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ROWE MOVES TO 4th IN POINTS DESPITE EARLY EXIT |
 (4-19-2009) BRISTOL, Tennessee - Despite high expectations of a win at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals held at the beautiful Bristol Dragway, Danny Rowe's day ended prematurely during the first round of Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge competition.
At the controls of the Sterling Bridge-backed '67 Chevy Camaro Pro Modified, Rowe qualified for the small, but intensely competitive field with a 6.139 at 235.51mph in the hot and muggy conditions, earning the No. 6 starting slot come race day.
"Everyone was struggling a little bit in qualifying, fighting through some of the first hot weather conditions we've faced this season," said Rowe. "We came into this race the same way we do every race, with high expectations for the team and feeling confident that we've got a race-winning car and program. We've lined up beside Raymond [Commisso] on many occasions and I knew that the R2B2 team are more than capable of running hard, so I was up on the wheel for the first round."
Having qualified just three-hundredths-of-a-second apart, the first round pairing of Rowe and Commisso promised to be a great race, but unfortunately for the Laguna Hills, California-native Danny Rowe, it was over at the drop of the clutch as he lit the red bulb - leaving .126-seconds too early - and handing the win to R2B2 Motorsports.
"It's just one of those deals," said Rowe, who receives additional support from Friction Unlimited and Permatex. "I got a little overzealous on the starting line and that's all it takes. Nobody likes to lose to like that, but I figure you aren't trying hard enough if you don't push yourself a little too far every once in a while. We'll just hope we can keep it together and make some ground in Topeka."
In spite of the unfortunate early exit in Bristol, Rowe moves to the No. 4 spot in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge point standings and remains in championship contention as the season reaches the midway point.
Up next for Danny Rowe Racing is the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas on May 29-31.
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Cool Temps lead to Hot times in Bristol; Auxier wins his first |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 17, 2009) - The cloudy skies and cool temperatures on Sunday did nothing but heat up the action in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. For the first time in Thunder Valley Dragway history, two Pro Mod cars ran side-by-side five-second runs, and Dixie, West Va.-resident Burton Auxier scored his first Pro Mod Challenge victory.
After blasting to the No. 5 qualifying spot with a 6.092/231.95, Auxier got an easy run in round one against a broken Taylor Lastor, and then drove around turbo-powered Brad Personett 6.020/236.34 to 6.138/236.71 to advance to the semifinals. He then used his quickest lap of the event to edge St. Louis winner, Roger Burgess, 6.008/235.68 to 6.098/241.45, finding his way to the finals for the second time this season and hoping for his first win.
Auxier faced R2B2 Racing's Raymond Commisso, another driver searching for his first Challenge win, and as the two staged their cars, Auxier lit both lights quickly but held onto the brakes, while nerves got the best of Commisso who left before the green light, handing Auxier the win and the title.
"I just rolled in a bit too deep and staged really quickly, which isn't something I ever do, but I knew I had to have a great light if I was going to have any chance against Raymond," Auxier said.
"This win has been a long time coming, and it feels really good now that it's here," he said.
"I remember when we had the old Corvette and used to come out here and just barely qualify, knowing we were going to be out after first elimination. Now that we're with Al-Anabi, and the new car it's been picking up a little bit. It feels really good," he said
As Auxier's wife asked him the order of events at the Winner Circle ceremonies an excited Auxier said, "I don't know honey, this is my first time. This is a whole new ball game!"
Commisso' road to the finals included a win over Danny Rowe Saturday night and then one of the best matchups of the weekend, seeding Commisso against top qualifier Mike Castellana. Commisso sent Castellana packing early, blasting off a 5.952/242.45 to a nitrous-assisted 5.998/235.64 - the first side-by-side five-second Pro Mod matchup Bristol Dragway history. With the win, Commisso advanced all the way to the finals, drawing a bye in the semi's due to the short field.
Extremely disappointed by his red light start in the finals, Commisso said, "All these guys out here are great racers, very competitive. I got a bit anxious and just jumped the gun. My crew did a great job giving me the fastest car on the track and this one just falls on my shoulders." Commisso said.
The weekend was also highlighted by the contribution of more than $5,700 to the Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House in memory of fallen Pro Mod driver Steve Engel, who won this Bristol Event last year.
Next up for the Get Screened America Pro Mod challenge is the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, May 29-31 at Heartland Park Topeka, in Topeka, Kansas.
Points Standings (After 4 of 10 events)
1 Burton Auxier 330
2 Mike Castellana 299
3 Roger Burgess 284
4 Joe Baker 217
4 Danny Rowe 217
6 Rick Stivers 200
7 Brad Personett 196
8 Jay Payne 177
9 Raymond Commisso 174
10 Taylor Lastor 167
11 Tim Tindle 156
12 Harold Laird 155
13 Mike Knowles 147
14 Kenny Lang 140
15 Andy McCoy 63
16 Rickie Smith 52
17 Billy Gibson 42
18 Chip King 35
19 Kirk Wilmes 31
20 Tommy Gray 10
20 George Landis 10
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Tindle on a Mission in Bristol; low for two straight rounds |
BRISTOL, TN - Tim Tindle and the Tindle Racing Team is on a mission at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. After three rounds of qualifying, the Santa Rosa Beach, FL racer earned the provisional No. 3 position after delivering the quickest elapsed time and fastest mph for the final qualifying session; 6.078, 245.36 mph. The 245.36 mph pass was nearly 10 mph faster than most in the field.
