NHRA Brainerd: Billy Torrence, 60, earns 1st career win; Beckman, Kramer, Krawiec also win

By Aug 19, 2018, 9:10 PM EDT
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NHRA Media Release

BRAINERD, Minn. – Billy Torrence picked up his first career Top Fuel victory with a win on Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Deric Kramer (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories at the 17th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Torrence, whose son, Steve, is the points leader in the class, went 3.756 seconds at 329.99 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to defeat three-time world champion Antron Brown on a holeshot in the final round.

Making his 27th career start, Billy Torrence, who was also the No. 1 qualifier for the first time in his career this weekend, knocked off Terry Totten, Scott Palmer and Mike Salinas to face off with Brown in his first career final round appearance.

“To come out here and be able to win a event, and give back something to those guys who give me a good operation when I come out, that’s just a blessing,” Torrence said. “At this level, there’s pressure on everyone to win. I just wanted to win and Antron is a tremendous racer, and you just have to be on your game. We prepare well and we have a great team put together, and a great car. We have all the right parts and pieces.”

Steve Torrence maintained his points lead in the class despite falling to Brown in a tight semifinal race. Brown, who won the previous race in Seattle, is now a point out of fifth place, beating Luigi Novelli, defending world champion Brittany Force and S. Torrence to reach his 121st career final round and third straight at Brainerd.

In Funny Car, Jack Beckman secured his second victory of the season and 28th of his career in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T with a run of 3.961 at 325.69 against Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. in the final round. Beckman, who recorded his first career Brainerd victory, also posted wins against Matt Hagan, Shawn Langdon and points leader Courtney Force.

“We have struggled, it’s no secret we haven’t had the car we had early in the season,” said Beckman, who moved to fourth in Funny Car points. “We weren’t exactly stellar Friday and Saturday and we didn’t have lane choice all weekend long. (But) I feel a heck of a lot better today than I did yesterday. To put it back in the winner’s circle again, it just reaffirms we have a contending car. I like the way we picked away at things and we got significantly better every time down the racetrack today.”

Johnson clinched his spot in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship on Sunday, advancing to his second final round of the season with victories over Del Worsham, Tim Wilkerson and J.R. Todd, who also secured his spot in the playoffs.

In Pro Stock, Kramer grabbed his second career victory in his American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro after going 6.652 at 207.56 in the final round to defeat Tanner Gray. Kramer’s first career win came earlier this year in Topeka, while Sunday’s path to the winner’s circle also included round wins against Vincent Nobile, Alex Laughlin and Jason Line. Kramer clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship on Sunday as well.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Kramer, who made his third straight finals appearance this season. “I know how good you have to be to win in this class. You just have to be ready every time you go to the starting line. There’s no free shots. You have to be competitive, and if you’re not competitive on the tree and you’re not competitive on the track, you’re not going to win, you’re going to go home. We just continue to do that and hopefully it works out for us more than it doesn’t.”

Gray, who remained second in points, advanced to his second straight finals at Brainerd with victories over Dave Connolly, Fernando Cuadra and points leader Greg Anderson. Line, Chris McGaha and Drew Skillman all secured their spots in the Countdown to the Championship.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, in an all-Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson final round, defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Krawiec earned his fourth victory of 2018 and 47th of his career with a run of 6.897 at 195.14 to beat teammate Andrew Hines. Krawiec moved within 11 points of Hines for the points lead with his fourth career Brainerd victory, one that also included round wins against Ryan Oehler, Mark Paquette and Hector Arana Jr.

“It’s about building momentum right now,” Krawiec said. “We know where we are and we’re in a great position. I think as long as you have that great drive and have that upbeat spirit, you have everybody all excited and that’s what it’s about right now. I have a good motorcycle under me. I know if it’s not winning, it’s most likely because of me. It’s just great to come out and run well. We had a consistent motorcycle and that’s what you need to win races.”

Hines’ path to his fifth final round this season included wins against Karen Stoffer, Jerry Savoie and Angie Smith. No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith also clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship.

The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues Aug. 29-Sept. 3 with the last race of the regular season, the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

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BRAINERD, Minn. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. The race is the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL: 1. Billy Torrence; 2. Antron Brown; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Mike Salinas; 5. Brittany Force; 6. Tony Schumacher; 7. Scott Palmer; 8. Clay Millican; 9. Terry McMillen; 10. Chris Karamesines; 11. Leah Pritchett; 12. Richie Crampton; 13. Terry Totten; 14. Luigi Novelli; 15. Bill Litton; 16. Doug Kalitta.

