Danny Rowe Remains No. 3 in Pro Mod Qualifying As Rain Continues at U.S. Nationals
Courtesy of Danny Rowe Racing
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – As rain continues to fall on Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis during Sunday’s final day of qualifying for the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Pro Mod championship contender Danny Rowe hangs in the balance. His first-and-only pass of
the weekend, a 5.983-second, 243.41mph effort on Friday, has him qualified third.
With minimal openings in the weather today, NHRA has set the Pro Mod fields and, pending dry conditions, will start with the first round of eliminations tomorrow. If weather or scheduling prevents Pro Mod eliminations from being run tomorrow, the race will be pushed back to next weekend with a second qualifying session being held on Saturday and eliminations following.
“Wow,” says Rowe, checking in from the rain-soaked pits at Lucas Oil Raceway. “This just goes to show you how many variables you’re dealing with in drag racing. If it’s not the car, the driver, or the track – it’s the weather. It’s not looking like there is any reprieve in sight for today, so the Pro Mod field is now set and if it’s drier tomorrow, we’ll go right into eliminations.”
For Rowe, who is second in the NHRA Pro Mod championship points standings, just three points behind Rickie Smith, it’s an added degree of complexity to a very critical and important weekend of racing.
“It’s just crazy,” Rowe continues. “With Indy, you’re already talking about a race that has a lot of extra meaning, but when you throw in how close the points are right now in Pro Mod and the fact that we’ve only got four races left – it’s intense. Now that it’s looking like we’ll go straight into eliminations tomorrow – after only one qualifying session – we’re really going to have to be on our game. But that’s only if the weather holds out; we could very well be talking about another qualifying session next Saturday and then going into eliminations. So, who knows?”
Having been to the final round on two separate occasions, Rowe is no stranger to the grand stage that is the late rounds of the U.S. Nationals, but he knows that a win this weekend would be even bigger for his team.
“We knew coming into Indy that we needed a big weekend,” says Rowe. “And I feel like we’re poised to have one. This team has given me a great car, we just need the rain to hold off long enough to go out there and prove it. For now, though, we’re in a holding pattern like everyone else. All we can do is wait and see.”
The first round of Pro Mod eliminations for the 58th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana, are tentatively scheduled to begin tomorrow at noon. If Pro Mod cannot run tomorrow, the event will be completed next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and Pro Mod fields will have their second qualifying session next Saturday.
In the meantime, check out the new Danny Rowe Racing website at www.dannyroweracing.com
