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Pruett Edges Gurney in Thursday�s Brumos Porsche 250 to Win Closest-Ever Grand-Am Rolex Series Race

Scores fifth victory of 2008 with last-lap pass in sprint to checkered flag

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 3, 2008) - Scott Pruett beat Alex Gurney in a sprint to the checkered flag to win Thursday's Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the closest finish in the history of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

It was the fifth - and most dramatic - victory of 2008 for Pruett and Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley. The winners of the 2008 season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, Pruett and Rojas extended their Daytona Prototype championship lead to 40 points after their seventh podium finish of the season.

"That Pruett's the man," Chip Ganassi said. "This track rewards great drivers, and it did that tonight. Winning felt good here in Daytona (when Ganassi won his third consecutive Rolex 24), but it felt even better tonight."

The final margin of victory was .081 seconds, bettering the mark Pruett and Luis Diaz set in 2005 at California Speedway when they edged Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli by .096 seconds.

"I had just enough to get by Alex at the start/finish line," said Pruett, who extended his Rolex Series record to 19 victories. "I've got to give it to Grand-Am for putting on a great show."

Gurney and Fogarty were aiming for their second consecutive triumph in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley. Gurney passed Pruett for the lead with 22 laps remaining, and led through the final 100 yards of the race.

The 70-lap, 250-mile race ended with a one-lap sprint to the finish following the fifth and final caution when Jeff Segal flipped the second-place No. 69 SpeedSource FXDD Mazda RX-8 after an altercation with a Daytona Prototype. Segal's SpeedSource teammates Nick Ham and Sylvain Tremblay went on to win their third consecutive race at Daytona.

Ricardo Zonta and Nic Jonsson matched their best showing of the season by finishing third in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola. Fourth came down by a side-by-side battle between Brumos Racing teammates, with Joao Barbosa passing and holding off Darren Law. It marked the best finish of the season for the No. 59 Porsche Riley of Barbosa and JC France, while Law and David Donohue recorded the fourth consecutive top-five finish in the No. 58 Porsche Riley.

The No. 61 AIM Autosport Lexus Riley of pole winner Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle led 16 laps. Frisselle was running third with 16 laps remaining when the car retired with a broken half-shaft. Ryan Dalziel moved up to third in the closing laps in the No. 2 SAMAX Pontiac Riley started by Henri Zogaib, but also retired with a broken half-shaft with six laps remaining.

SpeedSource's Ham, Tremblay win third straight GT race at Daytona

Tremblay bested Bryce Miller by 1.83 seconds to win the Rolex Series GT portion of the Brumos Porsche 250. Tremblay and Ham - who won the pole earlier Thursday - led 37 laps to score their first victory in the No. 70 SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 since the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and third consecutive triumph from the pole at Daytona.

Miller passed Robin Liddell at the line for his and co-driver Dirk Werner's best finish of the season in the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3. It marked the sixth podium finish in seven races for Liddell and Andrew Davis in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R.

Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins finished fourth in the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R. They maintained their lead in the GT championship standings, with Ham and Tremblay 24 points behind and Liddell and Davis 30 points back.

Ross Smith, driving the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8 started by Craig Stone, was involved in an incident with seven laps remaining when he spun after contact with Dalziel. Smith's car was then struck head-on by the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports Corvette of Jeff Bucknum, who co-drove with James Gue.

Both Smith and Segal were taken to the infield care center, where they were evaluated and released. Smith bruised his knee in the incident.

Four cautions for 16 laps slowed the race's average speed to 102.690 mph.

The Rolex Series returns to action July 19 for the Porsche 250 Presented By Bradley Arant at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala.

NEWS & NOTES

- The victory is the season-leading fifth Daytona Prototype victory of the season for Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley. This is also the fifth victory for the Lexus Riley.
- The victory was Pruett's 19th career Rolex Series victory and Ganassi's 20th as a team owner. Both are Rolex Series records.
- Pruett has also won the Rolex Series' second- and third-closest races in history. The previous record was 0.096 seconds, in which Pruett and Luis Diaz beat Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli in the 2005 race at California Speedway.
- Pruett and Rojas also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
- Riley Chassis has won all Daytona Prototype races this season and 18 dating back to last year's Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. The manufacturer also took four of the top five positions.
- The victory marks the fifth this season for the Lexus power plant.
- The second-place finish was Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty's second of the season. The other runner-up finish also came at Daytona.
- Ricardo Zonta and Nic Jonsson recorded their best finish of the season in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola with a third-place result. Their previous best, a fourth-place finish, also came at Daytona in January's Rolex 24 At Daytona.
- JC France and Joao Barbosa gave Brumos Racing its third top five of the race with a fourth-place finish in the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley, the duo's best finish of the season.
- Darren Law and David Donohue scored their third straight top-five finish in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley with a fifth-place finish.
- Six drivers in five Daytona Prototypes led laps in the race: Alex Gurney (25), Mark Wilkins (16), Jon Fogarty (12), Scott Pruett (9), Michael Valiante (7), Shane Lewis (1).
- Eleven Daytona Prototypes finished all 70 laps of the race.
- Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson finished 13th, as the pair encountered trouble with less than 10 laps remaining. Running third, the car suffered a flat tire while making contact with the No. 06 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R.
- The No. 2 SAMAX BMW Riley of Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib started 19th, and ran as high as fourth before making contact with the No. 30 Mazda RX-8 of Ross Smith. Dalziel's car suffered a broken axle in the process, and the No. 30 - which spun after contact with Dalziel - was subsequently hit by the No. 97 Corvette of Jeff Bucknum. Dalziel and Zogaib finished 17th in Daytona Prototypes.
- Michael Valiante and Max Angelelli's bad luck continued when the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Dallara's wheels locked up while leading on Lap 27. Valiante slid off the track in Turn 1 and limped around the track with a flat tire, the car falling off the lead lap and dropping out of the top 15. The car - which had developed a vibration early in the race and also spun on Lap 59 in the Bus Stop turn - finished 20th in Daytona Prototypes.
- Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews suffered a severe blow to their championship hopes with a 15th-place finish in the No. 91 Bob Stallings/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley. Matthews ran in the top five for several laps before running into the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R, forcing the No. 91 into the pits for bodywork repairs.