FUNNY CAR: 1. Jack Beckman; 2. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Courtney Force; 5. Shawn Langdon; 6. Jonnie Lindberg; 7. Tim Wilkerson; 8. Robert Hight; 9. Bob Tasca III; 10. Matt Hagan; 11. Ron Capps; 12. Bob Bode; 13. Del Worsham; 14. Cruz Pedregon; 15. John Force; 16. Jim Campbell.

PRO STOCK: 1. Deric Kramer; 2. Tanner Gray; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Jason Line; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Alex Laughlin; 7. Fernando Cuadra; 8. Mark Hogan; 9. Bo Butner; 10. Vincent Nobile; 11. Dave Connolly; 12. Drew Skillman; 13. Alan Prusiensky; 14. Jeg Coughlin; 15. Dave River; 16. Chris McGaha.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Eddie Krawiec; 2. Andrew Hines; 3. Hector Arana Jr; 4. Angie Smith; 5. Jerry Savoie; 6. Angelle Sampey; 7. Matt Smith; 8. Mark Paquette; 9. LE Tonglet; 10. Steve Johnson; 11. Hector Arana; 12. Joey Gladstone; 13. Scotty Pollacheck; 14. Karen Stoffer; 15. Jim Underdahl; 16. Ryan Oehler.

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BRAINERD, Minn. — Sunday’s final results from the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. The race is the 17th of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL: Billy Torrence, 3.756 seconds, 329.99 mph def. Antron Brown, 3.751 seconds, 329.10 mph.

FUNNY CAR: Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.961, 325.69 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.031, 319.67.

PRO STOCK: Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 6.652, 207.56 def. Tanner Gray, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.897, 195.14 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.903, 193.99.

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BRAINERD, Minn. — Final round-by-round results from the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL: ROUND ONE — Tony Schumacher, 3.792, 328.70 def. Terry McMillen, 3.803, 325.61; Clay Millican, 3.788, 327.27 def. Chris Karamesines, 4.051, 265.69; Antron Brown, 3.803, 326.00 def. Luigi Novelli, 4.460, 187.08; Billy Torrence, 3.900, 312.78 def. Terry Totten, 4.254, 205.69; Steve Torrence, 3.787, 327.35 def. Bill Litton, 4.460, 182.08; Mike Salinas, 3.807, 321.73 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.662, 161.40; Brittany Force, 3.910, 255.97 def. Richie Crampton, 4.178, 260.61; Scott Palmer, 3.837, 325.06 def. Leah Pritchett, 4.068, 276.92;  QUARTERFINALS — B. Torrence, 3.781, 320.74 def. Palmer, 3.798, 324.59; Brown, 3.768, 329.58 def. Force, 3.746, 326.24; Salinas, 3.817, 322.04 def. Millican, 3.813, 327.11; S. Torrence, 3.792, 325.69 def. Schumacher, 3.771, 328.94;  SEMIFINALS — B. Torrence, 3.756, 330.96 def. Salinas, 3.774, 324.59; Brown, 3.733, 323.97 def. S. Torrence, 3.753, 330.88; FINAL — B. Torrence, 3.756, 329.99 def. Brown, 3.751, 329.10.

FUNNY CAR: ROUND ONE — Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.990, 321.73 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 6.208, 121.33; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.044, 312.64 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.101, 268.44; Robert Hight, Camaro, 4.206, 235.84 def. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 5.062, 153.18; Jonnie Lindberg, Mustang, 4.070, 316.01 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.382, 202.91; Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.988, 320.66 def. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.691, 204.42; Shawn Langdon, Camry, 4.019, 320.20 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.032, 320.58; Courtney Force, Camaro, 3.973, 326.00 def. Jim Campbell, Charger, 12.344, 54.36; J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.024, 318.02 def. Bob Bode, Charger, 4.552, 189.15; QUARTERFINALS — Todd, 4.022, 318.84 def. Hight, 4.143, 243.28; Johnson Jr., 3.937, 319.60 def. Wilkerson, 4.038, 314.97; Beckman, 3.980, 324.83 def. Langdon, 4.019, 321.42; C. Force, 3.945, 326.48 def. Lindberg, 4.026, 321.12; SEMIFINALS — Beckman, 3.968, 325.14 def. C. Force, 4.040, 320.51; Johnson Jr., 3.950, 323.97 def. Todd, 3.973, 324.05; FINAL — Beckman, 3.961, 325.69 def. Johnson Jr., 4.031, 319.67.

