The Texas-based team announced on Wednesday that it has named Pro Stock standout Dave Connolly as the driver of its Extreme Pro Stock car for this weekend's Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII, which takes place Friday and Saturday at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich.
"We are completely thrilled to announce that Dave Connolly will be in the driver's seat of the Capstone Fuel, Ranger Glass Pontiac GXP XPS car at the ADRL's Martin, Mich. event," Team "O" Motorsports Marketing Representative Gary Lidiak said.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Dave and our team, and we can't wait to race this weekend in Michigan."
With wins at 14 different NHRA tracks and 22 Pro Stock victories to his credit, the talented Connolly is one of the most successful young drivers in drag racing today.
His first national event win came in 2004 and his five straight victories in 2007 in the NHRA's Pro Stock class was the second-longest consecutive win streak in PS history, making him one of only four drivers in the class to post five straight wins.
Connolly has 26 NHRA national event wins overall across three different classes.
Now, the ultra-talented Ohio native will test his skills in the competitive Extreme Pro Stock class in the world's premier eighth-mile drag racing league.
Already boasting a host of talented drivers in the rapidly-expanding class, Connolly is looking forward to the opportunity to compete in XPS.
"I think it's going to be a lot of fun to experience the difference in a Mountain Motor Pro Stock car versus a 500-inch Pro Stock car," Connolly said. "These cars and drivers in the Extreme Pro Stock class are impressive, but I'm ready and excited.
"We're certainly hoping to make the most of everything this weekend in Martin. It's going to be an enjoyable experience racing in the ADRL for the first time."
Team "O" manager Jeff Owen was first introduced to Connolly more than five years ago and team owner Richard Otwell was recently forced to search for a driver for the Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII after an unexpected business commitment.
With Team "O" member Jeff Naiser busy with his successful Pro Nitrous car, Owen made the call to Connolly, who was excited to be on board.
"We're relative newcomers to the XPS class and its style of racing, but we hope to continue to learn at a rapid rate while also representing our marketing partners Capstone Fuel and Ranger Glass," Lidiak said.
"We've done a lot of testing and it has gone very, very well. The ADRL gives XPS teams an amazing platform to compete and we are looking forward to a great event."
