Team owner and driver Danny Rowe announced today that he would be indefinitely suspending the operation of his Pro Mod drag racing team.
“Of course, this is a tough decision to make, but with business opportunities both here and abroad and the travel schedule associated with those endeavors, we’ve made the choice to park the race team for the time being.”
Rowe, who has been a mainstay on the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series tour for the last decade and spearheaded the formation and growth of the Real Pro Mod Association, was quick to confirm that he intends to remain involved in the sport and wouldn’t rule out a return to the driver’s seat in the future.
“I love racing more than anything, and it’s been a huge part of my life for a long time,” explained Rowe. “So, I’m excited to remain involved with the RPM group, and do all we can to maintain and grow the positive momentum Pro Mod drag racing has right now. Together with the NHRA and RPM board members we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress and – I believe – helped take Pro Mod drag racing to an all-time high level of competition and professionalism. I’m looking forward to being a part of the class’ future.”
In his time together with renowned crew chief Jimmy Rector, Rowe scored 5 wins in 12 final round appearances and started from the No. 1 qualifying position 10 times.
“There have been a lot of incredible people involved with our race team over the years, and I can’t thank them enough,” said Rowe. “Jimmy [Rector], his wife Karen, our crew members Darryl McElrath, Chris Singleton, Jerry Rhodes, Matt Riha, Jeremy Donnell and all of our past team members, as well as the companies we’ve worked with and represented over the years – these are the people that have made our on-track success possible and I’m so appreciative of their commitment and contribution to our program.
“None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my wife, Val, my daughters Caitie, Chelsea and Cassidy, and the rest of my family. It’s great to have the opportunity to race at this level, but to have done it with my family has been amazing.
Rowe raced alongside teammate and longtime friend Steve Matusek since the start of the 2014 racing season – an experience that ranks high amongst his time fielding a professional race team.
“Racing with Steve [Matusek] and his wife, Lori, these last 5 seasons and getting to know their family has been an amazing experience. We are very lucky to have been surrounded by such great people.”
Always available and excited to see his fans and having fielded a number of memorable race cars, Rowe concluded by thanking his longtime fans and supporters.
“The sport of drag racing is lucky to have such an awesome fanbase,” concluded Rowe. “It’s been a privilege to be part of the show that is NHRA drag racing all these years and I want to sincerely thank all of those fans for coming out and supporting us.”
This story was originally published on December 5, 2018. 
