Ford Racing- Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Notes and Quotes - Fresh From Florida 200
Daytona International Speedway
BRET SEAFUSE – No. 37 Mustang BOSS302R, JBS Motorsports– (finished 4th, qualified 13th) “We went down the board because I made a bit of a blunder on the second restart and I jumped the start so I had to come in for a stop-and-go. We went from seventh or eighth to last behind all the ST cars and everybody, so we battled our way back and we won it on pit strategy.” WHAT WAS YOUR STRATEGY? “I drove that new Boss 302R as hard as I could and passed as many as people as I could, got it as far back up as I could. We weren’t in bad shape when we put James [Gue] in the car; we were coming back and decided upon a fuel strategy we thought might work and it darn near paid off. WHAT ABOUT THE PENALTY? “I’m not really sure, I’ve not done that before. Something must’ve looked different to us than it did to others but I don’t plan to do it again because it makes for a lot of extra work to overcome.”
JAMES GUE – No. 37 Mustang BOSS 302R, JBS Motorsports– (finished 4th, qualified 13th) “We sort of put ourselves in a bad situation right off the bat.” HOW ABOUT THE MUSTANG BOSS 302R? “This is a brand new car for us and have only had it for less than two weeks now. I just jumped in it [Thursday] for the first time so we’ve got a lot to learn though we learned a lot in the last couple of days. A FEW TEAMS HAD A FEW ISSUES TODAY. DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY OF THAT? “So far, I’ve got no complaints straight out of the box after having had the car for only a handful of days, especially after having come from the back as we did. We were not necessarily the quickest car but we certainly know how to race.”
RAY MASON – No. 60 Mustang GT, Rehagen Racing– (finished 7th, qualified 7th) NOT TOO BAD OF A DAY FOR YOU? “Well Ryan [Winchester], my young rookie buddy here gave me a very good car. We put scrap tires on it. Our tread didn’t work quite as well as we thought it would, had to fuel early. That’s just the luck of the game, but the car was good. We had a great run and the old man and the kid did a very good so we’re pleased.” YOU HAD SOME TIRE ISSUES TOWARDS THE END. “The tires started going off in the last eight to 10 laps, so I was getting a little bit of an oversteer, but it was very manageable.”
ANDREW CADDELL – No. 59 Mustang GT, Rehagen Racing – (finished 9th, qualified 3rd) “We qualified well yesterday and had a good starting spot for the race today. The header got a crack in it right at the beginning of the race, so we were down a lot of horsepower. The Mustang was really good handling wise in the infield. If we would have had more horsepower, I think we would have had a pretty good shot at a top-five easily, but the BMWs were just way too strong. I’m happy with our result. Ken Wilden drove the Mustang like the champion he is. I think we finished pretty strong with that broken header. I’m excited about it, not excited as we should have been or could have been but ninth is better than what I did last year, so I can’t complain.” YOU AND WILDEN ARE BOTH MUSTANG CHAMPIONS. HOW WAS IT TO RACE WITH HIM? “I learned a lot from Ken Wilden this weekend. We looked at his data all weekend and I think it helped me improve my lap time from last year. He helped me a lot, I just we wish we could have made the finish a little bit better and got them a little higher in the championship standings.”
KEN WILDEN – No. 59 Mustang GT Rehagen Racing, – (finished 9th, qualified 3rd) NOT A BAD FINISH FOR YOU AND ANDREW TODAY. “It wasn’t the best day for us. It wasn’t what we had planned on happening going in. We just couldn’t get the car fast enough today. We have some time before Homestead to really work out the kinks and figure out a new strategy. Last year our worst finish was eighth, which isn’t horrible, but we need to do better in order to defend our title.” HOW WAS YOUR CO-DRIVER ANDREW? “Andrew is a talented driver. He really put forth his best effort today, but unfortunately we just couldn’t get the car up where we wanted it.”
GUNNER JEANNETTE – No. 16 Mustang BOSS 302R, Multimatic Motorpsorts – (finished 49th, qualified 12th) WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE? “We had a couple of issues to start. First, we had something with the engine where it went down in power, some electrical issues, then it kind of fixed itself and it was going good. We had a really strong run coming back and I was coming up through traffic, but the engine was just cutting out so it was just really tough and then all of a sudden it just cut out completely. Then I cycled the ignition and it was fine and then I was going in the bus stop and I hit the brakes and the car wouldn’t stop and then it just stopped. Coming around in Turn 1 I hit the pedal again and just went all the way to the floor. HOW DO YOU LOOK AT RACES LIKE THIS? “It was a trying race but we use these as test sessions, so I’m sure that we’ll go to Homestead with all of the issues fixed. I’m very confident with that. There’s no way in testing to simulate what do you do during a race weekend like this. The last program when we introduced the Mustang FR500C we had pretty much a whole year of development to get the car right. This time we only had three months, so we’re just a little bit behind schedule, but I know without a doubt in my heart that this car is going to win a race season.”
FRANK MONTECALVO – No. 16 Mustang BOSS 302R, Multimatic Motorsports – – (finished 49th, qualified 2nd) “We had a really good race and started off well. We didn’t perform like we did in qualifying yesterday because we changed the car set-up but we made it up in the race. We had a couple problems in the race that we had in practice, so we started working on the car and didn’t find those problems this morning. We weren’t sure if it was a fuel pick up or ignition problem. Unfortunately, it hurt us. Hopefully, we’ll fix this and do better next race.” TALK ABOUT RUNNING THE MUSTANG BOSS 302R. “I had a lot more seat time in the BOSS than I did in the other Mustang. The BOSS has more development and will be very competitive this season.”
SCOTT MAXWELL – No. 15 Mustang BOSS 302R, Multimatic Motorsports– (finished 56th, qualified 2nd) YOU WENT BACK TO THE GARAGE MID-WAY THROUGH THE RACE. WHAT HAPPENED? “Typical with a new car there were numerous problems, but the main one that put us out is we keep either breaking a power steering belt or a pump, I’m not really sure but that’s what caused us to pit stop. We were also struggling with some engine issues and brake issues, more engine issues than anything, a bit of brakes towards the end, but that’s what you expect with a brand new car out of the box. We will get it right for the next race.”
MIKE MCGOVERN – No. 53 Mustang, Jim Click Racing – (finished 63rd, qualified 17th) – “We had a good qualifying effort by Mr. Click, he did a great job. We had a great start. We made it up to ninth and things went really well. We pitted, I think a bit too early, but the pit stop went really well. When we got back out on the track, we made it up to 15th and then we had an issue with the right rear tire. All the lug nuts came off and got a big vibration. We came into the pits and the wheel fell off. We were lucky there. We had minimal damage, the Mustang is in good shape and it is a learning process for Click Racing. We’re going to continue to progress and keep working at it.” YOU MUSTANG LOOKS PRETTY CLEAN WITH MINOR MARKS, THERE ARE OTHER CARS THAT HAVE A LOT OF DAMAGE. HOW WAS IT OUT THERE? “I think at certain points in time when I was on track, there was a lot going on. Any time you have so many cars in little spots and speed differences then you’re going to have issues. But it’s just one of those things – that’s racing.”
JACK ROUSH JR. – No. 61 Mustang, Roush Performance – (finished 66th, qualified 4th) WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE CAR GOING BEHIND THE WALL? “We had a little bit of contact with a car out there and I think it interfered with the cooling ducts, causing the oil and water temperatures to shoot up.”
BILLY JOHNSON – No. 61 Roush Performance Mustang – (finished 66th, qualified 4th) “Unfortunately we weren’t able to finish but, Jack [Roush Jr.] showed a lot of speed. He was able to move up to second place and he did an awesome job. We wanted to have a better result, but we ran into some problems. I’m not sure what happened to the motor. The team is showing that the car is capable of doing well and we look forward to going to the next race to have that results show for it.” WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THE NEXT RACE AND THE ENTIRE SEASON? “I think the biggest concern right now is fixing whatever happened to prevent us from finishing this race. Then with the continued speed that we showed, the result will come from that.” DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT HAVE AN ANSWER ABOUT THE MOTOR? “I’m not sure. The team will take the Mustang back and work with Roush Yates guys to find out what happened.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 29, 2010) - The Multimatic Motorsports squad's hopes of debut success with the Ford Mustang Boss 302R at the Fresh from Florida 200 came up short today after the Canadian team dealt with 'new-car' gremlins at the Daytona round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Despite showing encouraging speed, the #15 car of Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell had issues with the power steering of their Ford Mustang Boss 302R and Frankie Montecalvo and Gunnar Jeannette's #16 Bayshore Recycling machine retired late in the race on account of mechanical and electrical issues.
