A mere 37 points out of the top spot, Danny Rowe, currently third in the GSA NHRA Pro Mod Challenge points standings, comes into this final stop on the 10-race tour with high expectations for his Sterling Bridge/Hottinger Group-backed Pro Modified race team, but will leave the track with little regrets as to the performance of his team in 2009, regardless of the outcome. With three drivers battling it out for the championship, including Rowe, Burton Auxier and Roger Burgess, the prize money for the weekend's festivities encroaching on the $100,000 mark, and the once-in-a-season opportunity for NHRA Pro Modified drivers to double-up with the Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash - it's time to lay it all on the line, and let the chips fall where they may.

"We've got our work cut out for us this weekend," said Rowe, reporting in from his home in Laguna Hills, California. "I believe we've got at least make it to the final if Burton [Auxier] qualifies, then if he makes it to the second round, we've got to win the deal - not to mention Roger [Burgess], who has had an extremely fast race car this year. We look at this weekend and the championship as a very feasible, very attainable goal; we've just got to lean hard on what's served us well this year - consistency and performance.

While widely considered to be one of the nicest drag strips on the planet, Bruton Smith's Las Vegas Motor Speedway is also known for its demanding atmospherical conditions that are sure to keep all the GSA Pro Mod Challenge crew chiefs on their toes. Rowe, who qualified third for the 2008 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals with a 6.03/237.92mph, looks to up the ante this time around.

"I've got all the faith in the world in Jimmy Rector," said Rowe, who receives additional support from Friction Unlimited. "Our goal, as always, is to come in and qualify at the top of the pack, and just take it one round at a time. At this point, though, with the way these cars are running, there's really no room for just making a good run. We know we're going to have to be on our game."

Rowe continued, "Who would have thought that we'd have such a diverse group of cars - blowers, nitrous and turbos - all running so closely together? I'm continually impressed with the show that these teams are putting on, and it makes it that much more meaningful to be in this championship hunt. We're racing against the best of the best out here."

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