INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series visited Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., over the weekend and two Ringers' supporting teams faced each other in Top Fuel finals on Sunday.
Antron Brown and his Mike Ashley Racing-owned Matco Tools dragster matched up with 2008 IHRA champion and NHRA rookie contender Spencer Massey in his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco-sponsored, Don Prudhomme Racing rail. Massey left on Brown at the Tree, but Brown pulled ahead of Massey around the 330-foot mark. Massey then moved back around Brown to drive to a nine foot margin of victory, as he captured his first NHRA career Top Fuel win with a 3.856-second/308.35 mph run. The win was a little extra sweet as his associate sponsor, United Association, was the title sponsor for the event.
Though he didn't win on Sunday, Brown regains the point lead over Tony Schumacher, who fell out of competition in the opening round.
NHRA continues onto Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., this weekend to conclude a three-week swing with the United Association Supernationals.
The Ringers' teams of Andretti Green Racing raced under the lights at the Texas Motor Speedway in the Bombardier Learjet 550 on Saturday night. Three of the four teams collected top-10 finishes. The No. 26 Team Venom Energy Dallara led the AGR stable to the finish line in the fourth-place position. The No. 11 Team 7-Eleven entry has had an up-and-down past three weeks, but perseverance by his crew has kept the team finishing in the top-10, with Saturday being no exception as they came home in eighth-place. An electrical issue cut the race short for the No. 27 Formula Dream entry and relegated the team to a 20th-place finish.
The IndyCar Series has a weekend off and returns to action in the Iowa Corn 250 presented by Pioneer on June 21.
Penske Racing's Justin Allgaier competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Federated Auto Parts 300 on Saturday at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., and drove his No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge home to a 13th-place finish. Ringers' supporter Brendan Gaughan was involved in a pit road incident, causing damage to his car. Gaughan finished 24th after starting in the seventh position.
The Nationwide Series heads to Kentucky Speedway this weekend for the Meijer 300 presented by Ritz.
Both the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series took to the tri-oval of Pocono Raceway for their respective races on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Joey Logano drove the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports-owned (a Ringers' supporting team) Home Depot backed Toyota to victory lane in the Pocono ARCA 200. This marked Logano's second win in a Venturini car and his fourth career start.
The Penske Racing Spring Cup trio all competed in the Pocono 500 on Sunday. Sam Hornish Jr., who continues to improve in his second full year of Sprint Cup competition, led the three to the finish line in the 10th position. His teammate David Stremme was involved in an on-track incident in his No. 12 Penske Dodge, relegating him to a 34th-place finish. Mechanical gremlins struck the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team of Kurt Busch, resulting in a 37th place.
Both the ARCA RE/MAX and the Sprint Cup Series travel to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn for their individual races.
On Saturday night at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Ohio, the 15th annual Dirt Late Model Dream commenced and a new winner of the event was crowned. Known as the "Newport Nightmare," Jimmy Owens had to take a provisional into the race after he failed to qualify through his heat race. Then as he pulled onto stage to accept his check and claim his trophies, his engine had enough and blew out a big puff of smoke. Owens became the 10th different winner of the event. Track owner Tony Stewart flew back and forth from Pocono on Friday and Saturday to race in the event and finished sixth, before picking up his technically first win in Pocono on Sunday in Cup as an owner and driver.
Ringers' notables in the Dream finish included Scott Bloomquist, second; Brian Birkhofer, sixth; Rick Eckert, eighth; Steve Francis, 12th; Billy Moyer, 14th; Jeep VanWormer, 15th; Chub Frank, 19th and Shannon Babb, 20th.
The fifth annual Prelude to the Dream, featuring NASCAR stars in a specialty all-star race, that was supposed to take place on Wednesday prior to the Dream was postponed and reschedule after rains plagued the New Weston-area all day on Wednesday. The race will now be a Prelude to the World 100 on Wednesday, September 9.
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