The Pontiacs could not overcome the Lexus of Ganassi in the Daytona Prototype
Lexus
GM Racing
Bob Stallings Racing
Farnbacher Loles
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Lexus
PRUETT, ROJAS AND LEXUS OVERCOME ALABAMA HEAT TO WIN BARBER
LEWIS AND LESTER PLACE NINTH TO GIVE LEXUS TWO IN TOP-10 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 20, 2008) -- With track temperatures soaring over 120 degrees, the Lexus duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas remained the hottest thing on the track as they registered their sixth Rolex Sports Car Series victory of the season in Sunday's Porsche 250 at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
The win comes in just the ninth race of the season for the #01 Ganassi/Lexus team and gives both the drivers and the team a commanding 60-point championship lead with just five races remaining. In addition, Lexus stretched out its manufacturer's championship to 16 points. The race proved to be as much a battle of survival in the Alabama heat as it was a battle of speed. Yet, as contenders fell by the wayside, the ultra-consistent Ganassi team never missed a beat as the team continued a streak that has seen it complete every lap run in Daytona Prototype competition over the past two seasons.
After leading from Lap 53 through Lap 56, Pruett took the lead for good on Lap 91 of the 103-lap event and then held off a late charge by the Porsche of Darren Law for the victory.
In addition to the Ganassi victory, the race proved to be a fruitful one for the #3 Southard Motorsports Lexus driven by Shane Lewis and Bill Lester. After climbing as high as fourth during the middle portion of the race, the team fell back to 13th on their final pit stop. Lester then fought his way up through the field, gaining four spots in the closing laps to finish ninth and match the team's top finish of the season.
The Rolex Sports Car Series resumes Friday, August 1 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with same-day coverage beginning at 8 p.m. on SPEED.
Notes:
- Today's win is the sixth of the season for Lexus and the manufacturer's 23rd in Daytona Prototype competition dating back to 2004. The victory gives Lexus a sweep of all five Grand-Am races held below the Mason-Dixon Line this year -- two at Daytona, one at Homestead, one at Virginia and today in Birmingham. It also marks Lexus' first-ever win at Barber Motorsports Park after a previous best finish of third.
- Lexus can match its previous single-season high win total of seven, set in 2006, with just one victory in the season's final five races.
- Today's triumph is the sixth of the season for the #01 Telmex Lexus driven by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. With the victory, Pruett extends his Rolex Series record win total to 20 -- and it's the 21st for Chip Ganassi Racing -- also a Rolex Series record. The victory is the eighth for Rojas in 23 Grand-Am events.
- Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas can now capture the Rolex Sports Car Series championship by finishing eighth or better in each of the season's final five races.
- Today's finish is the eighth top-three podium finish in nine races this season for the Ganassi #01 Lexus. It also extends the team's record for consecutive top-10 finishes to 28, dating back to Mid-Ohio in June, 2006.
Memo Rojas, #01 Telmex Lexus: b^0x001cIt was a little crazy at the start. People were making some wild moves, but with the points race in the back of my mind, I made the decision just to let them go, thinking that we could get them back later. The car was running well other than a little bit of a push. I was surprised that it really wasn't that hot in the car. But we knew it was going to be a long race and a race of attrition. I felt that a couple of the other cars could have been there competing for the win with us at the end. Yet, it's still an endurance race and the Ganassi team gave us a car that could run to the finish today."
Scott Pruett, #01 Telmex Lexus: "I can't say enough about Lexus. The engine was great today. Even with all this heat, our water temps pegged, our oil temps were pegged -- everything was overheated -- including the driver - and the engine never let up. Memo (Rojas) did a great job today and the whole team did a great job. If we go on to win this championship, it's going to be because of the consistency of this team. We never seem to have a major problem with the car. We never have a problem with the engine. Every week they give us a good car and every race our pit stops are flawless. It's a total team effort."
GM Racing
Stevenson Pontiac Fourth In GT At Barber
SunTrust Pontiac finishes sixth in DP
Leads, Ala., July 20, 2008 -- The Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GT team finished fourth today in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Brumos 250 at Barber Motorsports Park. The SunTrust Pontiac was sixth in the Daytona Prototype (DP) category.