PRO STOCK: ROUND ONE — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.652, 207.88 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.876, 168.37; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.630, 207.15 def. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.717, 205.94; Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.636, 207.37 def. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.635, 206.20; Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.620, 207.53 def. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.660, 206.80; Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.676, 205.66 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.626, 207.37; Mark Hogan, Pontiac GXP, 6.835, 201.25 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, Broke; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.627, 206.89 def. Dave River, Chevy Cobalt, 7.008, 196.50; Alex Laughlin, Dodge Dart, 6.648, 205.22 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, 6.739, 204.29; QUARTERFINALS — Kramer, 6.641, 207.24 def. Laughlin, 6.637, 206.32; Line, 6.639, 207.15 def. Hogan, 6.879, 193.35; Anderson, 6.631, 207.34 def. Enders, 6.636, 206.73; Gray, 6.753, 178.76 def. Cuadra, Foul – Red Light; SEMIFINALS — Kramer, 6.640, 206.99 def. Line, 6.673, 206.83; Gray, 6.629, 207.02 def. Anderson, 6.643, 207.40; FINAL — Kramer, 6.652, 207.56 def. Gray, Foul – Red Light.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: ROUND ONE — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.951, 190.78 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.996, 192.25; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.947, 191.78 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.986, 192.00; Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.970, 191.73 def. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 7.006, 188.62; Mark Paquette, Buell, 10.401, 79.05 def. Hector Arana, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.916, 193.27 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.017, 189.58; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.910, 194.91 def. Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 7.006, 191.62; Matt Smith, 6.887, 197.08 def. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.027, 190.32; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.900, 194.72 def. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 7.197, 190.14; QUARTERFINALS — Hines, 6.935, 193.57 def. Savoie, 6.965, 190.67; Arana Jr, 6.938, 193.77 def. Sampey, 7.012, 191.27; Krawiec, 6.919, 193.63 def. Paquette, 7.090, 184.52; A. Smith, 6.996, 188.10 def. M. Smith, 7.089, 194.52; SEMIFINALS — Hines, 6.950, 192.77 def. A. Smith, Foul – Red Light; Krawiec, 6.912, 193.27 def. Arana Jr, 6.950, 193.16; FINAL — Krawiec, 6.897, 195.14 def. Hines, 6.903, 193.99.

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BRAINERD, Minn. — Point standings (top 10) following the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL: 1. Steve Torrence, 1,332*; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1,145*; 3. Clay Millican, 1,144*; 4. Leah Pritchett, 1,118*; 5. Doug Kalitta, 1,027*; 6. Antron Brown, 1,026*; 7. Terry McMillen, 791; 8. Brittany Force, 787; 9. Scott Palmer, 701; 10. Mike Salinas, 694; 11. Richie Crampton, 692; 12. Blake Alexander, 522.

FUNNY CAR: 1. Courtney Force, 1,372*; 2. Ron Capps, 1,177*; 3. Robert Hight, 1,154*; 4. Jack Beckman, 1,110*; 5. Matt Hagan, 1,102*; 6. (tie) Tommy Johnson Jr., 987*; J.R. Todd, 987*; 8. John Force, 855; 9. Shawn Langdon, 791; 10. Tim Wilkerson, 747; 11. Bob Tasca III, 723; 12. Cruz Pedregon, 672; 13. Jonnie Lindberg, 649.

PRO STOCK: 1. Greg Anderson, 1,262*; 2. Tanner Gray, 1,242*; 3. Erica Enders, 1,146*; 4. Vincent Nobile, 1,084*; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 1,055*; 6. Deric Kramer, 1,045*; 7. Jason Line, 986; 8. Chris McGaha, 983; 9. Drew Skillman, 959; 10. Bo Butner, 930; 11. Alex Laughlin, 741.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Andrew Hines, 784*; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 773*; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 646*; 4. LE Tonglet, 641*; 5. Jerry Savoie, 588*; 6. Matt Smith, 540*; 7. Scotty Pollacheck, 480; 8. Angie Smith, 409; 9. Angelle Sampey, 372; 10. Hector Arana, 353; 11. Jim Underdahl, 343; 12. Steve Johnson, 334; 13. Joey Gladstone, 317; 14. Cory Reed, 310; 15. Ryan Oehler, 300; 16. Karen Stoffer, 277; 17. Mark Paquette, 178.

