It's undeniable; when it comes to drag racing, there is no bigger venue, no bigger event, and no
better racing than the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, held yearly at O'Reilly Raceway Park at
Indianapolis. The historical significance of the "Big Go" is reason enough for Danny Rowe and the
Sterling Bridge Pro Modified team to yearn for a victory, but the underlying implications in the
points race is what will matter most.
Coming into the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Rowe occupies the No. 3 position (368) in the Get
Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge points standings, just 66 points out of first, behind the
Al-Anabi Racing tag-team of Burton Auxier and Mike Castellana. A win in Indianapolis could help
propel the Laguna Beach, California-based driver to the lead, and bring him one step closer to his
championship dream.
"More than anything else," said Rowe, checking in via cell phone from his office in California,
"we're excited to be back drag racing. The layoff after Englishtown, especially considering the way
we performed out there, has been long, but we've made the most of it - testing and preparing for
this last stretch going into Vegas."
Despite a career-best competition run of 5.899-seconds and 245.58mph, Rowe was forced to settle for
runner-up honors in Englishtown alongside winner Raymond Commisso in the quickest side-by-side run
in the history of Pro Modified drag racing. The performance at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park,
though, has instilled a great deal of confidence in Danny Rowe and team - perhaps just the edge
they will need this weekend at Indy.
"The competition here, seriously, is just second to none," said Rowe. "It's unbelievable; the
quality of the cars, the talent that they have brought together is incredible. With that said, it's
a real challenge out here because there are no sitting ducks. Anyone on the qualifying sheet can
win the deal, and looking at the forecast - we're going to see some serious performance this
weekend."
Rowe continued, "We did some testing with our new Tim McAmis Race Cars-built '68 Camaro last week
in Indy and ran very well. Jimmy [Rector, crew chief] has this Sterling Bridge hot rod flying and
we're going to come out in Indy with guns blazing."
To follow Danny Rowe and the Sterling Bridge Pro Modified '68 Chevy Camaro this weekend, log onto
http://www.dragracecentral.com
for round-by-round results.
Qualifying at O'Reilly Raceway Park is scheduled with one round at 5:00 p.m. Friday evening, with
two rounds scheduled on Saturday at 3:00 and 5:00 pm, and a final qualifying shot on Sunday at 2:00
p.m. Elimination rounds will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday evening and conclude on Monday afternoon.
Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at http://www.dannyrowe.com