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- The GT victory by Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham was the duo's second Rolex Series victory of the season and third for the SpeedSource team. It also marked the duo's second victory of the season at Daytona and the third straight overall at "The World Center of Speed."
- Tremblay and Ham's victory was the third for Mazda this season. The team's No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 won the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. Pontiacs have five GT victories this season, while Porsche owns one.
- All nine Rolex Series GT races have been won from the front two rows, including five from the front row.
- Second-place GT finishers Bryce Miller and Dirk Werner scored their best finish of the season, second, in the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3. Miller slipped past Robin Liddell at the start/finish line for the duo's best finish together since last year.
- Stevenson Motorsports drivers Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis scored their sixth podium finish of the season with a third-place run.
- Mid-Ohio Rolex Series GT winners Eric Lux and Leh Keen suffered an early setback when their No. 86 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3 developed a leak early in the race. The duo finished 20th in the GT class.
- Five drivers in three cars led in GT competition: Dirk Werner (20), Nick Ham (19), Sylvain Tremblay (18), Jeff Segal (5), Bryce Miller (5).

POST-RACE QUOTES

Scott Pruett (No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley): "This is pretty big for us because we've never won this specific race in Daytona. Memo did a great job and the crew did a great job. Lexus gave us a good engine package and we got the most out of it. I really didn't think we'd see green after that crash - and it was a horrific crash. I really have to applaud Grand-Am because we, as a group I think, owe it to the fans to see it finish under green. Every restart, that's the only move I had. The No. 99 was certainly quicker in the infield. After about 2 or 3 laps, my rear tires just wouldn't hold on. I pulled a Hail Mary through the bus stop and tried to carry a lot of speed to get them before the start/finish line."

Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley): "My part of the race was very boring until the end. It was really just staying out of trouble. Very early, teams took different strategies but we were all in different sequences. So I was basically running by myself. The 99 had the lead in front of me, so I knew it was going to be keeping a good pace and staying out of trouble was important as I handed the car to Scott. Congratulations to Scott, because he did awesome job."

Jon Fogarty (No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley): "It was a little spooky at the beginning with light rain. The first couple of laps with people were being tentative. I had a pretty uneventful run for the most part. After things shook out through the first corner I was able to maintain that position until the two guys in front pitted and I was able to clear a few laps myself. When I handed it over to Alex, it was looking pretty good."

Alex Gurney (No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley): "I could see that if I didn't have a certain gap, that he would be able to close up really close or go by. On the last restart I was trying to get as good gap as I could. All those restart are really difficult. Every time you are out there it's tricky to find grip. I knew as soon as I turned back onto the oval that I probably didn't have enough gap. It's definitely a heart breaker. I know that it's an exciting race for everybody but I can tell you from my seat it's very painful. It's a great Grand-Am race for sure and congratulations to Scott and Memo. I just didn't have enough today, I guess."

Nic Jonsson (No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac): "The car was much better to race. The crew did a fantastic job. I'm very delighted to get back on the podium. I think there is more to come, especially with our strategy and staying out of trouble. I'm proud to be racing with Ricardo. Everyone did an awesome job on our team. I'm very pleased."

Ricardo Zonta (No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac): "I enjoyed it a lot, especially when we stopped for last pit stop. I knew I would have to fight a lot. I think everything went so well during the race. Practice and qualifying was very difficult with all the small problems we had with the car. I had a lot of fun with the race. I think we have to work hard, but everything has to be in the right place at the right moment. I think we are getting better."

Nick Ham (No. 70 SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8): "I kinda like this track. It was an all-around great team effort. We had kind of a NASCAR strategy with a quick splash of fuel and maintain tires. With the full course yellow, we lost that advantage. It was tragic what happen to Jeff. But we're very happy."

Sylvain Tremblay (70 SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8): "We had to be cautious, but today was pretty special with three in a row. We are really fortunate and really proud to be a part of this Mazda team. What Nick and I do is just a small part of the whole thing. Being a part of the series is really special."

Robin Liddell (No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R): "We weren't very confident about getting a superb result tonight, and finishing on the podium is a bonus for us. We're not our strongest on this circuit, so coming out of here with a third place is really a big result. The most important thing for us is putting some pressure on the No. 07 Pontiac car, the point leaders. So this is good for us and I'm really happy."

Andrew Davis (No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R): "Two victories and six podiums in seven races is a momentum we'd like to continue for the season. It's great and we'll keep trying to catch up to the top for points. It was a matter of keeping your nose clean tonight. We're proud of the Stevenson Motorsports Team."

Dirk Werner (No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT 3): "We wanted to hop on the train in terms of success like the No. 86 car from last race. I tried to just stay up front. Mazda's big advantage was not having to change tires. I'm really proud of the whole team. It was a big effort to stay motivated at this point in the season when you only see bad results all the time."

Bryce Miller (No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT 3): "It's nice to have the experience to close a race. Farnbacher Loles did a great job giving us a good car today. I thought Robin had me there in the bus stop, but I was really pleased to see these results. Since Dirk and I have been apart, we've had a bit of a dry spell. It's very special to share this."

Segal, Thornton Lead Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Competitors to Saturday�s Race at Watkins Glen

Automatic pair holds 14-point lead in GS standings; Curran, Holtom own ST lead

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2008) - Jeff Segal knows Watkins Glen a little better now than he did during his second-place finish in last year's Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series visit to the 3.4-mile track. He knows the course, how to run up front, and exactly where the track's new victory lane is.

The defending Grand Sport (GS) co-champion and current point co-leader picked up his initial Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 victory last month in a dominating effort, driving for the SpeedSource team. This Saturday, Segal will share the No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3 with Jep Thornton and try to make it two-for-two this season in Grand-Am competition at The Glen, this time in KONI Challenge. The two-and-a-half hour KONI Challenge GS/Street Tuner (ST) race is scheduled to start at 4:40 p.m. Saturday.

Segal is coming off a strong campaign in which he won two Grand-Am races in a span of three weeks, and the now Miami, Fla. resident and Thornton are looking to extend a 14-point advantage in the KONI points over Rehagen Racing's Hugh Plumb and Mike Canney.

"It's going to be a toss up during this race," said Segal, who teamed with Thornton for a victory at Lime Rock Park. "I really think we have a good shot at winning here this time in the KONI race. The BMWs always run well up there. It's one of the tracks that I grew up on, racing there in BMW club racing and in track schools. It was one of the first tracks on which I ever raced. We're hoping to go one better than last year, and hope to match the performance set last month in the Rolex Series race."

If Segal and Thornton are as strong this year as they were last year at The Glen - and history repeats itself - the pair's Automatic Racing teammates shouldn't be too far behind. Segal and Thornton finished second, one of three Automatic Racing cars in the top six. Their No. 99 BMW M3, which this weekend will be co-driven by Steve Cameron and Rob Finlay, sat on the pole in last year's race. Charles Espenlaub and Charles Putman will drive the No. 91 Automatic Racing BMW M3 which finished fourth last year. Blackforest Motorsports' Tom Nastasi, fifth in points, will also run that team's operation under the Automatic Racing umbrella as the Deland, Fla.-based team is now running a BMW M3.