Things looked good early for Multimatic Motorsports - immediately turning competitive times on the opening day of practice. Starting second aboard the #15 Ford Mustang Boss 302R, Foster maintained his position in the lead pack throughout his stint despite slight engine issues. By the time the team made a driver change and put Maxwell behind the wheel, the #15 car was sitting in fourth.
Meanwhile, aboard the team's second car was Frankie Montecalvo. The teenager, who drives beyond his years, put in a good run in his debut with Multimatic Motorsports. Having qualified the car 12th yesterday, Montecalvo immediately improved his position to ninth on the first lap. The team's newcomer consistently made his way through the field, getting as high as fifth. Unluckily, due to some engine problems, the American had fallen to seventh before entering pit lane to hand driving duties to teammate Gunnar Jeannette.
With the first round of pit stops of the season completed flawlessly by the crew, things were looking up for the team which enjoys a championship winning pedigree in this class. Half way through the race the #15 car was sitting third with the #16 car right behind in fourth. Sadly for the crew things started dwindling in the second half of the two and half hour event.
While the 16 car piloted by Jeannette continued its run in the top five, the #15 Multimatic machine driven by "Mustang Master" Scott Maxwell encountered problems with the power steering. After losing nine laps to the leaders while making repairs, Canadian Maxwell returned to competition with about 40 minutes to go.
By the time the Canadian driver returned to the track, his teammate Jeannette had fallen to 14th in the #16 car having faced problems of his own. Electrical gremlins had caused the car to stop on track, thus getting his Mustang rear-ended by another competitor. After having lost time restarting the car, Jeannette continued to push hard and had made his way back up to eighth before once again losing some positions. While trying to make another attempt through the field with about 15 minutes to go, Jeannette suffered a brake issue that put an end to his day.
As for Maxwell, he also retired before the checkered flag fell due to recurring problems.
Next up for the Multimatic Motorsports squad will be the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 5 and 6, 2010.
Multimatic Motorsports Quoteboard:
26th - Frankie Montecalvo, #16 Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"I had a pretty good start and everything was going great. I had a good run on one of the BMWs at the start and got by him. After that I had to work a little behind a few cars. I went through my stint the best I could, finding a rhythm and trying to keep the car in good shape for Gunnar. Unfortunately I started having some issues and the problem was getting worse as my stint went on so I ended up pitting a little early. Things didn't get any better for Gunnar and things went downhill later on. Even with these problems, I think we have a really competitive car and I'm confident that the issues we faced will be sorted by our next race."
26th - Gunnar Jeannette, #16 Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"It was a tough race. We had several mechanical and electrical issues that haunted us today. The engine would miss and then it would get better but then the problems kept coming back and getting worse, to the point the car shut itself off on me. That caused us to get rear-ended. Once I got the car started again I was picking up time but then we had the brake failure. There have been better days but as they say, there is no better testing than during a race. On the bright side, we learned a lot and we were competitive despite the problems we faced."
30th - Joe Foster, #15 Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"Things went well at the start of the race. But then we had an engine problem and then the power steering problem occurred. They're what you call new car development problems but the car ran great and in the top two or three for about an hour and everything was going according to plan until those gremlins snuck in but those things happen sometimes. The BMWs were really hard to catch up to but all in all it was a very encouraging weekend."
30th - Scott Maxwell, #15 Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"We already had an engine issue when I got in but we still remained in third and fourth for a while. Unfortunately the engine was not getting any better and then I started having problems with the power steering and our day sort of ended there once we had to go behind the wall to fix the problem. It wasn't what we were looking for, but I think if we look at it as a brand new car it was an encouraging debut. We qualified well and we were in the top two in practice. We need to take the good from the weekend and build on that. There's still work to do but everyone at Multimatic Motorsports is up for it."
FURTHER INFORMATION
Karina Redmond // Multimatic Motorsports PR
US Phone: +1 (317) 956-9910 // Canada Phone: +1 (514) 451-4959 // Email: racepr@multimatic.com // Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/multimaticrace
IRWINDALE, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2010) – Sergio Pena highlighted an action-packed day in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Friday as he captured the pole for Saturday’s NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.
In his first competition in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race car, the 16-year-old Pena captured the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown with a fast lap of 18.390 seconds (97.879 mph) during qualifying Friday evening.
Pena, a member of the Drive for Diversity initiative, earned his way into the event by competing in a qualifying race among his three teammates at Revolution Racing in similarly prepared cars from one of Toyota Speedway’s entry divisions on Thursday evening. A run-away win in that run-off allowed Pena a shot at competing on Friday.
Pena’s pole run bested that of 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown winner and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano. Logano qualified second at 18.421 (97.715).
The second row for Saturday night’s 225-lap NASCAR K&N Pro Series race will consist of Greg Pursley (18.475 seconds/97.429 mph) and Eric Holmes (18.498/97.308). Sean Caisse was the fifth-fastest qualifier (18.520/97.192).
Jeff Barkshire filled out the third row and the fourth row will consist of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Gilliland and Josh Combs.
The two fastest in afternoon practice, Jason Bowles qualified 10th and Ryan Truex ninth. Defending winner of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Matt Kobyluck qualified 14th.
Friday night’s action at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale concluded with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series last-chance “Open” race to determine the final six starting positions for Saturday’s feature. Michael Self came away victorious while Justin Philpott earned the final slot.
In the Super Late Model portion of the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown earlier in the evening, multi-time track champion at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Rip Michels once again returned to Victory Lane. Michels was challenged mid-race by Alex Haase and Travis Thirkettle, but the two were involved in the same accident on Lap 60. Michels eventually had to hold off Gilliland during a green-white-checker finish to earn the victory.
It was the first NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown victory for Michels, a three-time track champion at Irwindale. Michels has twice been runner-up in NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown races: 2004 in the Elite Division and 2007 in the Super Late Model Division.
From Jason Cunningham, NASCAR Public Relations
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ –January 30, 2010 . . . Ted Christopher served notice on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., as he claimed the 30-lap TQ-Midget preliminary main event. Christopher of Plainville, Ct., the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, got the lead from Joey Payne on a lap 19 restart and he held off Billy Pauch to claim the victory.
Christopher enters as the favorite for Saturday night’s 40-lap prestigious Gambler’s Classic. He is the defending champion of the race.
“I like my chances,” Christopher said. “I didn’t see anybody go as fast as us in the heat race. We’ll see what the Gambler’s Classic brings.”
Pauch of Frenchtown, N.J., was second, followed by Stewart Friesen of Niagra-On-The-Lake, Ontario, Canada; Matt Janisch of Nazareth, Pa; and Ryan Smith of Kunkletown, Pa.
Payne, a two-time Gambler’s Classic winner, paced the field early in the main event.
Christopher, who started fourth, moved into third on lap three. He moved by Janisch for the runner-up position on the fifth tour.
The first caution period of the race came out on lap eight when Mike Tidaback spun in turn one.
Christopher tried to pass Payne on the outside line, but he never mustered enough speed to pull off the lead pass.
“Joey had a strong car,” Christopher said. “He could keep it down on the inside line, and that’s the key line around the track.”
Payne’s car broke with mechanical problems on lap 19.
Tim Buckwalter finished sixth, Tidaback was seventh, Don Zrinski was eighth, Joe Lord Jr. was ninth and Chris Allen was 10th.
The top eight are guaranteed starting spots in the Gambler’s Classic.
