Pre-Race Analysis: Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR

The following is a team-by-team analysis for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

DAYTONA PROTOTYPES

TELMEX CHIP GANASSI RACING WITH FELIX SABATES (Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas – No. 01 Lexus Riley) – The current Rolex Series Daytona Prototype team point leader has been spectacular this season with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas behind the wheel. The duo made it two straight for Ganassi in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, leading 51 laps between the two en route to the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team’s series record 17th victory. The No. 01 also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Pruett, Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, as the Lexus Riley led 252 of the 695 completed laps. Their only race not won – last Saturday’s Mexico City 250, which the car finished second after leading 44 laps. Last year, Pruett and Rojas finished eighth at VIR, and have only finished worse than that once since (Miller Motorsports Park last September). Altogether, the No. 01 has finished in the top 10 in Daytona Prototype competition in 22 straight races, dating back to 2006 (Mid-Ohio).

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: April 19, 2008 – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: March 29, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

SAMAX (Ryan Dalziel, Henri Zogaib – No. 2 BMW Riley) – A change to BMW power following the Rolex 24 At Daytona has the SAMAX team seeking for its first victory of 2008. Veterans Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib bring the BMW Riley to Virginia International Raceway after mechanical problems sidelined the car at Mexico City after only 58 of the 100 laps. The BMW change has been good though; Dalziel was among the three fastest drivers in Mexico City practice. VIR was also good to SAMAX last season, as Dalziel and race teammate Jean-Francois Dumoulin took fourth in the race.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 4, 2005 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

SOUTHARD MOTORSPORTS (Bill Lester, Shane Lewis – No. 3 Lexus Riley) – Southard Motorsports will look to return to the top-10 at the Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR. The Powell, Ohio-based team earned its first top 10, ninth, of the season at the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami and finished 12th last weekend at the Mexico City 250. The Steve and Martha Southard-owned program finished 12th at VIR in 2007 with Shane Lewis as the lead driver. Lewis is a former holder of the KONI Challenge ST class track record and, combined with Southard Motorsports, has multiple top-10 finishes in the Daytona Prototype class at VIR. Bill Lester will be making his VIR full course debut though he has one KONI Challenge start on the short course earlier this decade. The team has two career podiums – both thirds in 2006.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

MICHAEL SHANK RACING (Ian James, John Pew – No. 6 Ford Riley; Oswaldo Negri, Mark Patterson – No. 60 Ford Riley) – Michael Shank Racing will bring its two Ford Rileys to Virginia International Raceway searching for the team’s first win of 2008. So far, Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson have put together a solid portfolio in 2008, finishing sixth (Rolex 24), third (Homestead-Miami) and fifth (Mexico City). That has the duo seventh in points but still only 21 out of first. Meanwhile, Ian James in the No. 6 machine led 20 laps in the Rolex 24 and finished right behind Negri on the track at Mexico City. James is teamed with John Pew, who joined the team fulltime last May. The No. 6 was sixth at VIR last season while Negri and Patterson’s No. 60 finished 11th.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: January 25, 2008 – Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 60)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: September 3, 2006 – Miller Motorsports Park (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 60)

RUM BUM RACING (Matt Plumb, Gene Sigal – No. 7 BMW Riley) – Rum Bum Racing has put together a furious effort to repair the No. 7 machine after it spun into the outside wall at Mexico City, causing severe damage to the front of the car. The team ran second with both Matt Plumb and Gene Sigal at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and has run in the top five in all three races this season at some point. Matt Plumb led 16 laps in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and ran as high as third at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his first race driving with team owner Gene Sigal. The team, which last year was known at Sigalsport, finished last at VIR, but a season prior was seventh while competing in the GT class.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: November 4, 2005 – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (GT)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: March 24, 2007 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