Segal and Thornton must be mindful, however, of their closest competitors. Plumb and Canney are third in the standings and are coming off a second-place finish at Mosport International Raceway three weeks ago in the No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT. Mosport winners Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT are seventh in the standings, and No. 37 JBS Motorsports Ford Mustang GT co-drivers James Gue and Bret Seafuse are ninth. Seafuse is from nearby Trumansburg, N.Y.

Defending race winners Dave Riddle and Kris Wilson are entered in the Nos. 25 and 26 C-MAX/Unitech Racing Porsche 997s. The No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997, will feature Jon Miller and Craig Stanton, who won the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona season opener. David Murry and Daniel Selznick are driving the team's No. 38 Porsche 997.

The Motorsport Technology Group is bringing four cars, including the No. 18 BMW Z4 for co-driver Billy Johnson, a co-winner in last year's ST race at The Glen. Rehagen Racing's stable is also four cars deep, and has Dean Martin and Jack Roush Jr. entered in the No. 59 Ford Mustang GT. Other multi-car teams come from Playboy Racing/Fall-Line, TRG, Kinetic Motorsports, Ranger Sports Racing and Turner Motorsport. One-car efforts include Cardiosport Racing, No Hot Wire Racing, CMA Motorsports, Wright Motorsports and Maxwell Paper Racing.

Curran, Holtom Pace KONI ST by Seven Points

KONI Challenge ST point leaders Eric Curran and Jamie Holtom look to start a new winning streak in the No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS at Watkins Glen. But if they can't win their third race in four starts, they at least want to keep a hold of the point lead.

The pair has a seven-point (120-113) advantage over Chuck Hemmingson and Kristian Skavnes, who broke the Cobalt's winning streak two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio in the No. 111 ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacy. Hemmingson and Skavnes will run at The Glen for the first time in KONI competition as their team did not compete at Watkins Glen in 2007 due an abbreviated schedule.

The other race winners this season, Nick Wittmer and Glenn Bocchino, won at Daytona in the No. 31 i-MOTO Racing Acura TSX and are eighth and 10th in points respectively. But it's Wittmer's brother Kuno Wittmer battling near the front of the standings. With four top 10s - including two runner-up finishes - in four starts, Kuno Wittmer is fifth in points and is only 10 behind the leaders. This weekend, Kuno Wittmer resumes action with Peter Cunningham - sixth in points - in the No. 32 i-MOTO Racing Acura TSX.

Christian Miller in the No. 76 Compass360 Racing Acura RSX has four straight sixth-place finishes and is seventh in the standings. The Compass360 Racing team won on a last-lap pass by Billy Johnson last season at Watkins Glen. The team's No. 74 Acura TSX of defending series ST driver champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood ran well at Mid-Ohio before a broken left-rear wheel hub sent the car to a 29th-place finish.

Despite not posting points in the season opener at Daytona, Bob Beede is ninth after two third-place finishes and a ninth driving for Bill Fenton Motorsports. A former STII winner at Watkins Glen, Beede welcomes Bob Endicott back as a co-driver, and the two will share the No. 29 Honda Civic Si. Fenton will share the No. 27 Honda Civic Si with David Thilenius.

Fountain Motorsports (BMW 330s), Freedom Autosport (Mazda MX-5s), APR Motorsport (Volkswagen GTIs) and RSR Motorsports (Mini Coopers) are all fielding three cars, and all four teams had at least one of their cars in the top 10 at one point of the ST race at Mid-Ohio. The No. 196 RSR Motorsports Mini Cooper, driven by Owen Trinkler, led much of the Mid-Ohio race from the pole. Fountain Motorsports is based in New York, Freedom Autosport's Tom Long was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and APR's Mark White qualified fifth at Mid-Ohio.

Two-car efforts being fielded at Watkins Glen include Georgian Bay Motorsports, Brass Mitchell Racing (the team's No. 51 Mazda RX-8 took third at Mid-Ohio), Classic BMW-Plano, GS Motorsports and ICY/Phoenix Racing. Fielding one car are Flatout Motorsports, HART (which finished second last year at WGI), V-Pack Motorsport, Kinetic Motorsports, SDS Performance Racing, Team Sahlen, Predator Auto Sport, T Giovanis Motorsports, Riley Racing, BGB Motorsports, Turner Motorsport, Istook's Motorsports, Kiton Racing and LRT Racing.

KONI CHALLENGE SERIES ST WEEKEND SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EASTERN)

- Thursday: KONI Challenge Practice (2:30-4:30 p.m.)
- Friday: KONI Challenge Practice (2:45-3:15 p.m.); KONI Challenge ST Qualifying (5:45-6 p.m.); KONI Challenge GS Qualifying (6:05-6:20 p.m.)
- Saturday: KONI Challenge Final Practice (8:45-9:15 a.m.); KONI Challenge Race (4:40-7:10 p.m.)

2008 IN REVIEW

Through the first four races of the 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series season, different driving pairs and manufacturers have won races in one of the most diversified forms of racing in North America. And with that comes a tight point battle that is sure to stay that way until the final checkered flag falls in October.

Craig Stanton, the 2004 Grand Sport champion, and Tim Traver started the season off right with an overall and GS victory in the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway in January, as Stanton moved from fourth to first in the waning laps after the top three cars ahead of him suffered from mechanical problems. The pair drove to victory in the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997. In the Street Tuner class, Quebec native Nick Wittmer and Glenn Bocchino notched the first victory for the i-MOTO Racing team, guiding the No. 31 Acura RSX to victory for a one-two team finish. However, the top two teams were docked five points for a non-compliant fuel tank.

The second round at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut was split into two class races, with Canadian Jamie Holtom and Yankee Eric Curran taking the victory in the ST race and in the process the point lead in the No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Defending GS driver champions Jeff Segal and Jep Thornton earned the Automatic Racing team's first ever victory in the No. 09 BMW M3.

At Mosport International Raceway, Scott Maxwell raced through the field to give himself and Joe Foster a come-from-behind victory in GS in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT. A fifth-place finish put Segal and Thornton - tied with 89 points - up by 14. Meanwhile, the Curran-Holtom pair backed up their Lime Rock victory with another at Mosport.

Chuck Hemmingson and Kristian Skavnes won at Mid-Ohio in their No. 111 ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacy, an ST-race only. They moved to within seven points of Curran and Holtom (120-113).