Heat events winners for the TQ-Midgets went to Friesen; Lou Cicconi Jr., of Aston, Pa; Pauch; and Christopher.
Consolation races went to Chris DeRitis of Philadelphia, Pa, and Dan Dunigan Jr. of Jackson, Mich. DeRitis has the quickest lap in time trials with a lap time of 9.9098 seconds.
Slingshot qualifying event races went to Kyle Hieber of Langhorne, Pa.; Shannon Smith of Kunkletown, Pa; and Anthony Perrego of Montgomery, NY.
The Slingshot division will compete in the Herr’s Snack Bowl 25 on Saturday night. Paul Lotier Jr. of Lebanon, Pa. is the defending champion.
Champ Kart qualifying race winners were Bobby Timmons of Windham, Maine; Norman Hynes of Lithicum Heights, Md; Evan Beaulieu of Durham, Maine; and Coby Cressinger of Selinsgrove, Pa.
The Champ Kart division will be in action on Saturday night with the National Guard 25.
Preliminary action begins Saturday at 4:30 p.m. A Fanfest, which includes, the top eight finishes from Friday night’s TQ-Midget feature, the Slingshot heat winners and the Champ Kart heat winners, is scheduled at 6:30 and final round events start at 7:30.
TQ Midget Feature Finish, 30 Laps: 1. Ted Christopher; 2. Billy Pauch; 3. Stewart Friesen; 4. Matt Janisch; 5. Ryan Smith; 6. Tim Buckwalter; 7. Mike Tidaback; 8. Don Zrinski; 9. Joseph Lord Jr; 10. Chris Allen; 11. Justin Moensch; 12. Anthony Sesely; 13. Richie Coy; 14. Joey Payne; 15. Timex Morgan; 16. Steve Craig; 17. Lou Cicconi Jr; 18. Mike Stefanik; 19. Russ Bailey; 20. Dan Dunigan Jr; 21. Chris DeRitis; 22. Ian Cumens; 23. Rob Vivona; 24. Glenn Heverin.
Written by Jerry Reigle // From Ernie Saxton
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2010) - Matt Plumb pitted during a caution late in Friday's Fresh From Florida 200, and watched out his windows as the rest of the field flashed by down the main straightaway. That decision, however, proved to be the right one, as Plumb took series debutants Gianluis Bacardi and Rum Bum Racing to Gatorade Victory Lane.
Plumb took command of the race from Charles Espenlaub on Lap 64 of 66 and sprinted to a 0.107-second advantage over Espenlaub in the two-and-a-half hour event. It proved to be fresh tires on Plumb's No. 13 RumBum.com BMW M3 E92 that made the difference, as he shaved off several seconds after falling to sixth after pitting.
In Street Tuner, Lawson Aschenbach made it two consecutive victories for himself, putting Compass360 Racing back in winner's circle at Daytona for the first time since 2007. Aschenbach passed Jameson Riley to give himself and No. 74 HPD/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si co-driver David Thilenius the victory.
Bacardi, in his first career professional motorsports race, started 19th and moved up to second before pitting and handing the BMW M3 - ironically purchased from Fall-Line Motorsports, the team fielding Espenlaub's entry - off to Plumb.
"Traffic is a big deal around here and can kill your momentum," said Plumb, whose car was involved in a first-lap crash in last year's Daytona race. "I got very lucky with a couple batches of traffic that let me gain the most amount of time behind them. We were pretty even up until that point. I believe we changed right-side tires whereas I think they stayed out. I had the sights pretty set on (Espenlaub) and we had a great car. He didn't make it easy for me, but I didn't expect much as far as courtesy, and I wouldn't give him the same. But it was clean when we came out the other side. I've raced with Charles many times and it's always a pleasure."
Plumb led six laps, taking the point from Espenlaub, before the fourth and final caution - for an exhaust pipe on the track - came out. Plumb pitted, while Terry Borcheller - running second - drifted back onto the racing surface just before the pit entrance. Most of the remaining GS cars stayed on the track as well, leaving Plumb to pit on his own and then back onto the track fighting through the field.
It didn't take long for Plumb to make his return to the front. While Borcheller and Espenlaub fought for the lead, Plumb sliced through the field, and took second with under 10 minutes remaining from Borcheller, who pitted later that lap. Espenlaub drove in deep and his No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 drifted wide, allowing Plumb to make up more distance.
Plumb, who set the race's fastest lap on the 63rd circuit, cut the advantage to under a second, then dropped in right behind Espenlaub to set up the winning pass. He pulled alongside Espenlaub on Daytona's Superstretch and completed the pass coming into the chicane. From there, he held on for his fifth career victory, while Bacardi is now one-for-one. Ironically, last year's ST co-winner Pat Iannucci also triumphed his first career car race.
"I thought it was going to take a couple more months to get the car into place," Bacardi said. "I just thought it was going to take a while to tune the car and get everything right. I guess we did it in a short period of time and it worked."
Espenlaub led twice for 15 laps in attempt to give co-driver Charlie Putman and Fall-Line their first victories. However, they settled for second.
"We have battled each other quite a bit through the years and today was also a great clean, fun race with him," Espenlaub said. "I was surprised. I told him I wasn't going to give it to him easy. He told me that I gave him more room than he thought I would. Next time we'll have to work on that a little bit."
Finishing third were Spencer Pumpelly and another series debutant Steve Miller in the No. 41 Colo Logistics Porsche 997, ahead of two-time series runners-up James Gue and Bret Seafuse in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang GT. Fifth were Jeff Bucknum and defending race co-winner Matt Bell in the No. 6 Stevenson Automotive Group Chevrolet Camaro.
All three Fall-Line Motorsports cars led laps. Polesitter Andy Pilgrim led the opening 29 laps in the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 before pitting. However, he drove through his pit box into his teammate's, and was forced back, losing valuable time. Team owner and co-driver Mark Boden drove the car to 11th. Borcheller and rookie Andrew Hendricks finished sixth in the No. 45 Fall-Line/Stable One BMW M3.
Defending race co-winner Bill Auberlen did not compete in the race after mechanical problems forced the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 out with Paul Dalla Lana in the car.
The GS race featured the first-ever finish in the series for the Dodge Challenger, as well as the Subaru WRX STI, and the return of the Audi S4. Defending series champion Ken Wilden and co-driver Andrew Caddell finished ninth in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Products Ford Mustang GT, extending the team's top-10 streak to 18 consecutive races.
Aschenbach earned his fourth victory in 11 starts, and Thilenius his second career in his first start for Compass360. Thilenius started second, and the pair never fell from the top 10 in giving defending series class champion Compass360 a good start toward winning a second straight title. Aschenbach, who led Thursday's opening practice session, led twice for 18 laps, including the final 17.
"We had a pretty good race," Aschenbach said. "David did a great job keeping the nose clean and saved some brakes for me. Luckily we had a great pit stop. The guys did a great job. Everybody at Compass360 did a great job this weekend setting the car up. Fortunately, I was able to bring it home."
Thilenius was joining Compass360 after several seasons with Bill Fenton Motorsports. He acknowledged Aschenbach's skills following the race.
"We had a pretty good race," Thilenius said. "I've never had a co-driver like Lawson. He's just been fantastic for me. The car has been spot-on from the very beginning. I wasn't even at the test and we were still ready to go. I'd be happy to run all the races for the rest of the year here at Daytona."
Following Aschenbach, 1.771 seconds behind, was Seth Thomas in the No. 81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench BMW 328i, sharing the car with Bill Heumann. The car was damaged in the first of three practice days at Daytona earlier in the month, and was completely rebuilt. The runner-up finish signified the depth of one of the series' newest teams.
"The BimmerWorld crew, unfortunately, we've had our share of hiccups like that in the past," Thomas said. "That's one of the things that makes them one of the best crews out there. They're able to take a car that's pretty smashed up and turn it into a podium finisher. My hats off to those guys. They worked hard to put us here."
