BROWNSBURG, Indiana -- Plenty of racing going on this past weekend…from the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa, NHRA POWERade Drag Racing in Brainerd (Minn.), NASCAR racing in Watkins Glen and Nashville and WSORR action from Bark River, Mich.
Let’s start off with the hot National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing from the Lucas Oil Nationals from Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. Seven of the eight drivers in the finals on Sunday were Ringers supporting drivers or members of Ringers supporting teams. Three of the four classes produced a Ringers member in the Winner’s Circle.
Teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec took both their Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod’s to the finals on Sunday, giving the Vance & Hines team their first all Harley final of the year. Hines jumped off the line ahead of Krawiec and didn’t look back, collecting his third win of the season and denying Krawiec of his first.
Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin faced off in Pro Stock finals. Coughlin picked up a feat which Anderson had only accomplished two weeks ago, as that is the feat of his 50th career win. Coughlin collected his honor by defeating Anderson, 6.667/205.94 mph to Anderson’s 6.669/207.24 mph run.
Kenny Bernstein took his Monster Energy Drink Funny Car to its second final round of the season. Unfortunately, his appearance on Sunday didn’t turn into a comeback win. He was defeated by John Force, 4.794/316.60 mph to his own 4.801/320.43 mph.
However the other Bernstein, that being Kenny’s son Brandon, was able to carry the Bernstein name into the Lucas Oil Nationals Winner’s Circle with his fifth win of the season, by defeating Larry Dixon 4.525/329.91 mph to 4.586/323.35 in his SkyTel dragster. Even though Dixon jumped off the line first, Bernstein was able to drive by him to pick up the Wally and move into the number two position in Top Fuel points.
There are a couple NHRA regulars I need to send accolades to from their wins last weekend. Tony Pedregon and his Q Racing team raced the Night of Fire at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio and claimed a win in the Funny Car class. Morgan Lucas stayed out on the West Coast at Infineon Raceway and won the Lucas Oil Divisional event in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. Congratulations to both of your wins on your off weekends!
The NHRA straight liners head to Mohnton, Pa., for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the final race before the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series narrows each professional class field down to eight to vie for their respective championships.
Both Penske Racing drivers pulled double duty at The Glen on Saturday in the Busch Series race and Sunday in the Nextel Cup race. In the Busch race, Kurt Busch put his No. 39 Penske Truck Rental Dodge on the pole, while Ryan Newman qualified his No. 12 Kodak think:-backed Dodge in third. Busch set a new Watkins Glen track record in qualifying, led on two different occasions for a total of 20 laps during the Zippo 200 and limped his nearly brakeless hot rod across the finish line in third place, while teammate Newman brought home his second top-10 finish in his five Busch race starts this year in ninth.
The Penske Pair lined up for the Centurion Boats at The Glen on Sunday with Busch in the 13th and Newman in 15th positions. With both drivers finishing in the top-15, Busch in 11th and Newman in 13th, they both gained valuable points in clinching spots in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Busch still sits in the 12th position in points, while Newman is only 96 points behind his teammate in 13th.
On Saturday, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visited the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., for the Toyota Tundra 200. Brendan Gaughan and his South Point Racing No. 77 Chevrolet led the field of Ringers supporting racers to the finish line in 12th. Green Light Racing teammate Tim Sauter drove his No. 07 Lester Buildings Silverado to a 21st place finish, while his teammate Chad McCumbee was involved in an accident on lap 60 and scored in the 32nd position.
Both the Busch and Nextel Cup Series will head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for their respective races, while the Craftsman Truck Series has a weekend off before venturing to the Thunder Valley and Bristol Motor Speedway.
The granddaddy of all sprint car racing took place on Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Ia., for the SuperClean Knoxville Nationals. While numerous Ringers racer competed in the prestigious event, here is the rundown from those who transferred to the A Feature. Craig Dollansky led the supporting racers by finishing the 30 lap event in fourth place; Shane Stewart, who suffered motor issues early on, 23rd and Tim Kaeding who made a great charge in the B Feature and transferred to the A was involved in a crash within the first couple laps of the event was scored 24th.
Sticking with dirt track racing, Chub Frank competed in the North-South 100, an annual dirt late model event held at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky. After winning his heat on Saturday night, Chubzilla started in the fifth position for the 100 lap event. For the second consecutive year, Chubzilla came home in the third position. Chubzilla returns to action on Thursday night in a special event dirt late model race at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. Chubzilla will field a second car for NASCAR driver Kenny Schrader for the special race.
Johnny Greaves battled his Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota Pro-4 Off-Road in WSORR action in Bark River, Mich., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Greaves started his weekend off right with a win on Friday. He then took home a podium finish on Saturday in third place, and followed it up with yet another win in Round 9 on Sunday. Greaves continues to show a strong run at the championship in both the CORR and WSORR series.
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 ‘07 by logging onto www.ringersgloves.com for photos and highlights!
