Mindy's Minute
Press Information: For Immediate Release Contact Information Mindy Stephens Ringers Gloves Public Relations 800.421.8454 _mindys@ringersgloves.com_ (mailto:mindys@ringersgloves.com) MINDY’S MINUTE Moorpark, Calif. - (October 18, 2006) After getting rained out in Richmond for the first go-around of the Torco Fuels NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) on the scheduled weekend, I trekked on down Interstate 85 and headed to the Charlotte area for the NASCAR events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. As I stated in my last minute, I absolutely love the Charlotte area and not only because the majority of my friends live and work down there. I like the area because it is just such a fresh, hip atmosphere around the Birkdale and Mooresville areas…oh yeah, and there is racing too! Plus, the weather is awesome…despite the fact it was very chilly at the track on Friday night for the Busch race. I know I could definitely be comfortable living down there. The Ringers supporting racers of Todd Kluever and Jason Leffler started out running strong in the Dollar General 300. Running as high as fourth place during the race, Kluever suffered a burned spark plug wire which relegated him to an 18th-place finish…not exactly the finish he was looking for at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after producing some of the fastest laps of the race. Leffler also had a great run throughout the night, even leading the race for eight laps, but he ran over some debris from another car, resulting in him hitting the outside wall with enough damage to put him two laps down while making repairs, finishing 28th. While the Ringers Busch supporting drivers started out strong, the Nextel Cup drivers had woes from the beginning of the Bank of America 500. Kluever got loose and spun on lap 45 and was hit by another car, ending his night and handing him a 39th-place finish. The Ringers supporting team of Penske Racing South and its drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman both had to start at the tail of the field; Busch because of an issue during qualifying and Newman because he wrecked his primary car in Cup practice on Friday. However, the problems didn’t stop there. A leak was discovered on the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger and after a thorough attempt to fix the issue on pit road, the team decided to pull the car behind the wall and extensively fix the problem. The repairs put Newman 62 laps down, finishing 27th. His teammate didn’t have any better luck. Busch’s No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge was also forced behind the wall after a spin in turn two sent him into the wall. After lengthy repairs, the No. 2 crew were able to get Busch back out on the race track. Busch was scored 32nd, the last car running the race. The NHRA returned to Richmond for the rerun of the Torco Fuels NHRA Nationals at VMP, where two Ringers supporting teams landed in Winner’s Circle. Jason Line drove his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to a record-breaking 6.558/209.75 mph run over Tom Martino in Pro Stock finals on Sunday. Line sits atop of the POWERade Pro Stock points by 119 points heading into Las Vegas next weekend. Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Frank Manzo also accomplished a feat over the weekend. Manzo shattered the 5.5-second barrier in qualifying on Friday with a 5.469-second/262.44 mph run. He was able to back up his run in second round qualifying, giving him the official NHRA National Record in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Manzo also went onto win Sunday’s TAFC race and he also clinched his 10th NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Funny Car points’ championship a couple weeks ago. The NHRA heads to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend, followed by the season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, November 9-12. 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_ (http://www.ringersgloves.com/) for photos and highlights! Mindy Stephens Public Relations/Marketing Ringers Gloves RingersIndy@aol.com www.ringersgloves.com