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.
Danny Rowe
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.
“We knew going into this weekend what the situation was,” said Rowe, who believes missing his youngest daughter’s graduation was never an option. “It’s tough because I have a crew, a brand new sponsor in Agave Underground and a lot of great people that support this team, but they understand that we have a family team here and they have graciously supported my decision.”
Rowe will arrive back home at 1:30AM PST, attend the ceremony at 11:00AM and – pending an unlikely rainout or delay – miss the opening round of Pro Mod eliminations at 4:00PM back in Englishtown.
“If we get rained out and get to run on Sunday, I’ll fly back,” Rowe explained. “If not, then I’m going only going to get qualifying points. Of course, it’s great to qualify number-one and Jimmy [Rector, crew chief] really did a great job tuning the car; making that run in the 90-plus degree weather on a 130 degree track is incredible. Whether the 5.92 stands or not, I’m certain we’d have a shot at winning this thing again, but I’m not second-guessing.
“We’ve always raced as a family and my wife and kids have been coming with me to the races since the very beginning,” Rowe continued, preparing to board his flight. “It’s always been part of what we do. My family has stood behind me and supported me, and I want to do the same thing for them. Cassidy is the youngest of my three girls and her graduating is kind of an end of an era for me – they’re all grown up. I can’t imagine missing it.”
Saturday’s final Pro Mod qualifying session is scheduled for 1:45PM, followed by the first round of eliminations at 4:00PM. Pro Mod Series eliminations will continue Sunday at approximately 2:30PM.
To learn more about Agave Underground Tequila products, sweepstakes and hosted events, visit www.agaveunderground.com, Facebook.com/AgaveUnderground or Follow @AgaveUground on Twitter.
To keep up with the latest news and results from Danny Rowe Racing, log onto www.dannyroweracing.com
(Photos courtesy Danny Rowe Racing; Joe McHugh; Click to enlarge)
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. — Friday’s results after the first two of three rounds of qualifying for the 44th Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, fourth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Saturday’s first round of eliminations.
Pro Modified
1. Danny Rowe, Chevy Camaro, 5.926, 247.57; 2. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.935, 244.03; 3. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.964, 243.11; 4. Von Smith, Camaro, 6.022, 241.24; 5.Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.042, 241.63; 6. Harold Martin, Corvette, 6.065, 236.38; 7. Mike Janis, Camaro, 6.121, 204.35; 8. Kevin McCurdy, Camaro, 6.181, 236.01; 9. Steve Matusek, Ford Mustang, 6.183, 244.34; 10. Troy Coughlin, Corvette, 6.231, 236.59; 11. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.547, 167.61; 12. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 8.427, 139.21; 13. Vinny Budano, Camaro, 8.613, 109.98; 14. Chip King, Daytona, 8.944, 98.87; 15. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 9.471, 177.88.
This story was originally published on June 1, 2013. 