The near 100-degree heat proved to be a factor up and down pit lane playing havoc with tires, engines and drivers. Even with the heat the day started strong for the No. 57 Stevenson Pontiac GXP.R team. Andrew Davis started the red-white-and-blue 57 from his fourth place qualifying position and quickly went into second place. He turned the car over to teammate Robin Liddell who continued the charge at the front of the GT pack, leading 55 laps. Liddell was leading on lap 91 with only 15 laps remaining. However two caution periods flew during the last 15 laps which eroded the 10 second lead the team amassed. The heat and additional weight of the GXP.R used up tires of the Pontiac allowing three pursuers to get by during the last two restarts relegating the team to a fourth place finish.
"My tires were gone the last ten laps," Liddell said. "We were strong and had a ten second lead up until the last two restarts. The 70 was good and I couldn't hold him off. Every restart we just got worse. We really had no chance at the end. The car has been really difficult to drive since we have been weighed down and had the balance changed following Lime Rock. To lose a race in the last ten laps like that is tough to take."
The No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac of Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards also had a tough day. The car was sent to the back of the grid as a result of a ride height infraction during qualifying. The team had to employ a different strategy to get the 07 back to the front. As pit stops cycled thru, Collins assumed the lead on lap 32. The team missed an opportunity to pit and fuel the car under yellow and had to come in under green which cost valuable track position. As the race progressed the crew put on additional rear tires in attempt to make up track position, to no avail. The duo was leading the GT points by 24 and the margin is now reduced to 14.
"We had a list of issues today," Edwards said. "We would just assume forget about this one. It was a mistake filled day, we just kept getting put to the back of the field and couldn't make up the track position. The harder you tried to drive and improve your order the more the rear tires would go off. We have three races left to try and maintain our points lead."
The No. 06 Banner Racing GXP.R finished the day in seventh. Leighton Reese started the car and finished it. Marc Bunting drove the middle stint and then got over heated and had to turn the car back over to Reese for the finish. The team took the checker on the lead lap and was able to salvage a solid top ten.
"I have never been that hot in a race car," Bunting said. "Toward the end of my stint I had to call in and get Leighton back in the car. I was afraid I was going to lose the team positions. As it turned out we were the last car on the lead lap and it didn't cost us anything. The car was good, but it was hard to stay focused and charge in the heat."
The No. 72 Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R had an early end to the day. Tim Lewis Jr. started the car and pitted on lap five. Lewis experienced some overheating problems with the motor.
"I took the start and I noticed immediately that the water temperature was climbing," Lewis said. "The oil temp then got hot and the power started to fall off. It was just a tough day. Terry (Borcheller, co-driver) never got in the car and we were out on lap five. I have had a good run with the Pontiac, in 20 starts that was my first DNF."
The SunTrust Pontiac was the highest placing Pontiac powered DP car coming to the checker in sixth place. Early in the race is it was a Pontiac juggernaut at the front with the No. 76 Krohn Pontiac, the No. 10 SunTrust and the No. 99 GAINSCO car running one-two-and-three. What started out as a strong day for the Pontiac contingent steadily went away as the laps ticked down.
"It was a difficult result after having such a fast car and starting on the pole," Angelelli said. "But, overall, I think it's really clear we have a fast car. We look like we are just trying to put together that complete, trouble-free race. We made some strategy decisions regarding tires, but I met with my guys and assured them I believe there was absolutely no strategy issue or a wrong decision by my guys. We know how to improve things and, overall, we all need to be better, including myself. Then, we can start winning again."
The No. 91 Riley-Matthews Pontiac of Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews finished eighth. The team had run as high as fourth with restarts once again playing havoc with the team.
"It was really hot and really greasy out there today," Matthews said. "It was hard to aggressive. Marc did a great job and brought us back up the order and then he got overheated at the end. The restarts didn't help our cause either."
The Cheever Racing Pontiac Coyote with drivers Tom Kimber-Smith and Antonio Garcia had a cool suit problem early in the race which hampered their finish. The cool suit failed during Kimber-Smith's first stint. The team had to make repairs during a green flag stop which sent them down the order.
"It was a shame that Tom had the cool suit problem early in the race," Garcia said. "We missed pitting under yellow to fix it and had to come in under green, costing us valuable time. We had the speed to run with the top cars, but a lot of small things today compromised our race. The gear shift program was also a problem."
