Brownsburg, Ind. – What a week of racing at O’Reilly Raceway Park for the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals! Sportsmen qualifying started on Wednesday and all events in both the professional and sportsmen classes wrapped up with their final rounds yesterday afternoon.
Four Ringers’ supporting racers and teams between the two classes landed in the Winner’s Circle on Monday afternoon.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle action, 2007 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle winner Andrew Hines faced one of the more colorful riders in the class, Steve Johnson. Even though Hines beat Johnson off the Tree, Johnson straight-up ran down the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to collect his second Mac Tools U.S. Nationals win. In 2005, Johnson was awarded the U.S. Nationals win two days after the event, after extensive review of the final round finish line footage between him and Matt Smith. Johnson and his Snap-On/WyoTech Suzuki team were actually able to celebrate this time. Johnson’s margin of victory was approximately two feet, with a 7.034-second, 189.79 mph run.
For the second year in a row Pro Stock hot shot Dave Connolly took home the hardware at the U.S. Nationals. Despite a last minute lane change by his opponent Larry Morgan, Connolly was able to cruise onto a 6.743-second, 206.04 mph run.
Ringers’ would like to congratulate Connolly and Johnson on their professional wins, along with Von Smith (Top Alcohol Funny Car) and Steve Cohen (Super Comp) on their victories in their respective sportsmen categories.
The Andretti Green Racing teams were in action over the weekend at The Raceway at Belle Isle in Detroit.
The AGR American Le Mans Series XM Satellite Radio Acura team picked up its first overall ALMS win on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday in the IndyCar Series, the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven entry picked up yet another podium finish of the season in third in the Detroit Grand Prix. The next AGR team to the finish line was the No. 27 Formula Dream team in 11th, followed by the No. 26 Meijer entry finishing 18th.
The winner of the Detroit Grand Prix was the longtime Ringers’ supporting team of Newman-Haas-Lanigan and the No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team. Congratulations to the driver and crew!
The AGR teams travel to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to the West Coast and California Speedway in Fontana for the Pepsi 500. Penske Racing’s Ryan Newman and his No. 12 Kodak Dodge led the Penske trio to the finish line in 16th, with rookie driver Sam Hornish Jr. and his No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge in 31st. Kurt Busch drove his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to a 39th-place finish, before hopping a plane to the U.S. Nationals to hang out with Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco dragster team of Snake Racing.
The Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series head to Richmond International Raceway, while the Craftsman Truck Series ventures to Gateway International Raceway just outside of St. Louis.
In WSORR off-road action in Crandon, Wis., Johnny Greaves picked up a win on Saturday in the Pro 4x4 class at Crandon Raceway in his Monster Energy Potawatomi Toyota. However on Sunday, Greaves was tagged by a rookie racer and sent into a barrage of flips, much like what happened at the Pomona Fairplex a couple weeks ago. Greaves walked away unscathed.
That’s the minute for this week! By next week, I will be fully rested from the crazy-busy week of the U.S. Nationals, but will have stories and results from the World 100 dirt late model race held at Eldora Speedway this weekend!
Ringers Gloves, the 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, UnderX Performance gear, crew shoes, as well as a full line of accessories for every need. Isn’t it time you bring in the Ringers? Check us out at www.ringersgloves.com.