So far this season, 99 drivers have been credited with points in GS and 106 drivers with points in ST.

NEWS & NOTES

- New York-Based Drivers Running at Watkins Glen: New York is the home for several KONI Challenge Series drivers, and all of them will look for strong efforts at their home state track. Among the closest drivers are Mark Ackley of Horseheads and Bret Seafuse of Trumansburg. Both cities are within 20 miles of the track. Michael Auriemma of New York and Peter Ludwig of New Paltz are other GS drivers from the Empire State. In ST, Sam Schultz resides in Horseheads, while Joe Sahlen calls Elma home. Michael Fonte of Webster and Paul Stoddart of Rochester drive for the New York-based Fountain Motorsports team.
- Pulling Daytona-Watkins Glen Double Duty: Several drivers are planning on running both Thursday's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 race at Daytona International Speedway and Saturday's KONI Challenge Series race at Watkins Glen International. Among them are Tom Nastasi, Jeff Segal, Andrew Davis, Darren Law, Spencer Pumpelly, Joe Foster, Nic Jonsson, Craig Stanton, Bill Auberlen, Shane Lewis, Will Nonnamaker and Joe Sahlen.
- Curran Tests NASCAR Nationwide Car: Georgian Bay Motorsports driver Eric Curran tested a NASCAR Nationwide Series car last week at Thompson Motor Speedway in Connecticut. Curran drove a Chevrolet Monte Carlo about 100 laps around the 5/8-mile track. "We're looking at getting a sponsorship where we can run a half a dozen races this season," Curran said. The Easthampton, Mass. native may also drive a NASCAR Camping World race at Lime Rock Park later this season.
- Car Count Up Despite High Fuel Costs: The cost of fuel in the U.S. is not deterring drivers and teams from making the trip to Watkins Glen. Seventy-seven cars are entered for Saturday's two-and-a-half hour race. Last year, only 57 took the green flag for the race.
- Parity Seen So Far in KONI: Not only have there been three different winning pairs in the Grand Sport class, there have also been three different manufacturers to take the checkered flag this season. Porsche won at Daytona, BMW earned the Lime Rock victory and Ford sat atop the Mosport podium. In ST, 13 different models from nearly 10 manufacturers were among the top 15 during one of the weekend's practice sessions at Mid-Ohio.

KONI CHALLENGE SERIES DRIVER POINT STANDINGS

- Grand Sport: 1. (tie) Jep Thornton, Jeff Segal (89); 3. (tie) Hugh Plumb, Mike Canney (78); 5. Tom Nastasi (74); 6. Craig Stanton (72); 7. (tie) Joe Foster, Scott Maxwell (70); 9. (tie) James Gue, Bret Seafuse (66).
- Street Tuner: 1. (tie) Jamie Holtom, Eric Curran (120); 3. (tie) Kristian Skavnes, Chuck Hemmingson (113); 5. Kuno Wittmer (110); 6. Peter Cunningham (105); 7. Christian Miller (100); 8. Nick Wittmer (84); 9. Bob Beede (82); 10. Glenn Bocchino (79).

Grand-Am, MESCO Partner to Honor KONI Challenge Rookie of the Year at Season�s End

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 3, 2008) - MESCO Building Solutions isn't just building drivers of the future in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16; the series has expanded to the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series and its Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes as well.

Drivers who have never competed in more than four KONI Challenge Series races prior to this season are eligible for the Rookie of the Year honors and the $10,000 to go with it. The driver's team must display the MESCO Building Solutions decal on its race car. Like the Rolex Series, the top driver - be it in the GS or ST class - will claim the honor. Over 25 drivers are currently in the running for the award.

Dirk Werner won last year's MESCO Building Solutions Rookie of the Year honors in the Rolex Series, and Tim George Jr. - who competed in the KONI Challenge Series last year with Automatic Racing - leads the Rolex Series Rookie of the Year standings this season.

The unique format of the MESCO Building for the Future Rookie of the Year allows for KONI Challenge GS and ST drivers to compete against each other for top rookie honors. Points are based on class finishing position, and are awarded in the same fashion as all of the other Rolex Series championships, with 35 points going to a first-place finisher, 32 for second, 30 for third, 28 for fourth and 26 for fifth, with points decreasing by one for each position from sixth (which pays 25 points) through 30th place (one point).

MESCO Building Solutions is a national manufacturer of metal building systems for the nonresidential building industry. The company specializes in commercial, industrial projects ranging in size from 5,000 square feet to over 1 million square feet. MESCO is a member of the NCI Building Systems. family, one of North America's largest integrated manufacturers of metal building products for the construction industry. NCI operates 45 manufacturing and distribution facilities located in 18 states, as well as Mexico and Canada.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2008) - Grand-Am has completed development of the Grand-Am Community, an online social network built specifically for sports car racing fans. The new community features driver and staff blogs, expanded forums and multimedia galleries for user generated content.

"We're all very excited to offer sports car enthusiasts from around the world a social portal for them to interact together - drivers, competitors and fans alike," said Kevin Hindson, Grand-Am Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

In the initial version of the Grand-Am Community, only Racers and Grand-Am Staff will be able to post blogs. All users can comment on a blog, however, enabling open dialogue between drivers, staff and fans. The expanded forums now offer users a WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) editor. Hyperlinks, emoticons, and image embedding functionalities are also available to fans.

Grand-Am.com visitors are no strangers to blogs and forum posts, but the expanded multimedia galleries will allow users to post their own photos, videos and audio clips for other fans to view and rate. These are grouped by "Experiences" so that fans can group various files together for others to sort through. In the future, Grand-Am staff will coordinate contests based on user submissions for ticket and merchandise giveaways.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.

Trackside Debris Becomes Artwork for Charity

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2008) - Nationally-renowned contemporary artist Steve Maloney, known for his track-debris-turned-art pieces, will have his mixed-media creation "Red Line Rolex 24 @ Daytona" up for auction at the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Champions Banquet on Monday, Sept. 22, with proceeds going Camp Boggy Creek.

"This work exemplifies all the color, commercialism and excitement of 24 hours spent gunning around the track at Daytona International Speedway," noted Maloney, who spent time behind the wheel as an amateur racer back in the 1970s. "They're high-performance automobiles, but sometimes they come apart. I'm delighted to be able to portray the art of auto racing for a true fan, and to put the proceeds toward a wonderful effort like Camp Boggy Creek."�

Maloney collects the components for his unique works of art at Daytona International Speedway and on occasion has set up a trackside art studio. "Red Line Rolex 24 @ Daytona" is part of his larger collection entitled "This is Where the Rubber Meets the Road," a vibrant series of mixed-media works created from crashed sheet metal and pieces of actual race cars.