Third were Andrew Carbonell and Rhett O'Doski in the No. 26 Freedom/Mazdaspeed Mazda MX-5; Carbonell finished fourth in points a season ago, while O'Doski missed last year's Fresh From Florida 200 after a practice incident. However, the pair, team and Mazda lost five points each after the car was deemed underweight during post-race technical inspection.
Aschenbach and Thilenius were not the lone Compass360 co-drivers in the top five. Brothers Benoit and Donald Theetge finished fourth in the No. 77 HPD/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si, while Ryan Eversley and Zach Lutz were fifth in the No. 75 HPD/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si. Both Donald Theetge and Lutz were making their first career series starts.
Four caution periods for 15 laps slowed the race's average speed to 93.455 mph.
The second race of the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge comes March 6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, running in conjunction with the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16.
From Michael Harker
PHOTO #1: Canadian Daryl Harr was in a driver's meeting when this shot was taken, but his father Carl and the rest of the team can be seen by the No. 2 Westworld Chevy as they prepare for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown this weekend in California.
PHOTO #2: (l to r) Dave Jacombs, Andrew Ranger and Bill Burns at Irwindale.
PHOTO #3: Andrew Ranger in front of the car he'll race in the Toyota All-Star Showdown.
PHOTO #4: NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano and the Home Depot Toyota.
PHOTO #5: Andrew Ranger with his manager Alan Labrosse. Labrosse's Autodrome St-Eustache is a sponsor of Ranger's car at Irwindale.
Thanks to Sean Gibbs for the photos!
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., January 29, 2010 – Forty years ago, racing legend Parnelli Jones piloted a Mustang BOSS 302 to a championship title. Starting Friday, five Ford Racing BOSS 302R teams look to channel the spirit of Jones’ success and go for another championship while Jones himself looks on.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Parnelli Jones’ 1970 Trans-Am Championship in a Mustang BOSS 302 prepared by Bud Moore Engineering, Ford Racing recently introduced the new BOSS 302R, a factory-built race ready Mustang for track days and road racing in a number of SCCA and NASA classes.
Built with a special Grand Am Homologation Package, the BOSS 302R will compete in the Grand Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series (formerly known as KONI Challenge), starting with the season-opening race in Daytona on Jan. 29, 2010. Multimatic Motorsports, Jim Click Racing, JBS Motorsports and Racer’s Edge Motorsports will campaign for their first victory this weekend, and Parnelli Jones will be on hand at the track, visiting with the teams and drivers.
“The original BOSS 302 was a championship-winning icon,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North Motorsports. “The new Mustang BOSS 302R will be ready to carry on that tradition. The Mustang was born to race from the start, and this new Mustang is born to win.”
The BOSS 302R features the Ford Racing Boss 302 crate engine, based on the new 5.0-liter 4-valve V-8 found in the 2011 Mustang GT. With the Grand Am Homologation Package, this turnkey race car also includes a 6-speed manual transmission with a roll cage, race seats, a safety harness, race dampers and springs, upgraded brakes and tires. The total ready-to-race package will cost $129,000 (MSRP).
The BOSS 302R follows in the very successful footsteps of its most recent road racing predecessor – the Mustang FR500C from Ford Racing. In 2005, when the Mustang FR500C debuted at Daytona, the first car was delivered on Wednesday of that week and won the KONI Challenge race on Friday.
In five years of competition since then, the FR500C has won three drivers’ championships, including back-to-back (2008 – 2009) Triple Crown championships of driver, team and manufacturers titles in KONI competition. The FR500C has also seen success in European FIA GT3 and FIA GT4 competition, and also by the recent E-85 fueled land speed record set by Hajek Motorsports at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
“We expect the BOSS 302R to continue the successful tradition of winning, factory-built race cars from Ford Racing,” said Allison. “The FR500C and FR500S road racing Mustangs, and the CobraJet drag racer have proven to be competitive right out of the box for our customers, helping teams win races and championships. We have high hopes for the BOSS 302R to provide that same sort of competitive product for our customers with the tradition you can only get from Ford Racing.”
Ford Racing engineer Andy Slankard has been instrumental in the development and testing of the new BOSS 302R. Slankard attended the recent Daytona test sessions and is confident with the performance of the purpose-built race car.
“We have won three championships in five years, so we know how to make a Mustang fast,” said Slankard. “So far, everything is looking really solid. I don’t anticipate any major changes. We are pretty sorted with the content that will be in the car. We are just working on things to make sure they are durable and reliable.”
Available through the Ford Racing warehouse, a total of 50 BOSS 302R Mustangs will be built by Ford Racing. Delivery is anticipated in third quarter of 2010. For those who miss out on the initial lot of 50, Ford Racing Performance Parts will sell all the parts necessary to convert a Mustang to a BOSS 302R including the BOSS 302 engine.
For more information on Ford Racing Performance Parts, please visit: www.fordracingparts.com.
About Ford North America Motorsports: Ford North America Motorsports, based in Dearborn, Mich., is responsible for major racing operations in North America, including NASCAR (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Camping World Trucks), Grand American sports car racing, NHRA drag racing, USAC midget car racing and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup. The department also oversees the development and marketing of Ford Racing Engines and Performance Parts, the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts, and the marketing of the Ford Racing brand through initiatives such as Team Ford Racing. For more information regarding Ford Racing’s activities, please visit www.fordracing.com.
From Susan Pollack // PCGCampbell | Ford Racing // Multimatic Ford Photo by DaveFranksPhotos.com
ATLANTA, Michigan (January 27, 2010) – Defending North American rally champion Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard is heading for a snowy season start in Michigan this weekend at the first round of the 2010 Rally America championship. The NOS Energy-backed rally team will take on Sno*Drift in their familiar, top-spec Evo IX. Despite tough competition from factory-backed teams, Comrie-Picard remains a favorite for the win.
"I'm feeling good about our chances this weekend," says Comrie-Picard. "Between the heavy development of the Subaru team cars and the new threat from Ken Block in that European Ford, there's a lot of amazing new machinery out there -- but we've got reliability and experience on our side."
Comrie-Picard will be accompanied by co-driver Jeremy Wimpey at this event. The duo ran select events together in 2009, scoring a mid-season win together in Colorado.
The driver took the win at Sno*Drift in 2006 and has finished on the podium in each of the past two years. The team is counting on a combination of tactical aggression and experience to get them to the top as they take on a 100 mile course that will see them hit speeds of 130 mph on glare ice and snow.
"Snow and ice driving is a real artform and I love it," says Comrie-Picard. "I grew up with this weather; I'm right at home in these conditions."
The Rally America national championship is a challenging, all-season series comprised of six events across the country. The 2010 season will also see the launch of the European-style rally cross discipline mid-year. Comrie-Picard is expected to take on both of these US rally series and make a return to the X Games for a fifth year. As part of his bid for the North American title, he will also compete in the Canadian Rally Championship. The multi-talented driver, who made his debut in short-course off-road truck racing in 2009, is planning a cross-disciplinary push this season that will also see him take on Formula Drift events.
Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as "real cars, real roads, real fast." This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.
The sport is also featured in the annual X Games, the premier action sports event on the globe featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers in each of the four years since the rally discipline was introduced to the contest and expects to return in 2010.
Special thanks from the team to the Garland Lodge and Resort in Lewiston, Michigan, and to Mitsubishi Research and Development.
ABOUT THE DRIVER: Defending North American Rally Champion Andrew Comrie-Picard is a contender for the American, Canadian, and North American rally championships and expects to return to compete in X Games this summer for fifth time. When he isn't racing, Comrie-Picard works in film, television, and print media as an automotive expert and divides his time between Toronto, Canada, and Los Angeles, California.
ABOUT THE CO-DRIVER: Jeremy Wimpey first paired with ACP at the 2009 Colorado Rally where they quickly gained confidence and an overall win. A trail scientist by day, Wimpey brings his attention to detail and warped sense of humor to the team. He has been competing in rally car competition since 2002.
