Red, White and Two...
Milford, Michigan
Stanton Michigan’s Mid-Michigan Motorplex hosted Round 2 of NHRA’s Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series over the July Fourth weekend. ParkerTech Racing Services fielded their VIPsports.com/Allstar Performance 2005 Dodge Stratus Top Alcohol Funny Car with the realistic goal of claiming the Division 3 points lead. But, even with fireworks and a bit of good racing luck, the team ended up with a red, white and two weekend.
Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions saw a number of racers struggling with poor track conditions. The rough surface kept crews busy, trying to find a set-up to keep tires and the track in close contact with one another. Frank Parker, team owner, came up with a good combination that enabled his driver, Danny Townsend, to qualify third, just four one-hundredths behind the number one car. When it comes to coping with adverse track conditions, Townsend, a seven-time NHRA Division Champion, has the experience but not the preference. “I like my alcohol smooth, not shaken,” he chuckled.
Luck sided with the VIPsports.com/Allstar Performance team in the first two rounds of eliminations, when their competitors couldn’t stage. Townsend wisely used the bye runs to “feel out” the Dodge Stratus for the money run. The final green light set Townsend and the Firebird of Jeff Burnett off on a dance to the finish, as inconsistent traction had both cars moving about the track. Burnett’s dance was a tad quicker than Townsend’s, leaving the VIPsports.com/Allstar Performance driver in the runner-up spot. In a touch of irony, Burnett was runner-up to Townsend in Round 1 of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, earlier this season in Indianapolis.
Both drivers are now tied for the Division 3 lead, each with one win and one runner-up in two races. Townsend, and his VIPsports.com/Allstar Performance Dodge Stratus, still hold the number nine spot in NHRA’s “Top 50” TAFC national standings, one point behind number eight.
The VIPsports.com/Allstar Performance Dodge Stratus will next race at Rt. 66 Raceway, in Joliet, Illinois, July 15-18. The event is Round 3 of NHRA’s Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Mark August 20 on your calendars! The VIPsports.com/Allstar Performance Dodge Stratus will be part of DaimlerChrysler’s Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise display at Woodward Avenue and Thirteen Mile Road. Meet the crew and over one million new friends at the world’s largest single-day automotive event.
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