Danny Rowe Racing
Agave Underground Pro Mod Drivers Danny Rowe & Steve Matusek Set for Gainesville Invasion
LAGUNA HILLS, CA – Only days removed from a phenomenal multi-day test session at Palm Beach International Raceway in
Florida, the newly formed Pro Mod tag-team of Danny Rowe and Steve Matusek have made the short trip up to Gainesville Raceway and are ready to put their supercharged Agave Underground Tequila Pro Mod Camaros to work.
Work begins, of course, at this weekend’s 45th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals – the historic, tradition-rich kickoff to the 10-race NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season.
Danny Rowe & Crew Chief Jimmy Rector Awarded Prestigious Steve Engel “Big Man, Big Heart” Award
LAS VEGAS, NV – It seemed like a race weekend one step shy of perfect for the Agave Underground Pro Mod team as Danny Rowe
came up short in the final round against fellow Pro Mod frontrunner Troy Coughlin, but that all changed later Sunday night during the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Awards Banquet when Rowe and longtime crew chief Jimmy Rector were awarded the Steve Engel “Big Man, Big Heart” Award.
In front of a room filled with their racing peers, Rowe and Rector were presented the award that is handed out annually to a member of the Pro Mod community that best exemplify Engel’s gregarious spirit and generous nature. The award was created in Engel’s memory, following his untimely death in 2008 as a result of a high-speed accident during qualifying for the U.S. Nationals. Rowe and Rector join John Waldie, Mike Knowles, Troy Coughlin and Roger Burgess as recipients of the perpetual honor.
Rowe, a Pro Mod racer for nearly 15 years, and Rector, a multi-time champion Alcohol Funny Car racer himself who has served as Rowe’s crew chief since 2006, are amongst the most beloved characters in the pits at any stop on the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series tour. Though fiercely competitive, their friendly and family-oriented nature is well known in racing circles.
Tim Tindle Recovering in Indianapolis Hospital After High-Speed Incident
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Tim Tindle, who joined Danny Rowe Racing as the driver of the team’s second Agave Underground Tequila Pro
Mod Camaro in early July, is recuperating at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis following a scary high-speed crash during the opening round of eliminations for the 59th annual Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals on Sunday, September 1st.
Facing opponent Troy Coughlin in the first round of eliminations, Tindle’s Camaro went out of control near the midway point of the quarter-mile track and impacted the guard wall. Briefly airborne, the car flipped and rolled several times, coming to a rest upright in the grass alongside the outside of the retaining wall. The NHRA Safety Safari was on the scene immediately and assisted as Tindle exited the car under his own power. He was taken to the on-site paramedic center and then transported by ambulance to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Team owner and fellow driver Danny Rowe reported Tuesday morning that while Tindle is being held at Methodist Hospital for continued observation, he is doing well and expected to make a full recovery. “Tim is still experiencing some pain and soreness from the accident, but the doctors report no major injuries,” said Rowe. “He is here with his wife Sonya and son TJ, and despite feeling pretty beat up has been in good spirits.”
Rowe Looking for Victory in Indy at Historic U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Danny Rowe, driver of the Agave Underground Tequila Pro Mod Camaro, certainly isn’t the only driver that has
long yearned for a victory at this weekend’s 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals. Heralded as the most prestigious drag race in the world, the National Hot Rod Association’s annual visit to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis will pit Danny Rowe against 15 other drivers, all of which share his desire to score a win at the “Big Go”, but only one of which will get to hoist the trophy on Labor Day.
“I think every driver has a list of things they’d like to accomplish before they hang it up,” says Rowe. “And one of those things, way up on the list, is winning the U.S. Nationals. This is drag racing’s Super Bowl and there’s nothing quite like it. The atmosphere at this race is different from any other; the fans are passionate and conscious of the history of this place. Even participating in this event is an honor, so winning here in Indy is the ultimate prize for a drag racer – you become part of the legend of the U.S. Nationals.”
Continuing Upward Climb in NHRA Pro Mod Points Key for Danny Rowe in Norwalk
NORWALK, OH – Danny Rowe, driver of the Agave Underground Tequila Pro Mod Camaro, heads into this weekend’s 7th annual
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals fresh off a semifinal round appearance at Bristol Dragway that propelled him from ninth in the Pro Modified points standings to fourth. Another late round showing this weekend at the fan-friendly Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, could put Rowe directly into championship contention.
“We kick off every season with the goal of winning a world championship,” says Rowe. “But at this level – against the best drivers, the best tuners and the best teams – it’s never going to be easy. It’s going to be a battle, and it looks to me like that’s what we’re going to see here in the second half of this NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.”
For the last several years, the NHRA Pro Mod Series champion has been determined at the final race of the season. Without a repeat winner in 2013, a full field of teams capable of winning, and five races to go – this year will likely be no different.