SUNTRUST RACING (Max Angelelli, Michael Valiante – No. 10 Pontiac Dallara) – Max Angelelli and Michael Valiante haven’t had the start they’ve wanted to this season, recording only one top 10 and failing to finish last Saturday’s Mexico City 250 after an accident midway through the race. However, the team put the No. 10 atop the running order in the first two races – including the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, which was the team’s first time sporting the Dallara. Angelelli is also one of the defending race co-winners, and triumphed in 2004 with now car owner Wayne Taylor.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 23, 2007 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 3, 2007 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

CHEEVER RACING (Matteo Bobbi, Antonio Garcia – No. 16 Pontiac Coyote) – Cheever Racing will have Englishman Tom Kimber-Smith team together with Matteo Bobbi this weekend as Spaniard Antonio Garcia is back in Europe. The Coyote debuted in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and finished its first race of the season last weekend in the Mexico City 250, where Bobbi and Garcia piloted the car home 14th. Engine problems have plagued the team in the other two races this season, but the team looks to score its first top 10 since last August’s Crown Royal 200 at The Glen. 

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

BEYER RACING (Jared Beyer, Ricky Taylor – No. 19 Ford Crawford) – A new team steps up to the Daytona Prototype ranks this weekend when Beyer Motorsports rolls out the No. 19 Lennox Ford Crawford for 18-year-olds Jared Beyer and Ricky Taylor. Beyer is the son of team principle Jeff Beyer, with veteran Stephen Charlsley managing the effort. Catherine Crawford will be the crew chief for the VIR debut, with her husband, Andy Wallace, adding support to the team. Taylor will be making his second start in the Daytona Prototypes, finishing fifth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, co-driving with his father, veteran Wayne Taylor.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

RUBY TUESDAY CHAMPIONSHIP RACING TEAM (Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand – No. 23 Porsche Crawford) – Handling problems in the Mexico City 250 kept the Ruby Tuesday team from challenging for the victory there, but the team led the first two races of 2008 and is in search of its first victory since last May. Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand are both in their first fulltime seasons with team owner Alex Job’s squad, and they finished second in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami after Hand led for 14 laps before being passed by eventual race co-winner Scott Pruett. Last year at VIR, the car finished ninth with Patrick Long and Jorg Bergmeister behind the wheel.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: June 23, 2006 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: May 20, 2007 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Daytona Prototype & Overall)

DORAN RACING (Burt Frisselle, Gabriele Gardel – No. 47 Ford Dallara; Memo Gidley, Brad Jaeger – No. 77 Ford/Dallara) –Doran Racing showed its strength at Mexico City with two top 10s between its two cars. Memo Gidley and Brad Jaeger scored the team’s best finish of 2008 in the No. 77 Kodak Ford Dallara with seventh, while Burt Frisselle and Gabriele Gardel were among the fastest pair’s all weekend, qualifying fifth before finishing ninth. Last season, Frisselle – who at one point called Lynchburg, Va. home – was sixth last season driving for Michael Shank Racing. Gidley was 19th last year driving for Doran, while Jaeger and Gardel will be making their Rolex Series debuts at the track. Jaeger, however, competed in open-wheel races there previously.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 13, 2004 – Watkins Glen International (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 27)

BRUMOS RACING (David Donohue, Darren Law – No. 58 Porsche Riley; Joao Barbosa, JC France – No. 59 Porsche Riley) – Brumos Racing has had a strong start to the 2008 Rolex Series season despite not getting the finishes the team has wanted. Between the Nos. 58 and 59, the team led 17 laps of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the No. 59 was in contention to win the race before spinning in the final quarter of the race. David Donohue took the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami pole in the No. 58, but a spin midway through the race caused the team to fall out of contention for the victory. Donohue and Darren Law combined to lead 22 laps at Mexico City but finished 11th, the final car on the lead lap. Donohue and Law finished third at VIR last season.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 28, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 58)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: September 21, 2003 – Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 58)

AIM AUTOSPORT (Mark Wilkins, Brian Frisselle – No. 61 Ford Riley) – AIM Autosport drivers Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle are closing in on their first career Rolex Series victories despite struggling in the early races this season. The No. 61 Ford started second in last Saturday’s Mexico City 250 before mechanical problems forced the car in during the race’s opening 20 laps. However, the car has kept pace this season in other races – leading the Rolex 24 At Daytona for 37 laps – and Wilkins and Frisselle took seventh in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. Frisselle formerly lived in Lynchburg, Va.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

