Moorpark, Calif. This minute is coming live to you from booth number 20713 at the SEMA Show in glitzy Las Vegas, Nevada...
I’ve been out in Vegas since Tuesday of last week. The NHRA races didn’t start until Thursday, but I had won some money last year at Bally’s and received a couple free comp room nights at the Rio Hotel & Casino, so I decided to enjoy Vegas a couple days before my schedule started getting busy. After my stay at the Rio, we moved to the beautiful South Point Casino & Resort, located on the southern part of Las Vegas Boulevard. It is one of the hotels owned by the Gaughan family and since we sponsor Orleans Racing, they take care of us very well.
Speaking of Brendan, him and the South Point No. 77 Dodge ran at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last weekend under the guidance of Bryan Berry, after Tony Liberati was released from the team earlier that week. After qualifying 23rd for the show, Brendan cut a tire down, just after receiving the Lucky Dog pass the caution period before, kissing the wall and forcing him to the pits to fix damage and change the flat tire. A caution did not come out for his mishap and he went two laps down. Never regaining his lost laps, Gaughan crossed the finish line in 26th.
Billy Ballew Motorsports put Jeremy Mayfield in the No. 15 Quest Global/Red Top Auto Auction Chevrolet for the EasyCare 200. However, his engine expired on lap 114, ending his day early and handing him a 30th-place finish.
The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series also ran at Atlanta Motor Speedway over the weekend. The Ringers supporting team of Penske Racing South and drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman finished 14th and 30th, respectively. Busch fought a loose race car most of the day and Newman brushed the wall during and spun during the course of the race, putting him two laps down.
The NASCAR Busch Series ventured to Memphis, the birthplace of the blues, and the Memphis Motorsports Park for the Sam’s Town 250. Ringers supporting racers of Todd Kluever and Jason Leffler; Kluever sporting the DriverX by Ringers racing gloves drove to the checkered in 16th place on Saturday, while Leffler, sporting the UnderX by Ringers was forced off the track with an expired motor late in the race, relegating Leffler and the Braun Racing No. 32 to a 34th-place finish.
It was a Ringers winning weekend in NHRA action at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday! All of the professional classes had a Ringers’ winning driver or supporting team driver in the Winner’s Circle…and three of them being owned by Don Schumacher.
Tony Schumacher of the Ringers supporting team of Don Schumacher Racing toppled new nemesis J.R. Todd in the final round of Top Fuel at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals with a 4.469/313.58 mph run.
After Whit Bazemore was let go from the Matco Tools Racing Funny Car at Schumacher Racing, Jack Beckman was brought in to fill the seat for the remainder of the year. Well, in only his fourth professional start for DSR, he landed in the Winner’s Circle and collected his first Wally. Beckman beat fellow Ringers supporting racer Tommy Johnson Jr., whose Skoal Racing Funny Car went up in tire smoke in the final round.
It was announced at Indianapolis that the Richie Stevens Jr.’s Pro Stock operation would still be owned by DSR, but would be run by Allen Johnson and his father Roy. Since that change, Richie has scored two career Pro Stock wins, with the second being in Vegas on Sunday. Richie took out 2006 POWERade Pro Stock Champion Jason Line in an upset holeshot win, 6.789/202.85 mph.
Two teammate and Harley-Davidsons battled in the Pro Stock Motorcycle finals Sunday evening. The one coming out on top though was the 2006 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle Champion Andrew Hines. Hines took out teammate GT Tonlget with a 7.080/188.65 mph run. Hines sits in first place in POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle points, only 37 points ahead of Antron Brown, heading into the final race at Pomona next weekend.
About Ringers Gloves
Ringers Gloves, Official Gloves of NHRA and title sponsor for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, is a full-line manufacturer of high-end, task specific gloves, SFI 3.3/1, 3.3/10, 3.3/20 racing gloves, UnderX protective undergarments and rdigs pit boots.
Keep up with your favorite Ringers racers in ‘06 by logging onto www.ringersgloves.com for photos and highlights!
