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(5-05-2008) MADISON, IL – After bouncing back from a wicked top end crash on Friday night and qualifying 4th with a borrowed race car amongst one of the quickest fields of Pro Modified cars ever assembled, Danny Rowe and the Hottinger Group-backed race team were looking very well going into the final elimination rounds on Sunday.
Rowe, who dismissed Mike Knowles in the opening round of competition Saturday evening, unfortunately had to face his teammate Kirk Kuhns in the Embee Performance ’41 Willys in the second round. While having both cars in the top half of the field (Rowe No. 4, Kuhns No. 5) was an accomplishment in itself, it also placed both cars on the same side of the ladder. Kuhns, a formidable opponent as a teammate or not, was loaded for bear, knowing it would take a low 6.0-second pass to outrun Rowe. Slightly off on the tune-up, Kuhn’s hot rod went right into tire shake at the hit of the throttle while Rowe sped away to a strong 6.06 at 241.11mph – setting up a semi-final round matchup with defending NHRA JEGS ProMod Challenge Champion Joshua Hernandez.
“Going into the semi-finals we were pleased with our performance up until that point, but knew we were going to have to step on it to run with Josh Hernandez,” said Rowe. “Jimmy Rector and our crew had given me a great race car round after round so we were confident.”
When the tree came down in the semi-final round few would have expected to see one of the quickest and fastest side-by-side runs in the history of Pro Modified racing, but that’s exactly what happened as Rowe and Hernandez blasted down the track – posting identical 5.980-second elapsed times with Rowe posting a whopping 242.54mph trap speed. The margin of victory, though, a mere 0.0313-seconds was in favor of Hernandez; ending Danny Rowe’s day slightly early. The nearly 243mph trap speed earned the team the first New York Motorsports Top Speed Award, giving the team some well-deserved cash for their efforts.
“He got a slight holeshot, but the cars were welded together all the way down the track – it was a great race; both of us running 5.980-second passes – simply unbelievable. We would have liked to have been on the winning side of the deal and put this team in the winner’s circle for everyone at Hottinger Group, Embee Performance and the rest of the great people and companies that partner with us, but that’s why they call this ‘racing’ and not ‘winning.’”
After two days of unseasonably cool weather, unpredictable on-track incidents and some of the greatest racing Pro Modified fans have ever witnessed, Danny Rowe Racing continues to show the passion and determination of a championship caliber team.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this race team,” said Rowe. “The sheer determination of this group of people is unbelievable, I’m so proud of what we accomplished this weekend. This was one of those trying weekends, the ones that make you earn it and that is exactly what we did. We fought through some adversity and walked away with a very successful weekend. We’ve got a few weeks until Bristol; we’re going to regroup and prepare to get back to work at Thunder Valley.”
Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at .: Danny Rowe Racing - Pro Modified :.
EMOTIONAL WEEKEND FOR ROWE AND COMPANY
(5-05-2008) MADISON, IL – After bouncing back from a wicked top end crash on Friday night and qualifying 4th with a borrowed race car amongst one of the quickest fields of Pro Modified cars ever assembled, Danny Rowe and the Hottinger Group-backed race team were looking very well going into the final elimination rounds on Sunday.
Rowe, who dismissed Mike Knowles in the opening round of competition Saturday evening, unfortunately had to face his teammate Kirk Kuhns in the Embee Performance ’41 Willys in the second round. While having both cars in the top half of the field (Rowe No. 4, Kuhns No. 5) was an accomplishment in itself, it also placed both cars on the same side of the ladder. Kuhns, a formidable opponent as a teammate or not, was loaded for bear, knowing it would take a low 6.0-second pass to outrun Rowe. Slightly off on the tune-up, Kuhn’s hot rod went right into tire shake at the hit of the throttle while Rowe sped away to a strong 6.06 at 241.11mph – setting up a semi-final round matchup with defending NHRA JEGS ProMod Challenge Champion Joshua Hernandez.
“Going into the semi-finals we were pleased with our performance up until that point, but knew we were going to have to step on it to run with Josh Hernandez,” said Rowe. “Jimmy Rector and our crew had given me a great race car round after round so we were confident.”
When the tree came down in the semi-final round few would have expected to see one of the quickest and fastest side-by-side runs in the history of Pro Modified racing, but that’s exactly what happened as Rowe and Hernandez blasted down the track – posting identical 5.980-second elapsed times with Rowe posting a whopping 242.54mph trap speed. The margin of victory, though, a mere 0.0313-seconds was in favor of Hernandez; ending Danny Rowe’s day slightly early. The nearly 243mph trap speed earned the team the first New York Motorsports Top Speed Award, giving the team some well-deserved cash for their efforts.
“He got a slight holeshot, but the cars were welded together all the way down the track – it was a great race; both of us running 5.980-second passes – simply unbelievable. We would have liked to have been on the winning side of the deal and put this team in the winner’s circle for everyone at Hottinger Group, Embee Performance and the rest of the great people and companies that partner with us, but that’s why they call this ‘racing’ and not ‘winning.’”
After two days of unseasonably cool weather, unpredictable on-track incidents and some of the greatest racing Pro Modified fans have ever witnessed, Danny Rowe Racing continues to show the passion and determination of a championship caliber team.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this race team,” said Rowe. “The sheer determination of this group of people is unbelievable, I’m so proud of what we accomplished this weekend. This was one of those trying weekends, the ones that make you earn it and that is exactly what we did. We fought through some adversity and walked away with a very successful weekend. We’ve got a few weeks until Bristol; we’re going to regroup and prepare to get back to work at Thunder Valley.”
Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at .: Danny Rowe Racing - Pro Modified :.