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The ACP Rally program is made possible by: NOS Energy (www.drinknos.com), K&N (www.knfilters.com), Yokohama Canada (www.yokohama.ca), Bully Dog (www.bullydog.com), Motul (www.motulusa.com), AMS (www.amsperformance.com), Öhlins (www.ohlinsusa.com), Brian Crower (www.briancrower.com), JE (www.jepistons.com), Exedy (www.exedyusa.com), Oakley (www.oakley.com), Mishimoto (www.mishimoto.com), Innovate Motorsports (www.tuneyourengine.com), Works (www.worksevo.com), Team Dynamics (www.teamdynamicsracing.com), Pfitzner Performance Gearbox (www.ppgearbox.com.au), Endless (www.endlessusa.com), NBB (www.nbblights.ca), Sparco (www.sparcousa.com), NGK (www.ngksparkplugs.com), Rockford Fosgate (www.rockfordfosgate.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com) and Skull Candy (www.skullcandy.com).
For more information and video highlights, visit: www.acprally.com. To arrange interviews or find out more, contact +1647-500-2729 or ACP(at)acpracing(dot)com. Find us on Twitter, YouTube or Facebook under ACP Rally. Photo courtesy of Scott Rains.
DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 29, 2010 – The all-new Ford Fiesta is fun to drive, but for World Rally Team driver Ken Block, fun takes on a different meaning. When you spend your time dreaming up ways to push your rally car to new limits and create stunts that will create the next “must see” YouTube video, fun is a mixture of horsepower, race fuel and adrenaline. This weekend, Block and his newly formed World Rally Team will debut their Ford Fiesta Rally America program at Sno*Drift in Atlanta, Mich. as they demonstrate their definition of fun.
Block and the team will campaign seven rally events in North America in 2010 for Ford, including the Summer X Games in August. Block will pilot a 2011 Ford Fiesta based on the race-winning European Rallycross Fiesta prepared by Olsbergs Motorsports Evolution.
“I am very excited to finally be in the Fiesta,” said Block. “The Fiesta is the car that beat me last summer at X Games. Ford has a great platform with the Fiesta, and I can’t wait to see what I can do in the Rally America championship and at the X Games later this year.”
Fiesta’s North American racing debut came at the 2009 Summer X Games where it took the Gold in rally competition. Block's 2.0-liter turbocharged Fiesta, modified to the Open Class specification for Rally America, is capable of producing over 490 hp at 8,000 rpm, but due to a required turbo-inlet restrictor by the series, the Fiesta will be running in the range of 330 hp.
Block, who will be co-driven by Italian Alessandro Gelsomino, will tackle all six rounds of the Rally America series in his Fiesta. His North American program will culminate at X Games 16 in Los Angeles in early August.
“Ford has a long, winning tradition in European rally and with Ken Block and Fiesta, we’re bringing that to North America for fans to experience first hand,” said Jamie Alison, director, Ford North American Motorsports. “There will be a little bit of rally in every Fiesta. It’s the right form of motorsports to showcase the driving dynamics of Fiesta.” Allison continued, "What people need to remember, as Ken races down the course this weekend, his car started off as a production vehicle. It is a true testament to the capability built into every Ford Fiesta.”
For the complete Ken Block schedule and to see Block in his 2011 Ford Fiesta, please visit www.fordracing.com.
About Ford North America Motorsports: Ford North America Motorsports, based in Dearborn, Mich., is responsible for major racing operations in North America, including NASCAR (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Camping World Trucks), Grand American sports car racing, NHRA drag racing, USAC midget car racing and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge. The department also oversees the development and marketing of Ford Racing Engines and Performance Parts, the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts, and the marketing of the Ford Racing brand through initiatives such as Team Ford Racing. For more information regarding Ford Racing’s activities, please visit www.fordracing.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K37p0vw9cU
From Brent Maurer // Ford Racing PR / PCGCampbell
By Dean Reynolds - SYRACUSE, NY – As the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) venture north to the Montreal area of Quebec, the events that boast the largest purses of any full point events on the championship tour just got a little richer. With the help of the Poirier family business Fondations 4 Saisons ten teams will now be splitting from a special point fund that has been set up for 2010.
The special Quebec Five Star Series will involve the two events each at Autodrome’s Granby and Drummond as well as the first ever ESS appearance to Motordrome St. Marcel. Fondations 4 Saisons sponsored the A-Main events at Granby and Drummond the past three seasons but with the new point fund their contribution was increased substantially.
“Steve is not only a great driver and champion with ESS, but his family has been huge supporters over the years with sponsorship programs.” said ESS President Chuck Miller. “Before only one driver (the A-Main winner) took home extra dollars from each event. Now ten different teams will be awarded for their solid efforts on the five events.”
Quebec stars like Poirier, Michael Parent, Alain Bergeron, Normand Beaudreault, Daniel Lampron, Kayle Robidoux, Dale Gosselin, Donald Lemire and Sylvain Ericksen will be ready to take on the best from the province of Ontario and the United States with more money on the line.
Last year ESS had five special point fund categories topped by the overall Lucas Oil champion. This has now been increased by one with more in the works. Having different point funds proved very popular with the teams as many shared in the wealth.
The full schedule for the 2010 season is right around the corner with the first event being the annual Motorsports Expo held at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY on March 13 and 14.
For more information you can log on to www.empiresupersprints.com where the 27th Anniversary Tour is being showcased where once again it will be excitement guaranteed!
If a trackside observer told you a guy was dropping back into a kart for the first time since 2005 and had eyes on the Florida Winter Tour rotax senior podium, you’d probably chuckle. If that same observer told you it was Robert Wickens, you’d surely stop. Such was the case recently as after attending with plans to be a driver coach for Prime Kartsport, the F2 Championship runner-up was encouraged back behind the wheel at the opening round in Orlando.
“I just love to race regardless of what it is,” Wickens said in recalling the decision to jump back behind the wheel of a kart. “And obviously I have to thank Prime Kartsport and others for creating the opportunity for me to race in Orlando, and for giving me equipment that was good enough to win. I’d only ever done a FWT race in Jacksonville back in 2003! So it was great to drive in it again.”
While karters and his fans around the world may be unaware, those around Ontario, Canada, certainly recall the last time Wickens was in the seat - an epic championship final showdown with Daniel Morad, another Canadian karting legend that was active at the opening round of the Florida Winter Tour.
“The race was a crazy one,” Wickens recalled. “Half wet, half dry conditions at the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship finale at Innisfil. Daniel and I were virtually tied for the ICC Championship going into the race, so I needed to win the race to win the championship. I ended up winning with a late race pass and came home with the championship, then headed off to cars the next season.”
He’s been there ever since, and created a name for himself around the world by racing and winning in Formula 2, Formula 3 Euro Series, A1GP, the World Series by Renault and more. The five-year time gap between kart races also created a unique situation for Wickens to comment on Rotax Max.
“I think Rotax was great when I was in karting, and its development has been impressive. The first time I drove one was in 2003, one week before the Canadian National Championships. Now in 2010, it is great to see that the format has not really changed at all. The program is consistent around the world, and when you look at the bang for your buck in racing, you probably can’t beat it!”
In his return to the sport, Wickens confronted a field near fifty strong in Florida and appeared right at home from the earliest timed sessions of the weekend. He qualified P13 on Saturday, but after being collected in turn one of the prefinal the digits reversed for P31 after the opening lap. A mesmerizing drive followed, taking the Canadian back to P16 by the checker.
“To be honest I was expecting chaos in turn one starting 13th,” he recalled of the first race day. “It’s a position where if you go really aggressive into the first corner and get away with it, you can still have a good result in the final. All I remember from the first corner was that as I was trying to avoid everything, a kart went over the top of me already going backwards! It was pretty wild! After that... it’s always fun passing people!”
Then the situation repeated itself in the final, and best laid plans went out the window in turn one again before a retirement on lap five. Sunday was a new day, and this time it began from P8 after the morning qualifying session. The prefinal dropped his Prime Kartsport / CRG back to P12, and after an inspection between races Wickens found out why.