* Clinched berth in NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship

‘It’s gnarly, bro’: IndyCar drivers face new challenge on streets of downtown Detroit

By Jun 2, 2023, 7:32 PM EDT
IndyCar Detroit downtown
James Black/Penske Entertainment
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DETROIT – It was the 1968 motion picture, “Winning” when actress Joanne Woodward asked Paul Newman if he were going to Milwaukee in the days after he won the Indianapolis 500 as driver Frank Capua.

“Everybody goes to Milwaukee after Indianapolis,” Newman responded near the end of the film.

Milwaukee was a mainstay as the race on the weekend after the Indianapolis 500 for decades, but since 2012, the first race after the Indy 500 has been Detroit at Belle Isle Park.

This year, there is a twist.

Instead of IndyCar racing at the Belle Isle State Park, it’s the streets of downtown Detroit on a race course that is quite reminiscent of the old Formula One and CART race course that was used from 1982 to 1991.

Formula One competed in the United States Grand Prix from 1982 to 1988. Beginning in 1989, CART took over the famed street race through 1991. In 1992, the race was moved to Belle Isle, where it was held through last year (with a 2009-2011 hiatus after the Great Recession).

The Penske Corp. is the promoter of this race, and they did a lot of good at Belle Isle, including saving the Scott Fountain, modernizing the Belle Isle Casino, and basically cleaning up the park for Detroit citizens to enjoy.

The race, however, had outgrown the venue. Roger Penske had big ideas to create an even bigger event and moving it back to downtown Detroit benefitted race sponsor Chevrolet. The footprint of the race course goes around General Motors world headquarters in the GM Renaissance Center – the centerpiece building of Detroit’s modernized skyline.

INDYCAR IN DETROIT: Entry list, schedule, TV info for this weekend

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Motor City is about to roar with the sound of Chevrolet and Honda engines this weekend as the NTT IndyCar Series is the featured race on the nine-turn, 1.7-mile temporary street course.

It’s perhaps the most unique street course on the IndyCar schedule because of the bumps on the streets and the only split pit lane in the series.

The pit lanes has stalls on opposing sides and four lanes across an unusual rectangular pit area (but still only one entry and exit).

Combine that, with the bumps and the NTT IndyCar Series drivers look forward to a wild ride in Motor City.

“It’s gnarly, bro,” Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward said before posting the fastest time in Friday’s first practice. “It will be very interesting because the closest thing that I can see it being like is Toronto-like surfaces with more of a Long Beach-esque layout.

“There’s less room for error than Long Beach. There’s no curbs. You’ve got walls. I think very unique to this place.

PRACTICE RESULTS: Speeds from the first session

“Then it’s a bit of Nashville built into it. The braking zones look really very bumpy. Certain pavements don’t look bumpy but with how the asphalt and concrete is laid out, there’s undulation with it. So, you can imagine the cars are going to be smashing on every single undulation because we’re going to go through those sections fairly fast, and obviously the cars are pretty low. I don’t know.

“It looks fun, man. It’s definitely going to be a challenge. It’s going to be learning through every single session, not just for drivers and teams but for race control. For everyone.

“Everybody has to go into it knowing not every call is going to be smooth. It’s a tall task to ask from such a demanding racetrack. I think it’ll ask a lot from the race cars as well.”

The track is bumpy, but O’Ward indicated he would be surprised if it is bumper than Nashville. By comparison to Toronto, driving at slow speed is quite smooth, but fast speed is very bumpy.

“This is a mix of Nashville high-speed characteristics and Toronto slow speed in significant areas,” O’Ward said. “I think it’ll be a mix of a lot of street courses we go to, and the layout looks like more space than Nashville, which is really tight from Turn 4 to 8. It looks to be a bit more spacious as a whole track, but it’ll get tight in multiple areas.”

The concept of having four-wide pit stops is something that excites the 24-year-old driver from Monterey, Mexico.

“I think it’s innovation, bro,” O’Ward said. “If it works out, we’ll look like heroes.

“If it doesn’t, we tried.”

Because of the four lanes on pit road, there is a blend line the drivers will have to adhere to. Otherwise, it would be chaos leaving the pits compared to a normal two-lane pit road.

