(6-6-2011) ENGLISHTOWN, New Jersey – Danny Rowe and company rolled into Old Bridge Township Raceway Park with redemption on their minds. Disappointed in their lackluster outing in Atlanta, Georgia a few weeks prior, Rowe and the Sterling Bridge Pro Mod team knew they needed a strong showing to get the team back on track, as well as stay in championship contention.
With world-record performances showing up in every round of qualifying on the historic quarter-mile in Englishtown, New Jersey, Rowe and his trusty supercharged ’68 Camaro Pro Mod were faced with a daunting task, but were certainly up for the challenge. After qualifying fifth for the 16-car field with a 5.880-second, 247.52mph effort, Rowe met Raymond Commisso in Rd. 1 on Saturday evening and secured the victory with a 5.860 at 248.34mph to move on to Sunday’s final elimination rounds. From there Rowe dispatched Atlanta event-winner Ed Hoover, Dennis Radford and former IHRA world champion Mike Janis en route to his first victory of the 2011 season.
“What a turnaround,” Rowe quips, as he cracks his trademark smile in the winner’s circle. “We wanted to win in Englishtown, we definitely needed to, and that’s exactly what we did. I can’t say enough about Jimmy Rector [crew chief] and this Sterling Bridge team, honestly. We had our backs up against the wall this weekend. You go up there and see the turbo cars running in the 5.70s, the nitrous cars dipping into the 5.70s, and it’s hard not to get a little concerned. It’s clear that the supercharged cars are a little off the pace right now, we’ve got some catching up to do, but fortunately, we didn’t need to run 5.70s to win this weekend.
“We just kept our focus, went out there and made runs,” he continues. “Obviously, it paid off for us, and I don’t think we could be any happier. Sure, we’d like to be leading the points, but after our little stumble in Atlanta, I think we were all a little concerned about what it would take just to stay in the hunt. We’re 62 points out of first now and we’ve got a lot of racing yet to do, so I think we’re in good shape as we move forward.
“With this string of three races all bunched together, we have an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum going into Bristol that we don’t always have, and we need to make the most of it. With Balooshi going out early, we’ve got a shot here to close the gap or even take the lead in the coming weeks, and that has to be our goal. As has been the case for the last several years, though, the championship will likely come down to the wire – especially with all the talent out here in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. That’s a big part of why it’s such a good feeling to get a win here, because you know you’re competing against the best of the best.”
The Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will get return to the quarter-mile on Friday, June 17th, with two qualifying sessions scheduled for 4:15 PM and 5:30. Qualifying continues on Saturday, June 18th, at 1:45 PM and the opening round of eliminations at 3:15. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday, June 19th, at 11:00 AM.
NHRA Pro Modified Points Standings (After 5 of 10 races)
Khalid Al-Balooshi, 384
Danny Rowe, 326
Ed Hoover, 307
Roger Burgess, 276
Rickie Smith, 271
Kenny Lang, 267
Mike Castellana, 250
Raymond Commisso, 237
Scott Ray, 220
Brad Personett, 203
Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at Danny Rowe Racing
With world-record performances showing up in every round of qualifying on the historic quarter-mile in Englishtown, New Jersey, Rowe and his trusty supercharged ’68 Camaro Pro Mod were faced with a daunting task, but were certainly up for the challenge. After qualifying fifth for the 16-car field with a 5.880-second, 247.52mph effort, Rowe met Raymond Commisso in Rd. 1 on Saturday evening and secured the victory with a 5.860 at 248.34mph to move on to Sunday’s final elimination rounds. From there Rowe dispatched Atlanta event-winner Ed Hoover, Dennis Radford and former IHRA world champion Mike Janis en route to his first victory of the 2011 season.
“What a turnaround,” Rowe quips, as he cracks his trademark smile in the winner’s circle. “We wanted to win in Englishtown, we definitely needed to, and that’s exactly what we did. I can’t say enough about Jimmy Rector [crew chief] and this Sterling Bridge team, honestly. We had our backs up against the wall this weekend. You go up there and see the turbo cars running in the 5.70s, the nitrous cars dipping into the 5.70s, and it’s hard not to get a little concerned. It’s clear that the supercharged cars are a little off the pace right now, we’ve got some catching up to do, but fortunately, we didn’t need to run 5.70s to win this weekend.
“We just kept our focus, went out there and made runs,” he continues. “Obviously, it paid off for us, and I don’t think we could be any happier. Sure, we’d like to be leading the points, but after our little stumble in Atlanta, I think we were all a little concerned about what it would take just to stay in the hunt. We’re 62 points out of first now and we’ve got a lot of racing yet to do, so I think we’re in good shape as we move forward.
“With this string of three races all bunched together, we have an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum going into Bristol that we don’t always have, and we need to make the most of it. With Balooshi going out early, we’ve got a shot here to close the gap or even take the lead in the coming weeks, and that has to be our goal. As has been the case for the last several years, though, the championship will likely come down to the wire – especially with all the talent out here in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. That’s a big part of why it’s such a good feeling to get a win here, because you know you’re competing against the best of the best.”
The Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will get return to the quarter-mile on Friday, June 17th, with two qualifying sessions scheduled for 4:15 PM and 5:30. Qualifying continues on Saturday, June 18th, at 1:45 PM and the opening round of eliminations at 3:15. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday, June 19th, at 11:00 AM.
NHRA Pro Modified Points Standings (After 5 of 10 races)
Khalid Al-Balooshi, 384
Danny Rowe, 326
Ed Hoover, 307
Roger Burgess, 276
Rickie Smith, 271
Kenny Lang, 267
Mike Castellana, 250
Raymond Commisso, 237
Scott Ray, 220
Brad Personett, 203
Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at Danny Rowe Racing