The No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola started by Ricardo Zonta took the lead by the first turn. The green Pontiac looked very strong running at the front until pitting on lap 25. Nic Jonsson took over from Zonta who had been suffering from flu like symptoms all week. Four laps later Jonsson returned to pit lane to repair a left front tire, sending the team down a lap.
"It was quite nice to start the race," Zonta said. "We had a very good car for the race. Being the leader for my stint was very nice for me. It was unlucky we had the puncture because the car was quicker and quicker every lap. We could fight for the win here. I think this was the best car we had all season. My first lap was quite good. It was difficult to say whether the No. 10 car missed a gear or something like this because I got a big step on speed around him. It wasn't a risk, I just overtook. Then every lap, I was like a half-second quicker. It was very safe and very easy to drive the car today. Even at the start, it was very safe."
The GAINSCO Pontiac of Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney had strong start running in the top three. Then Fogarty handed over to Gurney and clutch problems started on the 99. Despite the clutch problems Gurney managed to lead 35 laps. Then on lap 81 Gurney pulled the red Riley Pontiac off of the track and retired. The team was classified in 16th.
"The clutch was slipping right when I got in the car," Gurney said. "It's a really big shame because the car was excellent. I really think if we didn't have that problem we would have taken it. I couldn't believe we hung on to the lead for that long given what was happening in the car. We really got the car working very well, and that's encouraging, but it was too bad. We had a similar thing happen to us at Laguna Seca in 2007 and that same problem crept up again. It was just a slipping clutch the whole way. I am surprised it held on for that long."
Tracy Krohn and Eric van de Poele continued the tough outing for the Krohn Racing team. Starting from the back of the field the team had the car back in the top 12 after the first set of pit stops. Soon after on track contact broke a left rear control arm sending the team back to the paddock for extended repairs. The 75 car was shown finishing in 17th position.
"I was fighting with the car in front of me on the restart and he was going down by all the GT cars in front of him," van de Poele said. "I arrived quicker than him at the hairpin. When I pulled away, the other GT didn't see me. A GT car hit me in the back and I spun and hit other cars. It's really a shame because the car was quite good. Anyway, that's racing."
The Bob Stallings Gainsco car would have a rare retirement
Bob Stallings Racing
Clutch Failure Gives GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing a Rare Retirement in Sunday's Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park
FAULTY CLUTCH WHILE GURNEY LEADS FORCES FIRST DNF SINCE 2007 ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 20, 2008) -- Alex Gurney led a race-high 35 laps in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley but a fading clutch finally gave up on Lap 80 of Sunday's Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant at Barber Motorsports Park and forced GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing to take its first race retirement in more than 18 months.
After starting driver Jon Fogarty moved to third from fourth on the grid at the race start and later jumped to second, Gurney took over on a Lap 22 pit stop and took the lead for the first time on Lap 30. Despite the front-of-the-pack performance, both drivers noticed the clutch trouble early in their stints.
"The clutch was slipping right when I got in the car," Gurney said. "It's a really big shame because the car was excellent. I really think if we didn't have that problem we would have taken it. I couldn't believe we hung on to the lead for that long given what was happening in the car. We really got the car working very well, and that's encouraging, but it was too bad. We had a similar thing happen to us at Laguna Seca in 2007 and that same problem crept up again. It was just a slipping clutch the whole way. I am surprised it held on for that long."
The GAINSCO team missed the final 23 laps of the race when Gurney pulled the stricken Pontiac Riley off in a safe location on the track. They were classified 16th in the 18-car Daytona Prototype field and walked away from a race that they won last year with just 15 points for the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Championships.
"It's strange," Fogarty said. "Under the yellow conditions, the clutch would get worse for Alex and that was really the demise of it. The car just wouldn't go when we had to slow and it eventually gave up entirely. It's been really a tough season so far. It was shaping up to be a good day but this one obviously wasn't ours. There are still five races to go after this and we are going to keep our heads up, isolate the problem and figure out what it was so it doesn't happen again. The speed is there. We just need to get it under control a little bit and come back and get these guys next time."
Sunday's DNF (Did Not Finish) was GAINSCO's first since the team parked the No. 99 at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, 2007, a span of 23 races.