“If it wasn’t there, there’d be guys fighting for real estate where there’s one car that fits, and there’d be cars crashing in pit lane,” O’Ward said. “I get why they did that. It’s the same for everybody. I don’t think there’s a lot of room to play with. That’s the problem.

“But it looks freaking gnarly for sure. Oh my God, that’s going to be crazy.”

Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing believes the best passing areas will be on the long straights because of the bumps in the turns. That is where much of the action will be in terms of gaining or losing a position in the race.

“It will also be really easy to defend in my opinion,” Palou said. “Being a 180-degree corner, you just have to go on the inside and that’s it. There’s going to be passes for sure but its’ going to be risky.

“Turn 1, if someone dives in, you end up in the wall. They’re not going to be able to pass you on the exit, so maybe with the straight being so long you can actually pass before you end up on the braking zone.”

Palou’s teammate, Marcus Ericsson, was at the Honda simulator in Brownsburg, Indiana, before coming to Detroit and said he was shocked by the amount of bumps on the simulator.

Race promoter Bud Denker, the President of Penske Corporation, and Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix President Michael Montri, sent the track crews onto the streets with grinders to smooth out the bumps on the race course several weeks ago.

“They’ve done a decent amount of work, and even doing the track walk, it looked a lot better than what we expected,” Ericsson said. “I don’t think it’ll be too bad. I hope not. That’ll be something to take into account.

“I think the track layout doesn’t look like the most fun. Maybe not the most challenging. But I love these types of tracks with rules everywhere. It’s a big challenge, and you have to build up to it. That’s the types of tracks that I love to drive. It’s a very much Marcus Ericsson type of track. I like it.”

Scott Dixon, who was second fastest in the opening session, has competed on many new street circuits throughout his legendary racing career. The six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion for Chip Ganassi Racing likes the track layout, even with the unusual pit lane.

“I don’t think that’s going to be something that catches on where every track becomes a double barrel,” Dixon said. “It’s new and interesting.

“As far as pit exit, I think Toronto exit is worse with how the wall sticks out. I think in both lanes, you’ve got enough lead time to make it and most guys will make a good decision.”

It wasn’t until shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Friday that the IndyCar drivers began the extended 90-minute practice session to try out the race course for the first time in real life.

As expected, there were several sketchy moments, but no major crashes during the first session despite 19 local yellow flags for incidents and two red flags.

Rookie Agustin Canapino had to cut his practice short after some damage to his No. 78 Dallara-Chevrolet, but he was among many who emerged mostly unscathed from scrapes with the wall.

“It was honestly less carnage than I expected,” said Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Kirkwood, who was third fastest in the practice after coming off his first career IndyCar victory in the most recent street race at Long Beach in April. “I think a lot of people went off in the runoffs, but no one actually hit the wall (too hard), which actually surprised me. Hats off to them for keeping it clean, including myself.

“It was quite a bit less grip than I think everyone expected. Maybe a little bit more bumpy down into Turn 3 than everyone expected. But overall they did a good job between the two manufacturers. I’m sure everyone had pretty much the same we were able to base everything off of. We felt pretty close to maximum right away.”

Most of the preparation for this event was done either on the General Motors Simulator in Huntersville, North Carolina, or the Honda Performance Development simulator in Brownsburg, Indiana.

“Now, we have simulators that can scan the track, so we have done plenty of laps already,” Power told NBC Sports. “They have ground and resurfaced a lot of the track, so it should be smoother.

“But nothing beats real-world experience. It’s going to be a learning experience in the first session.”

As a Team Penske driver, Power and his teammates were consulted about the progress and layout of the Detroit street course. They were shown what was possible with the streets that were available.

“We gave some input back after we were on the similar what might be ground and things like that,” Power said.

Racing on the streets of Belle Isle was a fairly pleasant experience for the fans and corporate sponsor that compete in the race.

But the vibe at the new location gives this a “big event” feel.

“The atmosphere is a lot better,” Power said. “The location, the accessibility for the fans, the crowd that will be here, it’s much easier. I think it will be a much better event.

“It feels like a Long Beach, only in a much bigger city. That is what street course racing is all about.”

Because the track promoter is also the team owner, Power and teammates Scott McLaughlin and Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden will have a very busy weekend on the track, and with sponsor and personal appearances.

“That’s what pays the bills and allows us to do this,” Power said.

Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500