“It turned out the power valve stud was put in incorrectly, so I effectively had a junior engine all of Saturday and up to the final on Sunday,” Wickens said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t find any problems on Saturday night. I was surprised to learn how much time it was costing after it was corrected.” The benefit of the fix was definitely apparent on the time sheet, as on just lap three of the final, Wickens turned his best lap of the day, better than that which he turned in qualifying or the prefinal. Unfortunately, it was also his last lap of the race.
“A shame,” he said. “In the final I was feeling really good. I made a small mistake exiting the last corner, and a kart got inside of me going into the first corner. I guess they thought I wasn’t alongside on the exit, because I was squeezed into the barriers on the straight before entering turn two. It was a very soft hit, and I was actually hitting the barriers harder on my own in qualifying, but the rim just exploded and that was the end of my race.”
Wickens now returns to motor racing limbo, awaiting concrete plans for the upcoming season. He’ll be at Palm Beach International Raceway in February for the second round of the Florida Winter Tour, though as Prime Kartsport driver coach or Prime Kartsport driver, remains to be seen.
Photo Credits: www.otp.ca // Photo Cutline: Wickens got back to his karting roots in Orlando.
From Jason Holland
Brian Graham Racing alumni Kyle Marcelli makes the jump to the big show! Kyle, a graduate of BGR's Formula Ford and Pro F2000 program, will be on the grid of the ALMS season opener at the famed 12 Hours of Sebring competing in the newly formed ALMS PC Class.
The former OFFC Champion and race winner in Pro F2000 will continue to be involved with BGR Team Grote as a driver coach with the team. Conor Daly, another alumni, made a big statement at the recent Star Mazda winter tests putting his name on top of the time sheets for the 3 day test. The 2008 OFFC multiple race winner, rookie of the year and lap record holder at the 3 OFFC tracks also gave BGR Team Grote its first Pro F2000 pole and added a couple of podiums to their impressive collection in the 2008 F2000 Championship Series.
Alex Ellis, a graduate of our ladder system, recently won the Jim Russell Shoot Out and in doing so earned himself a free 2010 seat in the Jim Russell Championship Series.
BGR Team Grote will be announcing its 2010 driver line up shortly. The team will compete in the OFFC, USF2000 National Championsip, F2000 Championship Series, and Ontario Formula Libre Championship. Interested drivers should contact the team through the team website www.briangrahamracing.com .
Photo: 2008 Mosport Pro F2000 Kyle Marcelli and Conor Daly and BGR crew, photo credit Janice Eakin.
Release from Brian Graham Racing
BROOKLYN, Mich. (Jan. 28, 2010) — Danica Patrick is returning to Michigan International Speedway this summer with NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., standing beside her. The IndyCar star announced her 12-race NASCAR Nationwide Series race schedule today, which includes the August 14 CARFAX 250 at MIS. Patrick will race in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and team owner Earnhardt Jr. She will race for the same team that produced last year’s CARFAX 250 winner Brad Keselowski.
Patrick and Earnhardt Jr. bring the two biggest stars in their sport to MIS.
“I’m thrilled to announce our 2010 Nationwide Series schedule,” said Patrick. “Like I’ve said before, we just want to be smart and calculative about this process. The tracks we’ve selected not only complement the IndyCar schedule, but will give me quality seat time at a variety of facilities.”
Being one of the few females that will have competed in Nationwide Series competition, Patrick brings with her unparalleled excitement in anticipation of her NASCAR debut. Her knowledge and competitiveness she has brought to the two-mile Irish Hills oval in the past as an IndyCar driver will benefit her at one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks.
“This is great news for MIS and the CARFAX 250,” MIS President Roger Curtis said. “Danica Patrick is a very talented driver who will add a great deal of excitement for our Nationwide Series event on August 14. Danica and her team, JR Motorsports, felt that MIS would be a facility she could have some success at in her first year in stock car racing. It will be special for our race fans to watch. At least we didn’t have to bring her a lobster to get her to race here.”
Patrick has had success at the two-mile Irish Hills oval during her IndyCar career. In three career starts from 2005-07, her best finish of seventh came during the 2007 campaign.
Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike.
MIS’ Value Pricing Period begins on Feb. 1. Tickets for the August 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series CARFAX 250, along with the Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 on June 13 and CARFAX 400 on August 15 will go on sale to the public at that time. Visit MISpeedway.com or call the MIS ticket hotline at 800-354-1010 on Feb. 1 to take advantage of great pricing for 2010 events at MIS.
Michigan International Speedway - 2010 Schedule
Friday, June 11 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards Racing for Wildlife 200
Saturday, June 12 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
Sunday, June 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400
Friday, Aug. 13 Gatorade Pole Day
Saturday, Aug. 14 NASCAR Nationwide CARFAX 250 Series
Sunday, Aug. 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup CARFAX 400 Series
CONTACT:
Sammie Lukaskiewicz, MIS Director of Communications (517) 592-1208 or slukaskiewicz@mispeedway.com
Dennis Worden, MIS Manager of Public Relations (517) 592-1204 or dworden@mispeedway.com
Ford Motor Co. made $2.7 billion in 2009, its first annual profit in four years."I put myself in a position with a GT car that I shouldn't and paid the
price," said Johnson, who was uninjured in the incident. "I hate it
that I tore up equipment and put the guys in this spot. It looks like
we will get this fixed and hopefully everything will be good for
tomorrow."
After Alex Gurney ran the opening laps of the weekend's first practice
session, Johnson took the wheel of the No. 99 "Red Dragon" and
immediately began turning competitive times in his first on-track action
of the year. Late in the run, Johnson was passing a slower GT entry
that appeared to have given him the line in the fast run through the
infield "kink" only to have the other car move over on the GAINSCO
machine. Johnson spun off course and the No. 99 made heavy contact when
it backed in to a safety barrier.
The initial inspection of the damaged No. 99 team revealed a severely
bent rear bulkhead in the engine compartment area. The GAINSCO team was
thought to be done for the weekend but the team later determined a
repair was possible after consulting with personnel from chassis
constructor Riley Technologies.
"After reviewing several options we made the decision to repair the
car," said Team Owner Bob Stallings. "Our first plan was to bring our
No. 98 back-up car from our shop in Texas but that would have required
some all-night driving and then a marathon preparation session. The
crew will still have to work most of this evening but ultimately
repairing the No. 99 was the best choice."
The extensive repair will basically center on replacing the angular
U-shaped bulkhead at the very back of the Riley. The damaged part of
the car will be removed and the replacement chassis components and a jig
that will be used in the installation were being flown from Riley
Technologies headquarters in Charlotte to Daytona early Thursday evening
on one of Johnson's airplanes. After the new structure is in place, the
GAINSCO team will then have about five hours of additional work ahead of
them. If all goes to plan, they will be able to participate in Friday's
first scheduled practice session at 9 a.m.
"We should be fine," Gurney said. "It was a tough opening day, for
sure, but we have been up against it before. I got to run a few laps in
the morning and the car seemed pretty good. We have it the way we want
to run it in the race and we should be OK, but it is going to be a long
night for the guys. The crew is basically doing a 24 hour before the 24
hour but we are working on a way to get them some sleep early tomorrow
afternoon. So they will get in a little bit and definitely it will be a
long weekend for those guys, but hopefully we will be smiling at the end
of it."
Jon Fogarty and Jimmy Vasser didn't get a chance to drive Thursday as
the team missed both qualifying and night practice but joined the rest
of the GAINSCO team in staying optimistic.
"The Red Dragon lives," Vasser said. "GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is a
champion team and this just gives us a chance to prove it."
Live coverage of the 2010 Rolex 24 on SPEED begins on Saturday, January
30, at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST, prior to the race start at 3:30 p.m.
local time. SPEED's first round of programming lasts until 10 p.m.
EST/7 p.m. PST and then resumes at 7 a.m. EST/4 a.m. PST on Sunday with
coverage until the checkered flag and through the post-race ceremonies
until 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST.
Andy Pilgrim was scheduled to go to Brazil on vacation this upcoming weekend. But his plans fell through and the Fall-Line Motorsports team asked the three-time Rolex 24 At Daytona class winner to co-drive with team owner Mark Boden in Friday's Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway.