"We were hoping the clutch was going to last to the end like it did at Laguna Seca two years ago," said team owner Bob Stallings. "Actually, it started fading when Jon was in the car and he was nursing it, and all during Alex's stint he could not go to full power. In fifth gear we had to lay off everywhere. In fact, I am surprised we held on to first as long as we did. Both guys just did a terrific job. At the end, these yellow-flag restarts were killing us. Once it cools down, the clutch just had a tendency to go away. On that last restart, Alex just told us there was nothing left."
Despite the setback, The No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley is still second in the team championship with 235 points. The same number of points also has Gurney and Fogarty with the second highest total in the Rolex Series Driver Championship. Sunday's winners Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley now have 295 points to lead both championships.
Gurney led 23 laps in his first stint up front and, after falling to as far down as ninth after a pit stop, came back to lead 12 more circuits between Laps 64 and 75. He was still in the top four in the ailing race car when the third of the day's five caution periods came on Lap 78. On the restart on Lap 80, Gurney couldn't get any power to the engine through the decimated clutch and GAINSCO's race was over.
"We've got five races to go and a lot of chances to win races," Gurney said. "You never know what can happen. The Ganassi team doesn't seem to make too many mistakes and they have had a lot of very good luck this year, so maybe they are due to have a DNF at some point."
Farnbacher Loles
Farnbacher Loles Racing visited the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series podium for the third race in a row, celebrating a hot finish at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Bryce Miller of Summit, N.J., and Dirk Werner of Kissenbruck, Germany, combined for their second-consecutive second-place GT finish in the team's No. 87 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, despite the challenges of the tight, technical track and 120-degree track temperatures.
Miller started from fifth on the 20-car GT grid and moved to third before handing off to Werner after 43 minutes of the two-hour 45-minute race. Werner returned to the track sixth, regained third, then dropped back to seventh after a fuel stop. He worked back to fourth, then charged to second place on the last lap of the race.
Leh Keen of Charleston, S.C., and Eric Lux of Jacksonville, Fla., were zapped by a caution miscue and handling issues, leaving them out of contention to repeat the class win they scored last month in their No. 86 Porsche. Lux drove first, moving from ninth to fifth in class while fighting an understeer condition in the car. After a driver change, Keen was poised for a "waveby" during a caution period, but officials missed his car number, so he maintained position and lost a lap to the rest of the GT class. He was further slowed by a broken swaybar bracket and a hit from another car, and finished 10th.
Steve Johnson of Bristol, Va., had a strong start in the No. 88 Porsche, racing from 12th to fifth during his stint. He was slowed on his lap into the pits and arrived 15 seconds after the required 45-minute pit stop deadline. Richard Westbrook of London, England, drove next, returning to the track with a one-lap penalty, 14th in class. He lost third gear on his first lap and was forced back to the pits. The car was retired from the race with a gearbox failure.
Gregory Loles, team owner: "What a finish! Bryce and Dirk delivered the result we really needed. Watching Dirk do what he did in the last three laps today is why we all love motorsport. It's great to see that any of our cars is a podium threat now. We travel to Montreal with strong momentum."
Leh Keen, No. 86: "We struggled with the setup. In my stint, the front swaybar bracket broke and then I got hit by another GT car and that knocked the alignment out, so we suffered from really bad understeer. It was a tough weekend for us, for sure. The good speed we had at the last two races wasn't there. We're really, really looking forward to going to [the next race in] Canada. We know the cars are good, so we should be able to make something happen with the Porsches."
Eric Lux, No. 86: "Congratulations to Dirk and Bryce -- they did a nice job. I'm glad to see the other car is now getting some good luck."
Dirk Werner, No. 87: "That was an awesome finish after a very difficult race. The car was really, really good. Bryce and the team did a very good job setting up the car, and that put me in the position to attack at the end. I took a bit of a risk, but I thought, 'We have to be in front of these guys.' Hats off to Bryce and the team! I look forward to racing in Montreal with these guys, because I think we have a run now and the car is very good again."
Steve Johnson, No. 88: "I just wanted to stay out of trouble and give Richard a good car in the top-10, and I think that's what I did. The car was flawless during my stint, then he went out and as soon as he got out there, third gear went. It's just bad luck. We had a good car and the guys put in an awesome effort. I really hated for them that it didn't work out."
Richard Westbrook, No. 88: "Steve did a great opening stint. I was really looking forward to getting in, and he gave me a great car. But it was something out of our hands that went. It's just one of those things -- that's racing, you've just got to move on."