IHRA: Team Aruba has no reason to hang their heads

It came down to the last race of the season, and among the four Pro classes in the IHRA Drag Racing Series, by far the closest points battle was in Pro Stock, a tight battle between defending champ Cary Goforth in his AMSOIL-sponsored Chevrolet Camaro, and his top challenger, Trevor Eman in the Team Aruba Ford Mustang.

The Northern Nationals took place at US 131 Motorplex in Martin, Mich., and it did not go smoothly for anyone due to persistent rain.

"The weekend started out great," said Eman, driver of the Aruba.com Mustang. According to the team, this was their chance to make history as the first professional team from Aruba to win an international drag racing championship.

Eman came to US 131 just three points behind Goforth. "We made good, fast runs in testing which led us into a good qualifying run on Friday night, putting us in the number one spot with a 6.38 second run," Eman said. "The pressure was on as this was a make it or break it weekend in terms of winning the championship. Our team was up for the challenge."

And the matchup everyone was waiting for came in the semifinals – the winner would be the season champion. Goforth narrowly beat Eman with a 6.319 at 221.57 mph against a 6.342 at 220.91 mph to claim his third consecutive championship title. Goforth finished off the night with a Northern Nationals win against J.R. Carr.

It was heartbreaking for Team Aruba, but knowing the experience and resources the Goforth family has, to get as close as they did is a remarkable achievement.

"I consider my teammates the champions of 2016," Eman said. "They worked very hard and have no control of what another team does, nor do they have control over how I end up driving the car, so if I sometimes screw up, they still gave it their all. In my book, my dad, John, Doug, Bruce, and Henito are the 2016 IHRA Pro Stock Champions."