For "Red Line Rolex 24 @ Daytona" Maloney used parts gathered from the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars during the 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona, including carbon fiber bodywork from both classes, a Porsche GT driving light assembly with bulbs, a Ferrari GT side mirror housing, Pirelli rubber rain tire shreds, HID (High Intensity Discharge) ballast and wire assembly, HID light housing and a Daytona Prototype exhaust crossover pipe. These parts are affixed to a board-back canvas that measures 40 inches tall by 68 inches wide and 12 inches deep.

"This artwork is a one-of-a-kind part of history," said Grand-Am President Roger Edmondson. "The purchaser gets to not only enjoy the work but know that they are helping a terrific, deserving cause as well."

Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, Fla., is one of Paul Newman's "Hole-in-the-Wall" camps that offers a fun and healthy respite for children ages 7-16 who have chronic or life threatening illnesses. It provides an enjoyable time for both adults and children in a safe, caring and fun environment at no cost for the families.�

For bidder registration and additional information about the auction, contact Jutta Miller at the Maloney Gallery at jamiller@themaloneygallery.com or (858) 756-8160.� More information about the artwork series can be found at www.ThisIsWhereTheRubberMeetsTheRoad.com.� Additional information about Grand-Am's Official Charity, Camp Boggy Creek, can be found at www.BoggyCreek.org.

Grand-Am operates and sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series and the KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series schedule and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendar delivers professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Cask No. 16, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.

Brumos Racing Teammates Donohue, Law Shoot for First Rolex Series Victory This Season Thursday at Daytona

Brumos team, formerly based in Jacksonville, Fla., last visited victory lane in Rolex Series in 2003

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2008) – David Donohue and Darren Law have been one of the hottest combinations in the Daytona Prototype paddock in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley. Now, they are looking to break through with a victory in their sponsor’s home race, the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway, Round 9 of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The two-and-a-half hour race (or 70 laps/250 miles) takes the green flag at 8:12 p.m. Thursday (SPEED, Live at 8 p.m.), with practice and qualifying earlier in the day.

Over the past three races, Brumos Racing has been knocking on the door. Donohue and Law followed up a fifth-place finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with runner-up showings at Watkins Glen International and Mid-Ohio. Donohue is the only driver in the Rolex Series with multiple pole positions in 2008. His Mid-Ohio pole was his third of this season.

“Winning the Brumos Porsche 250 would be a fitting place to bring home our first victory in many years,” said Donohue, who has three Daytona Prototype victories but none since the 2003 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. “It’s been a lot of effort from a lot of people, and I know Bob (former team owner Bob Snodgrass) is looking down, very proud of us. Standing on the top step in Gatorade Victory Lane would be a big feather in our cap. It’s something we’re all pushing hard for. That second step is completely unsatisfying for everybody on the team, because we’ve all put forth a winning effort already. We’re not going to luck into a win. When we win, it will be overdue and deserved. Our guys at Brumos Racing are tenacious; they’ve never let up.”

Law took the checkered flag at Mid-Ohio behind the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, giving that team its first victory of 2008 after struggling since finishing second in the Rolex 24. Last year, Gurney and Fogarty scored their third consecutive victory of the campaign in the Brumos Porsche 250, beginning a surge that would lead the duo to the Daytona Prototype championship.

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won here in January, when Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti joined the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley team in winning the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. The pair has won three additional races since then – at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Virginia International Raceway and Watkins Glen International – in addition to second- and third-place finishes. Their only stumble was an eighth-place finish at Mid-Ohio, however, Pruett and Rojas currently maintain a healthy 37-point lead over Gurney and Fogarty in the standings.

SunTrust Racing returns to Daytona once again sporting the Dallara chassis. The team opened the season with a fifth-place finish in the Rolex 24 before switching to the Dallara for the Homestead-Miami Speedway event. In May, the new car – along with all of the team’s spares and equipment – were destroyed when the team’s transporter caught fire in Texas while returning from Laguna Seca. The team was assisted by many members of the Grand-Am community, and returned to the Riley at Watkins Glen, where Max Angelelli put the No. 10 Pontiac on the pole. Co-driver Michael Valiante joined in finishing third.

The only other winners in 2008 are Riley-Matthews Motorsports, with Jim Matthews and Marc Goossens taking the checkered flag in Mexico City for the first of three straight podiums in the No. 91 Bob Stallings/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley; and 2007 Rolex 24 runners-up SAMAX, with Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib giving the Florida team its first victory at Laguna Seca in the No. 2 BMW Riley.

A number of other teams are still looking for their first triumphs of 2008, including the two-car Ford Riley effort of Michael Shank Racing and Rolex 24 pole winner Oswaldo Negri Jr.; Krohn Racing’s two Pontiac Lolas; AIM Autosport’s No. 61 Ford Riley; Cheever Racing’s Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Pontiac Coyote; Doran Racing’s two Ford Dallaras; Alex Job Racing with the No. 23 Porsche and the updated Crawford classis; and the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley of Gene Sigal and Matt Plumb, who led a race-high 31 laps before finishing third at Mid-Ohio. Beyer Racing will race for the second time in the series, with Jared Beyer and Jordan Taylor sharing the No. 19 Ford Crawford.

“There are a lot of sleeper teams who are always a threat,” Donohue said. “They’re right there at race time. That’s the nature of this series. It’s ultracompetitive, which is probably unprecedented in road racing for as long as I can remember.”

SpeedSource returns to Daytona looking for its third consecutive victory at “The World Center of Racing.” Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham won the 2007 Brumos Porsche 250 from the pole in the No. 70 SpeedSource Mazdaspeed/Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8, and joined David Haskell and Raphael Matos in winning the 2008 season-opening Rolex 24. Tremblay and Ham are tied in third with 208 points in the GT standings.

“Daytona is probably the single-best track for our car because the engine is small,” Ham said. “Once you get our rotary wound up it goes like a rocket on the banking. Daytona was really good for us. We also won the summer race there last year and so we’re going for our third win at Daytona. We feel very confident.”

Tremblay and Ham’s main challenges are expected to come from point leaders Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards in the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R (239 points), winners of three races in 2008, and the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports GXP.R driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell (207 points), who have won two races so far this season.