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Baker Makes Early Exit in Bristol First Round |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 16, 2009)- Matco Tools/Lend America driver Joe Baker's weekend at Bristol ended in first round eliminations in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx after taking the No.11 qualifying spot.
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R2B2 Racing's Dynamic Pro Mod Duo advance in Bristol |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 16, 2009)- R2B2 teammates Roger Burgess and Raymond Commisso both advanced in the first elimination round of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
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High Track Temperatures Heat Up Competition in Thunder Valley |
 BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 16, 2009) - Weather forecasters couldn't have been more wrong today, as the 80 percent chance of rain in Bristol turned into a beautiful - albeit sunny and hot - day as the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx took to the drag strip for the last session of qualifying and round one of eliminations at the NRHA Thunder Valley Nationals.
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Pro Mods rumble for the numbers in day one at Bristol |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 15, 2009) -- With the threat of rain increasing as the afternoon wore on, the only rumble heard in Bristol, Tenn. was coming from Thunder Valley. A lucky dozen braved the weather and the economic storms to race in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx Friday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Despite an abbreviated field there was no shortage of action.
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Castellana & Auxier Lead Points, Look To Widen The Gap In Bristol |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (4-14-2009) - Fresh off a final round appearance in St. Louis, Burton Auxier, driver of the Al-Anabi Racing '67 Chevy Camaro Pro Mod, is riding a wave of momentum that has him confident that Bristol, Tennessee may be the place where he earns his first Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge title.
After a string of 6.0-second runs at the NHRA Midwest Nationals and a stunning 5.98 in the final, Auxier's weapon of choice has been unbridled consistency - a trait in the racing world that is oftentimes few and far between. Along with Al-Anabi Racing teammate Mike Castellana, Auxier utilizes a SPEEDTECH Nitrous-equipped Reher-Morrison Racing Engines 800ci power plant that has been the centerpiece for the performance of the world's baddest nitrous Pro Mods for the last two seasons. Considering the phenomenal racing surface provided by Bristol Dragway, the Al-Anabi Racing nitrous Pro Mod tag team is sure to show the world why it's better known as "Thunder Valley".
Currently number one and two in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge point standings, Castellana and Auxier could widen the gap considerably through a strong showing this weekend, but as the lone nitrous cars in the field they will definitely have their work cut out for them against 11 cars of the forced induction variety.
With two cars more than capable of consistent runs in the 5-second zone, both of the Al-Anabi Racing cars have what it takes to take the win in Bristol - even in the go-fives or go-home world of NHRA Pro Mod racing.
Log onto www.dragracecentral.com <http://www.dragracecentral.com> or ProModChallenge.com to follow the action round-by-round.
ABOUT AL-ANABI RACING/QATAR
A result of drag racing's continually increasing popularity abroad, Al-Anabi Racing is based out of the country of Qatar. Qatar is widely-known for working with the United States military forces to build one of the premier U.S. air bases in the Arabian Gulf Region at Al-Udeid. The Qatari philosophy was to obtain the best defense by providing the best facilities for U.S. and coalition forces. At the heart of the Al-Anabi Racing program is His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani, a member of the ruling family of Qatar, who set a goal of promoting the domestic and international awareness of motorsports in the nation of Qatar through multiple racing teams competing within the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Al-Anabi Racing recently completed construction and held its first events at the new Qatar Race Club (QRC), a state of the art drag strip outside the city of Doha in the nation of Qatar.
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Now Is The Time For Danny Rowe Racing |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (4-14-2009) - Danny Rowe will admit that there is no time like the present to make something happen, and that's just what the Laguna Beach, California-native intends to do this weekend in Bristol at the 9th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Despite his best efforts, Rowe has found himself in an incredibly tight points battle towards the end of his last three seasons in Pro Mod competition, and a strong outing in Tennessee this weekend would give him the boost needed points-wise to fight for the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge world championship prior to the end of the season.
"It almost always comes down to the wire for us with the points chase," said Rowe, veteran driver of the Sterling Bridge-backed '67 Chevy Camaro Pro Mod. "However, a tight points battle is a testament to the talent pool here in the NHRA Pro Mod Challenge; every car and driver is a threat at this point and we're excited to be competing against the best of the best.
"We're only a few rounds out of the lead and a solid outing in Bristol would put us in a good position to vie for the title a little bit earlier in the season than we're accustom to. With the caliber of cars out here, though, I don't see anyone running away with it."
Thunder Valley Raceway, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated stops on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour, will host 13 of the nation's baddest doorslammers and provide the perfect stage for what could easily be one of the best races of the season.
Going into the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Danny Rowe is 6th in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge points.
Please log onto www.dragracecentral.com <http://www.dragracecentral.com> for round by round race results.
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