Tim Tindle Joins Danny Rowe Racing
LAGUNA HILLS, CA – Perennial NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series frontrunner and championship contender Danny Rowe has a new
teammate. Tim Tindle, who competed for five seasons in the NHRA Pro Mod series himself and currently competes in the X-treme Drag Racing League’s outlaw supercharger division, Pro X-treme, will be joining Danny Rowe in a two-car venture for the remainder of 2013. Both drivers will field Agave Underground Tequila-backed supercharged Pro Modified Camaros with world renowned crew chief Jimmy Rector handling the tuning duties on both entries.
“Obviously, we’re very excited about Tim and his family joining our team,” said Rowe, who is currently tied for 4th in the NHRA Pro Mod Series points. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to field two cars here in this ultra-competitive Pro Mod category and, honestly, happy to have a guy like Tim joining our team. We’re both family-oriented guys and I think the Tindle Family will fit right in with us. We’re definitely looking forward to Norwalk.”
Tindle, who has been racing Pro Modified since 2005, earned 2007 AMS ProMod Challenge Rookie of the Year honors following a season that saw him win the ProCare RX Supernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, as well as the NHRA Pro Mod Clash in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2009, Tindle scored victories at both the NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas, and the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham, North Carolina.
Rowe Makes Big Move in NHRA Pro Mod Points After Semifinal Finish at Bristol Dragway
BRISTOL, TN – Danny Rowe, driver of the Agave Underground Pro Modified Camaro, parlayed his number-one qualifying effort at
Bristol Dragway into a strong semifinal round finish at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals and – more importantly – made a big move in the championship points standings.
After qualifying first with a 5.958-second, 242.76mph quarter-mile blast, Rowe met Clint Satterfield in the opening stanza. Rowe was off the starting line first and never waivered, moving on to the quarterfinals with a 6.004/243.59mph effort. Rowe then dispatched turbocharged frontrunner Eric Dillard before meeting with another turbocharged racer – Troy Coughlin – in the semifinal round. Rowe again had the advantage at the starting line, but couldn’t quite hold off Coughlin, who snuck around him at the 1,000-foot mark, taking the win with a 6.001/246.53mph pass over Rowe’s 6.028-second, 241.8mph run. Coughlin’s margin of victory was a mere 0.0123-seconds, approximately four feet.
Although shy of his goal of repeating his 2011 final round appearance at Bristol Dragway and this time scoring a win, Rowe made a tremendous move in the points – making the jump from ninth to fourth and straight back into title contention.
Rowe Leads Pro Mod Field After First Day of Qualifying
BRISTOL, TN – Agave Underground Pro Mod pilot Danny Rowe made his presence felt Friday during the opening two rounds of
qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, streaking to the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 5.958-second, 242.76mph quarter-mile blast.
Rowe, who will have been top qualifier at each of the last two races if his run stands as quickest of qualifying, hopes to parlay his starting position into a final round appearance in Thunder Valley on Sunday.
“We knew we had some work to do after that first session, but we came back up for the second round and did exactly what we came here to do – put this Agave Underground Pro Mod at the top of the qualifying sheets,” said Rowe. “Saturday we’ll focus on consistency and try to get ready for the opening round of eliminations. There isn’t a car here that isn’t capable of winning this deal, so we’re going to have to be on our toes tomorrow, but with the way this team has been performing this year, I couldn’t be more confident. We’re excited to go racing.”
Danny Rowe Looking to Gain Ground in Thunder Valley
BRISTOL, TN – Danny Rowe certainly earned his Father’s Day gift during the recently completed NHRA Summernationals in
Englishtown, New Jersey, where he qualified No. 1, but missed elimination day when he chose to fly home to California for his youngest daughter’s high school graduation. But now he’s looking to make up lost ground in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series points chase with a big outing at Bristol Dragway.
“We’re not worried about the points,” says Rowe, checking in from the pits in Thunder Valley, home to one of his personal favorite racing facilities. “The way I look at it is that the situation’s no different now than it ever is – you want to win every race. Nobody is running away with the points, which speaks to how competitive NHRA Pro Mod is right now, so we’re going to take it one round at a time, one race at a time, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Rowe Leaves NHRA Summernationals as Provisional No. 1 Qualifier
ENGLISHTOWN, NJ– Danny Rowe raced to the top of the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series field Friday during the opening rounds of
qualifying at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Rowe, a two-time and defending Englishtown event winner, set the pace with a phenomenal 5.926-second, 247.57mph quarter-mile blast in his supercharged Agave Underground Tequila ’68 Camaro. If his time stands, this would be his second No. 1 qualifying position of the season and fifth of his career.
Qualifying position, however, will ultimately have little impact on Rowe’s weekend in New Jersey as he departed the property following the second qualifying session to catch a flight home to Laguna Hills, California, so that he will be able to attend his daughter Cassidy’s graduation from JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano on Saturday morning.
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