Las Vegas: Dave Connolly preview

Dave Connolly Wants to Extend Good Performances at Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, April 10, 2007 -- Bravo! Brands Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BRVO): When Dave Connolly talks about "getting rejuvenated in Las Vegas," he is discussing racing success at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, not an evening at a gaming table.

This is a working visit for the Elyria, Ohio, native, driver of Evan Knoll's TORCO/ Slammers Ultimate Milk Pro Stock Chevy Cobalt. He'll be competing in the Summitracing.com Nationals, April 13-15. Connolly already has hit the jackpot once here, winning the 2005 spring race. He also finished second last April.

"I'm definitely ready to go racing," Connolly said. "We've had pretty good luck at The Strip. I also won the Pro Stock Super Bowl (special) race there (in February). It's a pretty good track. I think it will be easier for us to race on than it was at Gainesville (Fla.) and Houston (the last two NHRA POWERade Series stops)."

Semifinal finishes for Connolly and Jeg Coughlin, his  Slammers Ultimate Milk
teammate, at Houston carried them to third and fourth in  points,
respectively.  Each driver felt he should have advanced to the  title round.  Connolly, a
master at quick starting-line reactions, found  himself, atypically, on the
opposite end of a hole-shot decision in  Houston.  Now he's eager to forget
about it in exchange for more round wins  on Sunday, ideally four in a row and a
winner's circle visit  again.

"The crew took everything back to the shop (in Mooresville, N.C.) and went through it," said Connolly. "We've done a good job going down the track on Sundays. I've been to the semifinals twice already. Now we want to get that first win in our TORCO/Slammers Ultimate Mike Chevy Cobalt, and I can think of no better place to do it than Vegas."

Connolly has  252 series points and is 35 ahead of Coughlin, a two-time Pro
Stock series  champion (2000 and 2002).

The eight drivers with the most points after the 17th race qualify for the six-race finale in the new Countdown format. Four more drivers exit with two events to go.

Qualifying runs are slated at 3 and 6 p.m. Friday and 12:30 and  3:30 on
Saturday.  Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on  Sunday.

-credit: dcr