KROHN RACING (Tracy Krohn, Eric van de Poele – No. 75 Pontiac Lola; Nic Jonsson, Ricardo Zonta – No. 76 Pontiac Lola) – Krohn Racing has had a successful start to the 2008 season, running both the Riley and Proto-Auto Lola bodyworks in the first three races, both with success. The team will run the Lola bodywork the remainder of the season. Last weekend, Nic Jonsson and Ricardo Zonta posted the team’s best finish of the season – third – after running with the leaders the final 30 laps. Jonsson and Zonta also teamed with Darren Turner for a fourth-place run in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Team owner Tracy Krohn and Belgium native Eric van de Poele have seventh-, 12th- and 10th-place finishes this season in the No. 75, which finished second at VIR last year after starting on the pole and leading 40 of 77 laps.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: April 28, 2007 – Virginia International Raceway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 75)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: July 30, 2006 – Barber Motorsports Park (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 76)

RILEY-MATTHEWS MOTORSPORTS (Marc Goossens, Jim Matthews – No. 91 Pontiac Riley) – The Bob Stallings Racing/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley team is coming off its first win of 2008, as fulltime drivers Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews won the Mexico City 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Their efforts – which overall include three top 10s (also an eighth and a fourth) in as many starts – have put the pair third in driver points, and the No. 91 has seven straight top 10s dating back to last season. The team posted a seventh-place finish at VIR a year ago.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: April 19, 2008 – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 91)

GAINSCO/BOB STALLINGS RACING (Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty – No. 99 Pontiac Riley) – The defending Rolex Series team champion is still searching for its first victory of the 2008, but consistency has the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley No. 99 machine third in owner points – behind by only 17 – heading to VIR. Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney have finished second (Rolex 24), sixth (Homestead-Miami) and fourth (Mexico City) in their three starts, and Fogarty has led at least one lap of every race since last year’s race at VIR. The pair finished fifth at the track last season, leading seven laps. The team is also one of several teams running the new Riley this season.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: August 24, 2007 – Infineon Raceway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 99)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 25, 2007 – Infineon Raceway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 99)

GT

BANNER RACING (Ron Fellows, Leighton Reese – No. 06 Pontiac GXP.R; Kelly Collins, Paul Edwards – No. 07 Pontiac GXP.R) – Banner Racing’s two cars are first and ninth in the team point standings and the No. 07 Pontiac GXP.R is coming off two podium finishes, including a victory in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami (the team also finished 10th in the overall standings). Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards led 51 of the 99 laps in the No. 07, and substitute driver Jan Magnussen also led in the No. 06. The team also competed in the race with air conditioning. Last weekend at Mexico City, Edwards led 26 laps in finishing only two-and-a-half seconds behind co-winner Robin Liddell. Ron Fellows led three laps in the substitute role in the No. 06, driving with Leighton Reese. In terms of pole positions, the No. 07 team has been the one to beat. Since the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio last season, the team has scored seven GT poles in 10 races (the No. 70 took the other two and the No. 87 last weekend at Mexico City). This weekend, 2006 Rolex Series GT co-champion Marc Bunting joins Leighton Reese in the No. 06.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 28, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT; No. 07)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: March 29, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT; No. 07)

AUTOMETRIC MOTORSPORTS (Cory Friedman, Mac McGehee – No. 14 Porsche GT3) – Autometrics Motorsports returns to the Rolex Series schedule for the first time since the Rolex 24 At Daytona with drivers Cory Friedman and Mac McGehee. At the 24-hour race, the team finished 26th in GT competition. The team finished last in 2007 at VIR after completing 33 laps, but will look for better fortunes this weekend.