Fast forward to Thursday. Pilgrim strapped into the No. 46 BMW M3 in place of scheduled rookie driver Brian Kubinski, and promptly won the pole position for the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season opener in the Grand Sport (GS) class. His time of 1:59.636 (107.125 mph) bested the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Boss 302R of Frankie Montecalvo, 1:59.660 (107.103 mph), and put him the top starting spot in his first career series race. Montecalvo will drive with Gunnar Jeannette.
In the Street Tuner (ST) class, Derek Whitis set the fastest qualifying time in the No. 25 Aventura Technologies/PFC Mazda MX-5 he shares with Tom Long. His time of 2:08.736 (99.553 mph) was a tick off of Andrew Aquilante's season-old record of 2:08.694.
Pilgrim briefly drove a BMW M3 E92. In fact, his only prior engagement in the car came during a test session last month with team member Jim Bell, whom Pilgrim drove for in a Daytona Prototype in 2004.
"I got a phone call about five days ago and was asked 'What I was doing?'" Pilgrim said. "They asked if I could come in and I said yes, and it's great to be here."
Having competed in 16 Rolex 24s, Pilgrim said he was happy to return to the 3.56-mile, 12-turn track, a place he said he knows well.
"I love this race," he said after getting out of the car. "I love this track. It's great to be back and I'm looking forward to running."
Aside from Pilgrim's BMW M3, Mustangs dominated the top five. Following Montecalvo's No. 15 were Andrew Caddell in the No. 59 Mustang Challenge Ford Mustang GT at 2:00.068 (106.740 mph), Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang GT at 2:00.192 (106.629 mph) and Bob Michaelian in the No. 52 bizrate.com Ford Mustang GT at 2:00.837 (106.060 mph). Reigning class champion Ken Wilden is teaming with Caddell with the expectation of notching the car's 18th consecutive top-10 finish.
The defending race winners, this year in different cars, will see their cars roll off from the fifth row. Matt Bell moved to Stevenson Motorsports and will start ninth in the No. 6 Stevenson Automotive Group/Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro, while Bill Auberlen will climb into the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 to replace co-driver Paul Dalla Lana, who qualified 10th.
Whitis earned his first career pole, starting in the same place he finished the 2009 season - at the front. Whitis, who teamed with Long in winning the season finale at Virginia International Raceway last season, was enthused with his team's efforts, especially after it prepped four cars - two MX-5s and two MAZDASPEED3s.
"It's just a great opportunity to come out and represent Mazda and be on the front row," Whitis said. "We've shot for this before, and the guys at Freedom did an awesome job. The biggest thing we do outside of the car is do our best to thank the men and women who serve our country.
"Winning is nice; it certainly beats the heck out of losing," Whitis continued. "Anytime we can drive a Mazda and drive it up front and keep them happy is good. This is one for the team, and we're going to do our best and represent all of the people that got us here."
Following Whitis is veteran David Thilenius, who joins 2009 team champion Compass360 Racing fulltime for the first time. Thilenius set a time of 2:09.205 (99.191 mph) in the No. 74 HPD/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si.
Third was series debutant David White in the No. 80 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i at 2:09.759 (98.768 mph), followed by Randy Pobst in the No. 49 Irish Mike's Racing Volkswagen Jetta GLI at 2:09.864 (98.688 mph) and Jameson Riley in the No. 66 Riley Mazda/DCC Mazda RX-8 at 2:10.161 (98.463 mph).
The two-and-a-half hour Fresh From Florida 200 will begin at 1:45 p.m. ET Friday. A 45-minute warm-up session begins at 10 a.m.
For more information: Michael Harker, 386-547-3943, mharker@nascar.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., January 28, 2010 – Max Angelelli in his SunTrust Racing Ford will lead the field to the green flag on Saturday for the 48th Annual GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race. Angelelli posted the fastest qualifying time during Thursday’s qualifying session by taking his No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara through the course in a time of 1:40.681 with the best speed of 127.293mph. This is the first time Angelelli will start from the pole for the Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona International Speedway. Today’s pole was the 11th for SunTrust Racing since it joined the Rolex Series in 2004.
“We wanted this pole. Of course, in racing, you have to make things happen, and we worked hard for this pole, preparing ourselves and the car,” said Angelilli. “There is an advantage starting up front, no matter how long the race is. It was important for all of us. For me, I can’t deny it. It’s important, the Daytona 24-hour, with all the cars, all of whom are racing at a very high level. It’s very competitive, and that makes it that much better for everybody, for SunTrust, for Dallara, for Ford, for everybody.”
The SunTrust Racing team features drivers Max Angelelli, Pedro Lamy, Wayne Taylor and Ricky Taylor.
Starting along side Angelilli during the 24 Hour race is Oswaldo Negri, driver of the No. 60 Ford Riley. Negri’s best lap was 141.100 miles per hour with the best speed of 126.766mph. Negri is teamed with Burt Frisselle, John Pew, and Mark Wilkins. Negri is looking forward to Saturday’s race and is confident in his team’s chances of a solid race.
“I’m very happy with the driver line-up that we have,” said Negri. “Besides getting along really well, all four of us, we are more or less the same size, so you’re not compromising seating comfort in the car. Mark Wilkins won a few races, so he knows how to do it. I think Burt Friselle is the most underrated guy that I know. John Pew, just watch John Pew this year - he’s going make a lot of heads turn.”
In the Michael Shank Racings No. 6 Ford Riley, Michael Valiente posted the third fastest time of the session with a 1:41.110 at 126.753mph.
“I’m not sure if we were quick enough to go for the pole today, but starting from third is fine. I’ll be on the inside for turn one and I prefer that anyway, so I think we will be all set for the race,” said Valiante. “We only made small changes to improve the car, and still have a few things to work on but this car is very good. Both these cars are here to help each other go faster, and today was a good example of that. You want to be in a good position at the start of course but it’s not too important. We started from last place last year, and were in the lead a few hours after the start so we know it’s all about what happens in the race. ”
Micheal Valiante’s co-drivers in the No. 6 Ford Riley are Mark Patterson, A.J. Allmendinger and Brian Frisselle.
“I’m really happy-we wanted to get both cars into the top-five, and we did that. I’m happy for Ozz to be up front and Michael will also be right there at the start,” said team owner Mike Shank. “The day has gone exactly to plan and this weekend is off to a great start. Michael got a little balked on his last go-around, so he wasn’t able to make the most of the lap. But we are very happy to take 2-3 on the grid. It was a great effort from the entire team today, and now we will just focus on our race planning.”
The 48th Annual GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race begins on Saturday, January 30 at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
(Clover, SC) January 21, 2010 Performance Friction Corporation® announced today that it has extended its long-lasting relationship with GRAND-AM Road Racing entering a three year commitment with the series organizer as a continuing contingency sponsor. “Performance Friction has been a long time supporter of GRAND-AM and we are pleased to continue our relationship with the series,” said Darrick Dong, Director of Motorsports at Performance Friction Brakes.
Performance Friction will be a contingency sponsor in all four classes of GRAND-AM Road Racing including Daytona Prototypes (DP), Grand Touring (GT), Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST). Performance Friction brakes will be used by various teams in all classes of the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series this upcoming weekend in Daytona.
About GRAND-AM: GRAND-AM Road Racing, which operates and sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, is the foremost sanctioning body of sports car racing in North America. The 12-race Rolex Series 2010 schedule and the 10-race Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge 2010 calendar deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the U.S. and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. GRAND-AM Road Racing 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.
Performance Friction Corporation® continues to be the market leader wherever drivers demand unrivaled performance and quality, No Compromises™. Performance Friction® brake calipers, rotors and pads are manufactured in our state of the art production plant located in Clover, South Carolina. Performance Friction® brakes are the standard of excellence in high-performance vehicles, commercial fleets and street vehicles. Hundreds of races and more than 1,500 championships have been won on Performance Friction Carbon Metallic® pads. Last year alone over 120 racing champions all over the world drove to victory on Performance Friction® brakes. www.performancefriction.com.