Porsche is coming off its first victory of 2008 with the No. 86 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3 driven by Eric Lux and Leh Keen, who will be part of a two-car lineup. Farnbacher Loles also entered the No. 87 driven by Bryce Miller and Dirk Werner. Team owner Kevin Buckler, the 2003 overall winner of the Rolex 24, has entered four Porsche GT3s under the TRG umbrella, including the No. 66 of Andy Lally and Ted Ballou and the No. 67 of Tim George Jr. and Spencer Pumpelly.

There have been a number of changes made the GT Paddock since Mid-Ohio. Terry Borcheller, the 2003 Daytona Prototype champion, will join Tim Lewis Jr. in the No. 72 Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R after the recent departure of Lawson Aschenbach. In addition, frequent NASCAR competitor Boris Said will be driving the No. 34 Orbit Racing Porsche GT3. Said has seven Rolex Series victories, including six in the GT class.

Ryan Phinny led a GT race-high 30 laps at Mid-Ohio, and he and co-driver Diego Alessi are looking for their second straight podium after finishing third in the No. 21 Matt Connolly Motorsports Pontiac GTO.R. JLowe Racing, which formerly raced with TRG, will run the No. 63 Porsche GT3 supported by Farnbacher Loles Racing. Co-drivers Jim Lowe and Jim Pace, the 1996 Rolex 24 overall winner, will continue to share the wheel. Stevenson Motorsports is adding a car to its line up this week with the No. 97 Corvette driven by Jeff Bucknum, James Gue and John Stevenson.

- This is Round 9 for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The combined Daytona Prototype/GT race is two hours and 30 minutes or 250 miles (70 laps), whichever comes first.

- The green flag for the race is scheduled to fly shortly after 8 p.m. ET. The race will air live on SPEED, beginning at 8 p.m. (Leigh Diffey – Play-by-Play; Dorsey Schroeder, Calvin Fish – Analysts; Brian Till, Chris Neville – Pit Reporters).

- All cars must make a mandatory pit stop prior to the 45-minute mark in the race, and each driver must complete 30 minutes of the race in order to earn points for their respective standings.

- 2007 Brumos Racing 250 race winners are Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty (Daytona Prototypes), and Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham (GT).

- Thursday: Rolex Series Practice (10-10:45 a.m.); Rolex Series Practice (11 a.m.-Noon); Rolex Series Practice (12:15-12:35 p.m.); Rolex Series Trueman/Akin Award Practice (12:35-12:55 p.m.); Rolex Series GT Qualifying (1:15-1:30 p.m.); Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Qualifying (1:45-2 p.m.); Brumos Porsche 250 (8:12 p.m.; 250 miles/70 laps/two-and-a-half hour race).

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas hold a 37-point advantage in the Daytona Prototype point standings after four victories and second and third-place finishes in their first seven starts. They won the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, the Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley. Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews won the Mexico City 250 in the No. 91 Bob Stallings/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley, while Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib earned their initial Daytona Prototype victories in the No. 2 SAMAX BMW Riley at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Defending series champs Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty won the rain-soaked EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley.

Consistency and seven top 10s – including three class victories this season – have No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R co-drivers Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards atop the GT point standings, 31 points over their closest competitors, Rolex 24 At Daytona winners and No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 co-drivers Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham. However, No. 67 TRG Porsche GT3 pilots Spencer Pumpelly and Tim George Jr. led the series standings earlier this season and have four podium finishes, including three second-place results. No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R co-drivers Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis also won two straight races this season and No. 69 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 drivers Jeff Segal, Emil Assentato and Nick Longhi won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Eric Lux and Leh Keen drove the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3 to the victory at Mid-Ohio.

- Home Track Race for Florida Drivers: Daytona isn’t only the home to the Grand-Am office. Several drivers call the area home. Included in the Daytona Prototypes are Ryan Dalziel (Orlando), Henri Zogaib (Orlando), Shane Lewis (Jupiter), John Pew (North Palm Beach), Guy Cosmo (West Palm Beach), Jordan and Ricky Taylor (Apopka), JC France (Daytona Beach), Oswaldo Negri (Miami) and Jim Matthews (Boca Raton). In GT, Floridian drivers are Mac McGehee (Jacksonville), Joe Jacalone (St. Augustine), Michael Riolo (Boca Raton), Jeff Segal (Miami), Sylvain Tremblay (Sunrise), Tim Lewis Jr. (Boca Raton), Terry Borcheller (Vero Beach), Joseph Safina (Fort Lauderdale) and Eric Lux (Jacksonville).

- Home Race for Teams Too: Several Rolex Series teams are also based out of Florida . In Daytona Prototypes, SAMAX is from Pompano Beach , Spirit of Daytona Racing is in Daytona Beach and Alex Job Racing is in Tavares. Brumos Racing formerly calls Jacksonville home. GT teams based in Florida include Blackforest Motorsports and Racers Edge Motorsports in Deland, SpeedSource in Sunrise , Autohaus Motorsports in Delray Beach and GTS Racing with Mitchum Motorsports in Fort Lauderdale .

- Said Joins Orbit Racing: Orbit Racing will compete in the Brumos Porsche 250 with one of the top road racers in the country. Veteran Boris Said will drive the No. 33 Porsche GT3 with car owner Larry Bowman, while Lance Willsey and Mike Riolo will share the team’s No. 34 Porsche GT3. "We feel that Daytona is our home track," says Rodger Hawley, team principal of Orbit. "History shows that Daytona has been very kind to our Orbit team." Said is a longtime friend of Bowman.

- Borcheller Replaces Aschenbach at Autohaus Motorsports: Veteran driver Terry Borcheller will compete for Autohaus Motorsports for the remainder of the 2008 Rolex Series season, the team said last week. Borcheller replaces Lawson Aschenbach, who left the team last week. Borcheller joined Aschenbach and Tim Lewis Jr. in the No. 72 Pontiac GXP.R at Mid-Ohio before the deal became fulltime. Borcheller is the 2003 Daytona Prototype champion and has competed with various Rolex Series Daytona Prototype and GT teams over the last two seasons.

- Taylor-Made for Daytona Prototypes: The Taylor family involvement in Daytona Prototypes just keeps getting larger. The Apopka-based family will have three of its members competing Thursday, and two of those driving. Ricky Taylor competed for and co-drove with his father Wayne in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, finishing fifth. This weekend, Ricky Taylor will co-drive the No. 47 Ford Dallara with Burt Frisselle in the Brumos Porsche 250. Ricky Taylor finished seventh in that car in the recent race at Mid-Ohio. Meanwhile, the No. 19 Beyer Racing Ford Crawford will see 17-year-old Jordan Taylor drive with 18-year-old Jared Beyer. “I never expected this to happen so fast,” said Wayne Taylor, owner of SunTrust Racing and father of the two drivers. “It’s great they both have the opportunities. It’s going to be hard for me this weekend, with me owning my own team and my sons driving for two other teams.”

