Past Pro Stock St. Louis winner Connolly happy to return to Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27) - Past event winner Dave Connolly yearns for the chance to race his Industrial Distribution Group (IDG) Chevrolet at Gateway Motor Sports Park again, and he'll get that shot in this weekend's AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Dave Connolly

Photo by: NHRA

Connolly won at Gateway in 2007 and raced to the final round in 2008.

"It's been a place where we've had a lot of success," Connolly said. "(GK Motorsports crew chief) Tommy (Utt) and I have a good grip on it, so I feel confident about going there. I've had a lot of luck there in the past."

The victor at this year's Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Connolly hasn't driven ay Gateway since the '08 season, and the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series last raced at Gateway in 2010. But Connolly is confident the track will be ready for the ultra-competitive Pro Stock class.

"It hasn't been run on a lot this year, so it could be a little bit green," Connolly said. "I know they've been putting on bracket races, so hopefully it's in pretty good shape. The NHRA will go in there and start prepping it before we even see it. It'll be in good shape.

"Hopefully the weather cooperates and we can have another nice weekend like we did in Dallas."

Connolly, who also serves as crew chief with Utt on Erica Enders' KLR Group Chevrolet, has raced only five times this season but has an enviable record, with one win and one runner-up finish to his credit.

The longtime Sportsman star looks forward to having two cars from which to draw data this weekend in an effort to get his IDG Chevy and Enders' car up to speed quicker.

"Any of the tracks, it's beneficial," Connolly said. "There are a few things different on my car that aren't like Erica's. There is nothing identical about two Pro Stock cars. It's hard to duplicate. There are difference on our cars, and when we get those closer together, then it will benefit us even more."