Media Inquiries: Donato Bonacquisto, Marketing Communications Manager // E-mail: dbonacquisto@performancefriction.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2010) - The 10-race GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season commences this Friday at Daytona International Speedway with the Fresh From Florida 200, and 81 cars - 45 in the Grand Sport (GS) class and 36 in Street Tuner (ST) - will push for victory in the two-and-a-half hour race, which begins at 1:45 p.m. ET.
The race will feature several new cars - the Chevrolet Camaro, Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Audi S4 in GS and the Kia Forte Koup and MAZDASPEED3 in ST - and new models - the Mustang Boss 302R and the Porsche Cayman.
Friday's race also features a host of former race winners and series champions. GS titlist Ken Wilden returns in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT that has 17 consecutive top-10 finishes. Wilden won the GS crown by eight points (317-309) last October, and starts 2010 with co-driver Andrew Caddell, a two-time Ford Racing Mustang Challenge champion.
David Empringham also starts the season in a Mustang, but in the Boss 302R, driving with Jade Buford at Racers Edge Motorsports. Empringham, a two-time series champion in GS, has a series-high three victories at Daytona, most recently in 2007.
Two other former champions will also drive Mustang Boss 302Rs. Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster, who topped the 2008 points standings, will drive the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss 302R for Multimatic Motorsports; the team will also field the No. 16 Ford Mustang Boss 302R for Gunnar Jeannette. Multimatic won the 2005 team title.
Defending race winners Bill Auberlen and Matt Bell are running for different teams this season. Auberlen will defend his race victory in the same No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 with new co-driver Paul Dalla Lana; the team also fields the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 for Joey Hand and rookie Michael Marsal.
Bell is teaming with Jeff Bucknum in one of six Camaros entered. Bell and Bucknum will drive the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R, while the team's second car will be piloted by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter.
Former race winner Craig Stanton is also a part of a three-car team - BGB Motorsports, which is based about 25 minutes from the track in Ormond Beach, Fla. Stanton will drive fulltime in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman this season, and will work on his second championship after winning the title in 2004.
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Audi S4 come from two teams that have proven successful in the ST class. Andrew Aquilante and Bret Spaude will drive the No. 35 Subaru WRX for Subaru Road Racing Team, while Ian Baas and Mark White are in the No. 01 Accumoto/BBS Audi S4, fielded by APR Motorsport.
In ST, Compass360 Racing returns to defend its team title with a strong driver lineup. Reigning race winner Lawson Aschenbach is among those drivers, and he will pilot the No. 74 Hondata/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si with David Thilenius. Also competing fulltime in 2010 are Ryan Eversley and Zach Lutz in the No. 75 HPD/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si and rookies Greg Liefooghe and Jesse Combs in the No. 76 Skunk2/Exclusive Management Honda Civic Si.
Compass360 Racing team owner Karl Thomson and Billy Johnson, driving ROUSH Performance's No. 61 Valvoline Ford Mustang GT in the GS class with Jack Roush Jr., won the 2007 race.
APR and Freedom Autosport combined to win the last six races of 2009, and return with strong lineups as well. APR will field two Volkswagen GTIs; the No. 171 for three-race winner Mike Sweeney and veteran Mike Halpin, and the No. 181 for 2009 MESCO Building For The Future Rookie of the Year Josh Hurley and rookie Kevin Stadtlander.
Freedom will field four cars - two MAZDASPEED3s and two Mazda MX-5s. Patrick Dempsey will prepare for Saturday's Rolex 24 in the No. 27 MAZDASPEED3 with open-wheel star John Edwards, while team regulars Tom Long, Derek Whitis and Andrew Carbonell - all series race winners last year - begin the season in their Mazda MX-5s.
Former champion Jamie Holtom will compete fulltime with the two-car GS Motorsports stable out of Canada with co-driver Andrew Danyliw. Glenn Bocchino, who won the 2008 ST race, returns to the class in i-MOTO Racing's No. 30 Mazda RX-8 with co-driver Todd Lamb.
BimmerWorld/GearWrench, which was among the fastest teams during the January Test Days earlier this month, will field a pair of BMW 328is, with the expectations of a strong debut in the series.
Practice for the Fresh From Florida 200 begins at 11:45 a.m. ET Thursday, with qualifying set at 5 p.m. A 45-minute practice session at 10 a.m. Friday precedes the two-and-a-half hour race, which is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. ET.
For more information: Michael Harker, 386-310-6584, mharker@nascar.com
In a classic paradox played out in the World of Warcraft, two of the most recognized factions are identified as the ‘Immovable Object’ and ‘Unstoppable Force’ by thousands of online gamers across the land.
On the DIRTcar Northeast circuit, the Big-Block Modified battles are just as fierce between reigning Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar points king Brett Hearn and rising heir to the throne Matt Sheppard, two of the most familiar combatants taking up sides trackside in their quest to conquer the competition.
When the 39th Florida DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio gets underway, the often ‘immovable’ Corporate Jet and seemingly ‘unstoppable’ Super Matt will be ready to pick up where they left off last season, each looking to establish themselves as the man to beat when the Big-Blocks take center stage February 10-13 at Volusia Speedway Park.
“At this rate, Matt may someday be in a league all by himself,” figured Hearn, 51, responding to the question of retirement and who will succeed the Sussex, N.J. speedster atop the Modified world. “Right now nobody at his age has as much knowledge and experience, what’s needed to get the job done.”
“He’s proven his commitment to racing over the years, and there aren’t too many around that can work on the car everyday throughout the season. A lot of drivers have other jobs and can only show up at the races. Matt’s probably more like me when it comes to preparation, he’s a hands-on guy who has been successful working his way up,” added Hearn, prominent pilot of the Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes-Benjaimin Moore Paints-Kruger-WLR/TEO entry and a 7-time Florida DCN points champion with a winter tour best total of 19 feature wins.
Second-generation standout Sheppard is still in search of his first visit to victory lane in gator country, albeit this February will mark just his fifth race weeks while Hearn has journeyed south annually since 1998.
“I’d like to think we have as good a shot as anybody winning Mr. DIRT, but so do a lot of others,” remarked Sheppard, 27, who won the final three Super DIRTcar Series shows last season ---including the Super DIRT Week Rite Aid 200 finale at Syracuse--- to finish just four points behind Mr. DIRTcar titlist Hearn. The Waterloo, N.Y. warrior also led the Northeast with 20 Big-Block triumphs in ‘09.
“Brett had a good year, not phenomenal, yet he started out so strong that everybody had to play catch-up. We’ll just have to out-perform him like we did at the end of last year. But starting out this early its really hard to tell much until the season unfolds. A lot depends on who gets hot, has their program in order and can keep finishing up front,” noted Sheppard, who will be back aboard the potent JB Motorsports no. 9s XTreme Lubricants/Bicknell machine for a third season.
Among the 40 Northeastern Modified teams signed up for Florida, Hearn and Sheppard will contend together for the first time in 2010 when the Big-Blocks square off in a 30-lap feature Feb. 10 at Volusia. Activity continues with 30-lap main events on Thursday and Friday before a big $5,000-to-win 50-lapper brings the curtain down Sat., Feb. 13. An optional practice day is set for Tue., Feb. 9.
Tickets are on sale now for the 39th Annual DIRTcar Nationals, February 2-13, available for any individual night and also in blocks for each headline division at Volusia. Along with the Big-Block Modifieds, competition also features Sprint Car racing (Feb. 3-7), Late Model action (Feb. 8-13) and UMP/DIRTcar Modified activity (Feb. 2-9).
A FREE Fan Pit Pass has been made available to every ticket buyer who comes through the main gates each night of the DIRTcar Nationals at VSP beginning on Feb. 2. All fans have to do once they arrive at the track is take their grandstand ticket and head toward the pits, where a table will be set up to sign-in for an up-close look at the cars and stars who will be racing that night. To purchase tickets call Volusia Speedway Park at 386/985-4402, and for more information visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com.
By Tom Skibinski, Super DIRTcar Series PR Director // *Alex & Helen Bruce Photo Attachment
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