The Winner's Circle.
The Mitsos and Nobile Families Celebrate.
Priceless!
Sunday in Review.
The Mountain View Tire 2011.
Preparing to launch in qualifying at Pomona.
About to be towed to the staging lanes.
Vincent in the staging lanes at Pomona.
Vincent and Allan Johnson complete their burnout.
The scoreboard tells the story.
Vincent acknowledges the crowd.
Thrilling Round win in Pomona.
Heading towards staging lanes
Signing autographs with V, Allan and Kurt Bush
Qualifying in Gainesville
Driver Introductions
Nobile collects third win of 2011 season
CHANDLER, Ariz. (October 16) – Rookie sensation Vincent Nobile, 19, claimed his third win of the 2011 season when he drove his NAPA/Mountain View Dodge Avenger to a win in the final round of today's NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Int'l Raceway. Nobile, who has been lauded this year for his lightning-quick reaction times, gained an advantage off the starting line against his Mopar teammate Allen Johnson and won with a 6.67 elapsed time, beating Johnson's quicker 6.65.
"This is amazing," said Nobile. "We've struggled at the last couple of races and coming here, we knew we needed to pull together and get ourselves back on track. I knew we could do it, and we proved it today. [The team] supplied me with a fast car, and I did my job. It just proves that if you keep your head up that you can win races.
"I owe so much to [team owners] Nick and Irene Mitsos, to my parents, and the entire Mountain View team for all they've done for me this year. After I won, I got so excited that I forgot to thank my mom [Susan] on television. Obviously, her support means everything to me. I don't get nervous in the race car but when I'm on TV, that's a different story."
With the win, Nobile has leaped from fifth to third in the Full Throttle standings and now trails second-place Greg Anderson by just five points with two races remaining this season. Equally as important, the win allowed Nobile to keep pace with his friend and rival, Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Hector Arana Jr., as they compete for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award, which recognizes NHRA's top rookie driver. Both Nobile and Arana have now appeared in five final rounds and have each posted three victories. Interestingly enough, Arana is currently dating Nobile's sister, Nicole.
"Hector and I are great friends and we've also got a pretty good rivalry going over this whole rookie of the year award," said Nobile. "At this point, it looks like one of us is probably going to get it. Obviously, I'd like to be the one who wins it but it's not up to me to decide. All I can do is stay focused and try to keep this momentum we've got going at the last two races. Our next race is in Las Vegas and the last time I was there in April, I made it to my first final round so I'm pretty excited about going back."
The next event for the NAPA/Mountain View team will be the Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 27-30.
Vincent Nobile Interview
Mountain View Racing embraces youth movement in 2011
The arrival of the 2011 season marked a significant milestone in the history of Mountain View Tires Racing as the team joined the youth movement and welcomed 19-year old college student Vincent Nobile as the driver of their NAPA/Mountain View Tires Pro Stock Dodge Stratus. The son of John Nobile, a longtime racer and former IHRA champion, Vincent literally grew up at the race track and longed to one-day compete as a professional. Now, he has the opportunity to fulfill that dream behind the wheel of the Mountain View team's 212-mph Dodge Avenger.
Nobile's lack of experience may have been a deterrent to some, but not to Mountain View team owner Nick Mitsos, who was quick to recognize that what Nobile lack in experience, he more than made up for in enthusiasm and raw talent.
"Vincent had a chance to race his father's car at a few races last season and right away we liked what we saw," said Mitsos. "He's calm behind the wheel and he doesn't get rattled at all. He is also someone that we can build around. In short, he is exactly what we were looking for."
In his new assignment, Nobile could draw inspiration from fellow teenager Trevor Bayne, who won the Daytona 500 in just his fourth start in a NASCAR Sprint Cup car. During pre-season testing, Nobile proved to be a quick study as he posted several strong performances and quickly developed chemistry with Mitsos and the rest of the Mountain View crew. In his first career start at the season-opening Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Nobile's progression as a driver continued as he not only qualified for the tough Pro Stock field, but earned the first round win of his career when he beat veteran Allen Johnson. Nobile not only defeated Johnson, but did so in the most rewarding way possible for a driver; via a starting line holeshot as he carded a .002 reaction time, missing an elusive perfect start by just two-thousandths of a second. Nobile also gained a slight lead on second round opponent Jason Line, but didn't have enough power to hold the former world champ off at the finish line.
"My first race in Pomona was everything I could have hoped for and more," said Nobile. "I felt comfortable driving the car and we were able to make some noise on race day. I also enjoyed meeting the other Pro Stock drivers and seeing all the fans. That was a weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life."
Nobile followed his Pomona debut with another strong performance at the next NHRA full Throttle Drag Racing series event in Gainesville, Fla. Nobile not only qualified for the swift field, but did so in style with a 6.539-second elapsed time at 212.66-mph, the quickest and fastest run ever made by the Mountain View Tires team. In eliminations, Nobile was once again paired with Line and once again, he left the starting line ahead of the more experienced driver but couldn't maintain the advantage.
Ranked in the top ten after two events, Nobile figures to be one of the leading contenders for the prestigious Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award which recognizes NHRA's top professional rookie. He also has his sights set on a berth in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA's six-race playoff to determine its season champions. Given his talent and enthusiasm, it would be wise not to bet against him.