- Starting up Front Has its Privileges in GT: Starting up front is the key to success, at least for drivers in the Rolex Series GT class. Sylvain Tremblay, Kelly Collins, Andrew Davis, Jeff Segal and Eric Lux have all started in the front two rows in their co-victories in 2008. Meanwhile, the Daytona Prototypes have been on the opposite end. The best start any driver has won from was second at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Other starts have been third (Pruett and Rojas), sixth (Pruett, Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti), 15th (Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews), 16th (Pruett and Rojas) and 17th (Pruett and Rojas after failing post-qualifying tech inspection; Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib).

- Daytona Prototype: 1. (tie) Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, (225); 3. Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty (188); 5. (tie) Marc Goossens, Jim Matthews (186); 7. (tie) Mark Patterson, Oswaldo Negri (171); 9. (tie) Nic Jonsson, Ricardo Zonta (158).

- GT: 1. (tie) Kelly Collins, Paul Edwards (239); 3. (tie) Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham (208); 5. (tie) Andrew Davis, Robin Liddell (207); 7. (tie) Tim George Jr., Emil Assentato (188); 9. (tie) Tim Lewis Jr., Lawson Aschenbach (182).

- MESCO Building for the Future Rookie of the Year: 1. Tim George Jr. (188); 2. Lawson Aschenbach (182); 3. (tie) Jeff Segal, Ted Ballou (177), 5. Ricardo Zonta (158).

- Pruett, Ganassi Continue Winning Record: Scott Pruett and Chip Ganassi continue to set records for overall wins in the Rolex Series. Pruett notched his 18th overall win in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, now five more than second-place James Weaver. In turn, Ganassi earned his 19th win – all in Daytona Prototypes – eight more than the SunTrust Racing team. Pruett has also finished in the top 10 in 25 consecutive Rolex Series Daytona Prototype races.

- Pontiac Owns Class Win Record: With seven class victories this season, Pontiac has passed Porsche for all-time class wins. Pontiac owns 51 class wins, while Porsche, which won for the first time in 2008 in the GT class at Mid-Ohio, has 50.

Kelly Collins (No. 07 Banner Racing Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP.R): “I hope that some of the things we were working on at the test at Mid-Ohio last week can carry over to Daytona this week. One thing that we cannot fix is the added weight and balance. Daytona is really the worst track for the way the GXP.R is weighted down right now. Coming out of the Bus Stop turn we will just be a moving chicane going around into Turn 1. Once we hit the infield we will be strong again, until we get to NASCAR Turn 1 again. We just need to run clean and come out with as many points as possible.”

Michael Valiante (No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Dallara): “I'm really looking forward to Daytona now that we have another Dallara and we've had back-to-back races where, as a team, we've gotten some pretty good rhythm going. We're gradually building our inventory back up again, which will make us better and better as we go along – things like shocks and springs and spare components. The new car should be good. They've beefed up some things to make it stronger for the longer duration events. Otherwise, there's not much that can be done because once the car is approved, you have to stick to the guidelines that were set. Probably the main thing to go off of is how the other two Dallaras in the series (the Nos. 77 and 47) have been doing. They've been getting quicker and quicker each race, so that's very encouraging. I think, overall, we'll be solid at Daytona. The Dallara hasn't been the quickest out there in terms of straight-line speed, so it will be a challenge on the long straights. But I do feel we'll be very strong in the infield road course segments.”

Darren Law (No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley): “This race is very important for all of us, especially since, number one, we’ve been running up front, and the car’s consistently been one of the fastest on track. But mainly, it is important because this is the Brumos Porsche 250, and so many of the dealership’s customers and employees will be there cheering us on. Needless to say, we are really hoping to finally put it in the top spot this time.”

Mark Patterson (No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley): “The first few laps on these Pirellis are like a gift. Obviously, Oswaldo put them to excellent use in qualifying for the Rolex 24 pole and it will be up to me to get the best possible qualifying run that I can on Thursday. Talk about pressure, and I don’t mean tire pressure! The conditions will be very different for the Brumos Porsche 250, not just from what we experienced in January at the Rolex 24, but also between our qualifying session in the heat of the day to the race under the lights. But no matter what the temperatures or potential rainstorms are like, we know the Pirellis will give us excellent grip throughout.”

Tim Lewis Jr. (No. 72 Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R): “The 2008 season has been an intensive learning experience for the Autohaus motorsports team. Daytona was the first endurance race for the team, so a lot of things were new to us. All the race miles since the Rolex 24 have really helped our engineer, Nathan McBride, get his head around the car and learn to tune it for speed and tire longevity. Nathan and I also are starting to really understand what we want from each other in car feedback and chassis setup. With the new rule updates since Lime Rock, getting the most out of our car is quite difficult.”

Alex Gurney (No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley): “We're on a bit of a high after last week's win. I think we finally got our mojo back. We were definitely in position to win several times this year and it’s a big relief that it finally all came together. With half the season still to run, we feel like the championship is definitely still there for the taking.”

“Last year, we had a very good car at Daytona for the short race. We ran a very low downforce setup that still had a great balance. Jon got a very strange penalty call but came back through the field beautifully. I had some tense moments for a few laps with Angelelli right when I got in the car but after that we built up a good gap and just pushed hard to the end. The difference this year to last is that it seems a lot of teams and drivers have stepped up their game in a big way. We'd like to win the rest of the races, and Daytona will be a big challenge on that front, but the GAINSCO team is up to it.”

Twenty-five years ago, Rob Dyson raced a 1983 Firebird at the IMSA Coca-Cola Three Hours of Lime Rock. Of the 37 cars entered in that race, there is only one team still racing today: Dyson Racing. The upcoming American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on July 12 marks the celebration of 25 years in professional motorsports. It is a silver anniversary built on success at the highest levels: 61 victories, 165 podiums and 17 championships.

“When we first started 25 years ago, we had five guys and one car, and now we have a compliment of 25 at the track,” reminisces Rob Dyson. “We had one small 30-foot truck and now we have two 43-foot trucks. I think the biggest thing I take away from the past 25 years is that you’ve got to keep working at it and eventually with the right talent and the right bunch of guys behind you, you can succeed in this sport. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of heart. Racing is a very emotionally and physically demanding sport. It’s the type of sport that demands so much of you that you just have to step up to it. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned over the years.”