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LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

BLACKFOREST MOTORSPORTS (Tom Nastasi, Jean-Francois Dumoulin – No. 15 Ford Mustang) – The Blackforest Motorsports Ford Mustang should prove strong at VIR, driver Tom Nastasi said, as the track caters well to the car. The team completed 61 laps last season before finishing 22nd in the GT class. Nastasi and Jean-Francois Dumoulin are looking to improve on their last outing, a 10th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

MATT CONNOLLY MOTORSPORTS (Diego Alessi, Tom Long – No. 21 Pontiac GTO.R) – Several drivers have competed for Matt Connolly Motorsports in the Rolex Series circuit this season. Italian Diego Alessi started the season with the team at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and welcomed Jan Seyffarth at the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. Alessi led six laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the field’s only Pontiac GTO.R. At Mexico City, Mexican Pepe Montano also drove. This weekend, Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series veteran Tom Long steps in as a co-driver.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: June 23, 2006 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (GT; No. 21)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

ALEGRA MOTORSPORTS (Carlos de Quesada, Craig Stanton – No. 22 Porsche GT3;  Scooter Gabel, Roberto Garcia – No. 29 Porsche GT3) – Alegra Motorsports has entered both of its Porsches for the Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR.  Carlos de Quesada and Craig Stanton will co-drive the No. 22, and are looking to improve on their sixth-place finish from VIR in 2007. Scooter Gabel and Roberto Garcia are in the No. 29. Gabel and Garcia led the team with a 15th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Garcia’s Rolex Series debut, with their teammates 25th. The team is also on the verge of debuting its Daytona Prototype program soon but still concentrating on the GT class.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: January 28, 2007 – Daytona International Raceway (GT; No. 22)

RACERS EDGE MOTORSPORTS (Craig Stone, Jameson Riley – No. 30 Mazda RX-8) – Team owner Jon Mirachi’s No. 30 team brings fulltime driver Craig Stone and teenager Jameson Riley to the Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR this weekend looking to rebound after a tough start to the 2008 season. Though the Mazda RX-8 led practice for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the team has been involved in several problems, many not to its own doing. James Gue and Mark Pavan took the No. 30 machine to 19th last year, completing 68 of the 76 laps on the 3.27-mile track.

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LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

PR1 MOTORSPORTS (Mike Forest, Patrick Barrett – No. 32 Pontiac GXP.R) – Mike Forest and PR1 Motorsports is back for their second career Rolex Series races, and the two welcome California teenager Patrick Barrett to his first. The team, which had never carried out a competitive pit stop until the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, will be looking to log more laps and learn more at Virginia International Raceway.

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LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

HYPER SPORT (Joe Foster, Patrick Dempsey – No. 40 Mazda RX-8) – Racer/actor Patrick Dempsey is set to co-drive with Joe Foster in the No. 40 Mazda RX-8. The pair finished 14th in GT in their last outing, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and were on the 24th-place finishing car in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Dempsey is in his first season of competition in the Rolex Series after spending his first two years in Grand-Am in the KONI Challenge Series.

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LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

TEAM SAHLEN (Will Nonnamaker, Joe Sahlen – No. 42 Corvette; Joe Nonnamaker, Wayne Nonnamaker – No. 43 Corvette) – After taking round three of the Rolex Series at Mexico City off, the two-car Team Sahlen squad returns to action at VIR with three family members and team owner Joe Sahlen. The No. 42 machine finished a career-best sixth last year at Iowa Speedway, while the No. 43 was seventh at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The team is full of former KONI Challenge Series champions and fields the only fulltime Corvette effort in Rolex Series competition.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS (Andrew Davis, Robin Liddell – No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R; James Gue, John Stevenson – No. 97 Corvette) – Stevenson Motorsports is coming off its first Rolex Series victory in last weekend’s Mexico City 250 in GT competition. Robin Liddell led 46 laps to take a two-and-a-half second win after Andrew Davis qualified the car fourth. Liddell and Davis also scored a second-place qualifying position for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami last month, and started and finished ninth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. This weekend, the team pulls out its second entry, the No. 97 Corvette, which will be shared by team owner John Stevenson and Georgia native James Gue. The team’s two car effort finished seventh and ninth last year at VIR.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: April 19, 2008 – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (GT; No. 57)

