PRO MOD POINTS BATTLE COMES TO A CLOSE IN VEGAS; ROWE FINISHES 4TH, MOVES FOCUS TO 2010

(11-9-2009) LAGUNA HILLS, California – Yet again, the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge championship came down to the final race of the season with four drivers vying for what has quickly become perhaps the most coveted title in Pro Modified style drag racing. Coming into the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals third in the points standings, Danny Rowe was optimistic and equally excited as to his chances at the crown.

After qualifying fourth for the 16-car eliminator on Sunday, Rowe’s Sterling Bridge/Hottinger Group ’67 Camaro appeared to have as good of a shot as anyone in contention, posting a 5.975/243.55mph blast in the second round of qualifying, which represented the team’s career-best performance at “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and one of only six cars to break into the five-second zone.

The route to the championship, though, would be one that required an almost perfect weekend from Rowe, and a disaster of a weekend for the two teams ahead of him in points: Al-Anabi Racing’s Burton Auxier and his ’68 Pontiac Firebird, and Roger Burgess in the R2B2 Racing ’68 Camaro. In order to clinch the title, Rowe would have to advance to the final round if Auxier was to exit in the opening round of eliminations, and win the race if Auxier made it to the quarterfinals; any performance greater than that for Auxier would seal the deal on the 2009 Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge.

“Going into Vegas, we knew that we faced an uphill battle, but we’d been in situations like that before,” said Rowe, checking in via cell phone from his office in Laguna Hills, California. “It was a scenario that I wasn’t exactly comfortable in, but I knew that we still had a chance, and that was all that we needed.

“After qualifying was complete and I had a chance to look at the eliminations ladder, I knew that it was going to be an interesting day. Auxier had his teammate, Mike Castellana, in round one, while we were going to have a number of game opponents in front of us. We knew we’d have to run well, but we also knew that we needed to get down the track under power if we had a chance.”

The entire season hung in the balance, resting almost entirely on the first round of eliminations. Facing No. 13 qualifier Raymond Commisso, Rowe appeared to have the upper hand and would enjoy lane choice over his competitor. After the burnouts were complete, both cars rolled in and lit the pre staged and staged bulbs, when the ambers flashed the two classic American muscle cars left the starting line within three-hundredths of a second of each other and charged towards the finish line at the quarter-mile. Using his best pass of the weekend, Commisso was able to best Rowe’s 6.03/242.10mph combination with his 6.01 at 239.57mph.

While his chances at the 2009 Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Challenge were extinguished with the unfortunate first-round loss, Rowe, always a leader, remained positive and addressed his team in the pits.

“Hey guys, we have had a great season, an incredible year,” said Rowe, still in his fire suit as the team rolled his championship-contending ’67 Camaro into the pits. “We don’t have anything to hang our heads about, we’ve accomplished a lot this season, been in the hunt from the first race of the season and we’ll be back out here next year in the thick of things again.”

While reviewing the run data on the computer, Rowe continued to assess the season and the people that helped make it happen.

“Everyone on this team worked hard, and worked together to put us in the top-tier of all the Pro Mod teams in the country. We’ve established ourselves as title contenders amongst the best cars, drivers and crew chiefs this type of racing has to offer. With help from our great team of marketing partners, Sterling Bridge, Hottinger Group, Gainsborough Capital and the host of companies that make the performance of this car possible like Hoosier Tires, Impact Racing, Weld Racing, Permatex, NGK Spark Plugs, Red Line Oil, and Friction Unlimited.”

 Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at www.dannyrowe.com

Visit Danny Rowe Racing Sponsors:  www.hottingergroup.com , www.sterlingbridge.ca, www.gainsboroughcapital.com , www.frictionunlimited.com, www.weldracing.com, www.impactracing.com, www.hoosiertire.com, www.redlineoil.com, www.ngksparkplugs.com, www.weldracing.com, www.permatex.com, www.promodzone.com