Dyson Racing moved from that 1983 IMSA GTO Firebird to a Porsche 962 in 1985. The team won the first time out with it at that year’s Lime Rock IMSA race and 12 more wins followed through the golden years of GTP racing. In 1995, Dyson Racing moved to a Ford-powered Riley and Scott which netted a total of 36 wins over nine years. From 2002 through 2006, the team ran AER-powered Lolas and returned to the Porsche family last year with two Porsche RS Spyders. The team’s record of consistent success over the past quarter-century has solidified its standing as the premier sports car team in America.

“Winning that first American Le Mans Series championship with Elliott Forbes-Robinson in 1999 was one of the major thrills for the team,” notes Dyson. “I also remember my win at the LA Times Grand Prix at the old Riverside race track as one of the personal highlights in my driving career. When I look back, I just have to say that it has been an honor and a privilege to be in sports car racing at this level.”

Adds son Chris Dyson, “It's a great testimony to the vision and persistence of Dad that we've been in racing and winning for 25 years. I can't believe how fast the time has passed, and how strong the memories are for me. From a personal standpoint, I've grown up with the team and it’s wonderful to be carrying the tradition on into the next generation.”

In the same vein as the headline quote from David Johnson, the Cadet Maxim says that “Excellence can be attained if you dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible.” This silver anniversary commemoration showcases that spirit of Dyson Racing yesterday, today and tomorrow.

17 Championships, 61 Wins, 165 Podiums, 56 Poles, 14 Cars,
24 Drivers, 260 Races, 160,000 Race Miles

• For the past quarter century, no other team has the consistent lineage of successfully competing at the highest levels as Dyson Racing.

• Its commitment and passion for the sport has been an unwavering supportive fixture in an ever-evolving sport.

• Rob Dyson’s first professional race was the 1983 Coca-Cola Three Hours of Lime Rock. He ran a 1983 Pontiac Firebird in selected IMSA GTO and Trans-Am races for two years with a best finish of third in GTO in the 1983 Road America Pabst 500 Miles.

• 1983 was Rob Dyson’s ninth year in racing having started racing SCCA in

• Dyson Racing campaigned Porsche 962s in IMSA GTP from 1985 through 1991. Rob raced four 962s during that time; chassis numbers 101, 120, 122 and 148, which was the last Weissach-built 962.

• The team won with the Porsche 962 the first time out, at the 1985 Lime Rock Camel GT. They won two more races in 1985: Drake Olson and Bobby Rahal at Road America, and Olson and Price Cobb at Columbus.

• Dyson Racing won a dozen races with 19 podiums and four consecutive Porsche Cups with their 962s. They won on the majority of American tracks: Lime Rock, Road America, Columbus, Riverside, Sears Point, Watkins Glen, Miami, San Antonio, Tampa and Road Atlanta. James Weaver won his first race with the team in 1987 at Road Atlanta.

• Price Cobb was second in the IMSA GTP championship in both 1986 and 1987, and was third in driver’s points in 1988.

• Dyson Racing moved to the Ford-powered Riley and Scott in 1995. In seven years with this venerable package, the team won 36 races, including two overall victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1997 and 1999, and class victories there in 2000 and 2001. One of Dyson’s Riley and Scott chassis ended up accumulating more than 53,000 race miles alone.

• In 1997, the team took the top three positions in the World Sports Car championship: Butch Leitzinger, Elliott-Forbes-Robinson and James Weaver.

• In 1998, Butch Leitzinger repeated as WSC champion and James Weaver was the Can Am champion.

• In 1999, Elliott-Forbes-Robinson won the newly-created American Le Mans championship and was co-Can Am champion with Butch Leitzinger.

• Chris Dyson won the American Le Mans Series LMP2 championship in 2003 with four class wins, including the 12 Hours of Sebring with the new Lola EX257-AER.

• Dyson Racing made history at California’s Infineon Raceway in 2003 with the first overall race win in the American Le Mans Series for a P2 car.

• Moving the Lola up to the P1 class in 2004, James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger shared second place in the American Le Mans Series championship.

• Chris Dyson finished second in the American Le Mans Series championship in 2005. The team placed one-two at Mid-Ohio and James Weaver celebrated his 100^th career victory at Mosport.

• James Weaver was second and Butch Leitzinger third in the 2006 championship in the new Lola B06/10-AERs.

• Dyson Racing renewed its historical relationship with Porsche in 2007 and ran two RS Spyders in the American Le Mans Series P2 class, and won the 2007 IMSA Cup for the highest scoring independent team. Dyson Racing also took second place in the LMP2 championship.

• Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace finished third in the 2007 LMP2 Drivers Championship with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith four points back in fourth.

• The team continues with their two Porsche RS Spyders in 2008 with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in the No. 16 Thetford/Norcold entry and Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti in the No. 20 car. The team finished second in the first race of the year, the 56th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Ahhh, 1985. It was the year of “We Are the World”, Windows 1.0, “Back to the Future” and New Coke. For David Murry, it marked the beginning of a professional racing career that produced drives for some of the biggest names in sports car racing - Lotus, Porsche and BMW for example. But two race victories at Lime Rock Park in SCCA Sports Renault 23 years ago helped launch the Atlanta resident’s career.

Murry will return to Lime Park with Robertson Racing and its Ford GT-R next week for the Northeast Grand Prix. He will team with the husband-wife pairing of Andrea and David Robertson for the July 11 race. It will be a different circuit with the new 1.51-mile, 10-turn layout but still will maintain some of the old familiarity.

“It’s I had heard a lot about the track; that it was really fast but only a mile and a half long,” Murry said. “I wondered how that was possible given how short it was. Then I got there and realized that it was really that fast.

“The last downhill turn is the one at Lime Rock that stands out,” he added. “The track will be a little different with the reconfiguration, but before there was a bump in the racing line and you had to find a setup to go over the bump and still carry speed down the hill. It’s a bit like Turn 12 at Road Atlanta. That turn at Lime Rock is very similar in that it is very challenging, fast and there are consequences for a mistake.”

The break in the schedule since the Utah Grand Prix in May has been beneficial, Murry said. The Ford GT-R will run only its fifth race, and much of the focus has been on getting the Robertsons as much time behind the wheel as possible.

“This year is a unique year,” Murry said. “We’re running a car that no one has run before. This year and last year Ferrari and Porsche are pushing each other and their development is going forward. So we may have made a gain but they made a little gain as well.”

The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12 at Lime Rock Park. SPEED will televise the race from noon to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. XM Satellite Radio will air the event live on XM Sports Nation Channel 144. Additional live coverage from American Le Mans Radio and IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring also will be available at americanlemans.com.