<img src="http://gallery.nitromater.com/files/6/5/Rowe.jpg" alt="D Rowe" align="right"borders="0"/>
MARTIN, Mich. (Aug. 4, 2006) - A four-week enforced layoff following an untimely rainout didn't seem to do much to affect Pro Mod driver Danny Rowe, who continued his surge toward the top of the eMax Drag Racing Series IHRA points standings with a No. 1 qualifying finish and a track record Friday at the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals.
Rowe drove his Jimmy Rector-tuned '63 Corvette to a U.S. 131 Motorsports Park-record time of 6.130 to grab the provisional No. 1 spot heading into Saturday's two qualifying sessions. He split the track-record honors with No. 3 qualifier Steve Bareman, who went through the speed trap at 234.64 mph to erase the track's former Pro Mod standard.
Rowe finished five-thousandths in front of No. 2 Alan Pittman and nearly four-hundredths better than Bareman at the top of the massive 42-car field, the largest gathering of Pro Mods for a major quarter- mile event in the 2006 season. Series regulars Quain Stott (6.17), Mike Castellana (6.17), and Ed Hoover (6.18) rounded out the top six after Friday's run. Burton Auxier grabbed the bump spot with a 6.28, but that mark will almost surely be lowered Saturday when the mass of non-qualified drivers get two chances to break into the field.
Following the complete loss of the Canadian Nationals in Toronto on July 22 due to rain, Rowe entered the Northern Nationals still in third place in the IHRA points standings, trailing only Stott and Glen Kerunsky (who qualified in the 12th spot Friday). In his last three IHRA events, Rowe has been to the quarterfinals twice and finished as the runner-up in Milan, Mich.
Saturday's Pro Mod qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. The top 16 qualifiers will then return for Sunday's eliminations, which begin at 11 a.m.
About Danny Rowe
Danny Rowe drives the Rowe Racing Inc. '63 Corvette with help from marketing partners Red Line Oil, Gainsborough Capital, NGK Spark Plugs, Weld Wheels, and Hoosier Tire. He is a three-time winner and six-time finalist in NHRA Pro Mod competition, and owns the best winning percentage in NHRA history (.704). For more information, visit www.dannyrowe.com
IHRA Pro Mod points standings
(through 5 of 11 events)
1. Glen Kerunsky 401
2. Quain Stott 327
3. DANNY ROWE 296
4. Mike Janis 277
5. Tommy D'Aprile 265
6. Carl Spiering 245
7. Jim Halsey 239
8. Scott Cannon 219
9. Alan Pittman 195
10. Mike Castellana 193
11. Rick Distefano 191
12. Steve Bareman 188
13. Kenny Lang 172
14. Burton Auxier 168
15. Shannon Jenkins 142
With Long Layoff Over, Rowe Goes Straight to the Top
MARTIN, Mich. (Aug. 4, 2006) - A four-week enforced layoff following an untimely rainout didn't seem to do much to affect Pro Mod driver Danny Rowe, who continued his surge toward the top of the eMax Drag Racing Series IHRA points standings with a No. 1 qualifying finish and a track record Friday at the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals.
Rowe drove his Jimmy Rector-tuned '63 Corvette to a U.S. 131 Motorsports Park-record time of 6.130 to grab the provisional No. 1 spot heading into Saturday's two qualifying sessions. He split the track-record honors with No. 3 qualifier Steve Bareman, who went through the speed trap at 234.64 mph to erase the track's former Pro Mod standard.
Rowe finished five-thousandths in front of No. 2 Alan Pittman and nearly four-hundredths better than Bareman at the top of the massive 42-car field, the largest gathering of Pro Mods for a major quarter- mile event in the 2006 season. Series regulars Quain Stott (6.17), Mike Castellana (6.17), and Ed Hoover (6.18) rounded out the top six after Friday's run. Burton Auxier grabbed the bump spot with a 6.28, but that mark will almost surely be lowered Saturday when the mass of non-qualified drivers get two chances to break into the field.
Following the complete loss of the Canadian Nationals in Toronto on July 22 due to rain, Rowe entered the Northern Nationals still in third place in the IHRA points standings, trailing only Stott and Glen Kerunsky (who qualified in the 12th spot Friday). In his last three IHRA events, Rowe has been to the quarterfinals twice and finished as the runner-up in Milan, Mich.
Saturday's Pro Mod qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. The top 16 qualifiers will then return for Sunday's eliminations, which begin at 11 a.m.
About Danny Rowe
Danny Rowe drives the Rowe Racing Inc. '63 Corvette with help from marketing partners Red Line Oil, Gainsborough Capital, NGK Spark Plugs, Weld Wheels, and Hoosier Tire. He is a three-time winner and six-time finalist in NHRA Pro Mod competition, and owns the best winning percentage in NHRA history (.704). For more information, visit www.dannyrowe.com
IHRA Pro Mod points standings
(through 5 of 11 events)
1. Glen Kerunsky 401
2. Quain Stott 327
3. DANNY ROWE 296
4. Mike Janis 277
5. Tommy D'Aprile 265
6. Carl Spiering 245
7. Jim Halsey 239
8. Scott Cannon 219
9. Alan Pittman 195
10. Mike Castellana 193
11. Rick Distefano 191
12. Steve Bareman 188
13. Kenny Lang 172
14. Burton Auxier 168
15. Shannon Jenkins 142
