Ringers Gloves Weekend Wrap-Up June 19-20 2004
Indianapolis – (June 21, 2004) It was a Ringers Gloves/Father’s Day winning weekend for our racers across the country. Ringers drivers won in four of the most recognizable national series; ARCA, ASA, NASCAR and NHRA. To kick off the weekend, American Speed Association (ASA) National Tour 2003 Rookie of the Year, Reed Sorenson, competed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Flagstar 200 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., on Saturday afternoon. Sorenson, signed on with Chip Ganassi’s driver development program, piloted his #40 Sherwin Williams/Target Dodge to Victory Lane six seconds over the second place car of Matt Hagens. This was Sorenson’s second ARCA start this year. While the ASA National Tour has a three week break before heading to Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wis., Wisconsin’s own Todd Kluever made the short trip to the Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill., to compete in the ASA Late Model Series on Saturday. Kluever captured the pole for the Terry’s Automotive 100 and drove his #40 Gerry Gunderman-owned car to the Winner’s Circle. Kluever restored his confidence and recorded his first win since 2001. 2003 ASA National Tour Champion Kevin Cywinski also participated in the Twin 100 festivities, but in the Chicagoland Late Models. National Tour driver Brett Sontag took home the win, with Cywinski making a podium finish in third. Perhaps the two biggest Father’s Day wins were those in NASCAR and NHRA. In NASCAR Nextel Cup Series action, team Penske Racing South visited Victory Lane for the second time this year. The first was with Rusty Wallace’s winless drought at Martinsville and the second was Sunday for 2003 SPEED Channel Driver of the Year, Ryan Newman. Newman held the Budweiser Pole early on in Nextel Cup qualifying on Friday, but was bumped off by the three Hendrick Motorsports drivers of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers. Newman took over the lead from Dale Jarrett on lap 184 and had a win-hungry Kasey Kahne on his tail until P.J. Jones hit the wall in Turn 2, bringing out the caution on lap 193 to end the race under the yellow. Penske Racing South drivers, Rusty Wallace and Brendan Gaughan finished 16th and 22nd, respectively. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) visited the Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, N.J., and it was a weekend of triumph for some teams, and disappointment and unusual happenings for others. In Pro Stock, 2003 Champion Greg Anderson set the Low Qualifier on Saturday but lost in first round to fellow Ringers driver, Darrell Alderman. Instead it was Anderson’s teammate, Jason Line, who took the KB Racing Pontiac to Winner’s Circle. Line defeated Ringers driver, Kurt Johnson, with a 6.761/203.58 mph run and made his second trip to Winner’s Circle in 2004. Even though Anderson went out early in the day, his still has a comfortable lead over Kurt Johnson in the POWERade Pro Stock Championship Points. Top Fuel saw a familiar face make his first visit to Winner’s Circle this year. 2003 POWERade Top Fuel Dragster Points Champion Larry Dixon and his Snake Racing/Miller Lite rail came back to winning fashion. Dixon beat Cory McClenathan with a 4.657/318.92 mph run, recording his fourth consecutive Father’s Day win. Current POWERade points leader, Tony Schumacher, and second place, Brandon Bernstein, also failed to make it past the first round eliminations. Schumacher heads to St. Louis with a 38-point lead over Bernstein. Don’t forget to follow all your Ringers’ favorites by logging onto www.asaracing.com, www.nascar.com, www.nhra.com and www.ringersgloves.com. Be sure to check out the Ringers “Glove Shack” on the Manufacturer’s Midway at every NHRA national event in 2004. Ringers Gloves is a full-line manufacturer of specialty mechanics, rescue and firefighter gloves, SFI spec 3.3/1, 3.3/10 racing gloves, UnderX undergarments, shop wear and Ringers Gloves race wear. For more information on Ringers Gloves, please visit www.ringersgloves.com.