TRG (Jim Lowe, Jim Pace – No. 64 Porsche GT3; Bryce Miller, Ted Ballou – No. 66 Porsche GT3; Spencer Pumpelly, Tim George Jr. – No. 67 Porsche GT3; Bryan Sellers, RJ Valentine – No. 68 Porsche GT3) – TRG brings four cars to Virginia International Raceway, with two running in the top five of owner points. The No. 67 Porsche GT3, piloted by Spencer Pumpelly and rookie Tim George Jr., led the standings heading into the Mexico City after posting two podiums in the opening two races. However, a vibration and stud knocked the duo out of the race at Mexico City. Bryce Miller and Ted Ballou, another rookie, have finishes of second, sixth and 13th this season, and their No. 66 placed 10th at VIR last year. The Nos. 64 and 68 sat out the round at Mexico City but returns this weekend with potential. TRG won in 2006 with Andy Lally and Marc Bunting.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: June 29, 2006 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 65)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 3, 2007 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (GT; No. 66)

SPEEDSOURCE (Emil Assentato, Jeff Segal – No. 69 Mazda RX-8; Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham – No. 70 Mazda RX-8) – The SpeedSource team has had a fair start to the 2008 season, but is looking to get back on the podium. Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham were joined by David Haskell and Raphael Matos in the No. 70 Mazda RX-8’s GT win in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, as the team led more than 300 laps in the 24-hour race. However, a crash at Mexico City and 13th-place finish dropped the duo to sixth in points. Meanwhile, the No. 69 duo of Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato are right behind in eighth, only four points behind, due their two top fives and three top 10s to start the season. Tremblay and Ham grabbed second at VIR last season.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: January 25, 2008 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 70)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: January 27, 2008 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 70)

AUTOHAUS MOTORSPORTS (Lawson Aschenbach, Tim Lewis Jr. – No. 72 Pontiac GXP.R) – Aschenbach and Lewis continue to climb the results charts after securing the team’s best career finish of fourth Saturday in the Mexico City 250, the Autohaus Motorsports team’s second straight top-10 finish. Now, it’s off to VIR, where Lewis finished 12th last season and Aschenbach is making his initial appearance. This is also the first year for the Autohaus Motorsports team, which is based in southern Florida. Aschenbach, in his first full season, is still looking for his first Rolex Series victory, while Lewis garnered his first last season at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

MITCHUM MOTORSPORTS (Bransen Patch, Derek Skea – No. 74 Porsche GT3) – After partnering with Joe Safina Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Mitchum Motorsports returns in the former Autometrics Porsche with Bransen Patch and Derek Skea behind the wheel. The trio finished 17th at Homestead, running with Florida Marlins sponsorship.

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LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---

SYNERGY RACING (Carey Grant, Kevin Grant, Milton Grant – No. 71 Porsche GT3; Patrick Long, David Murry – No. 80 Porsche GT3) – Synergy Racing has high hopes for the Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR race outing, and figures to have a home-field advantage with the team’s headquarters located on the grounds at VIR. The No. 80 Synergy Racing OilHeatAmerica.com Porsche GT3, which did not compete in last Saturday’s Mexico City 250 due a practice crash at the track, will have Patrick Long and David Murry in the car this weekend. The second Synergy car, the No. 71 Courtyard by Marriott Porsche GT3, will be contested by Tennessee natives Carey, Kevin and Milton Grant.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: January 26, 2007 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 81)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: November 1, 2003 – Daytona International Speedway (SRP II)

FARNBACHER LOLES RACING (Leh Keen, Eric Lux - No. 86 Porsche GT3; Dominik Farnbacher, Dirk Werner - No. 87 Porsche GT3; Steve Johnson, Dave Lacey - No. 88 Porsche GT3) - Farnbacher Loles Racing is looking for a second-consecutive GT victory at VIR. The team charged to the GT class win last year en route to winning the series GT team and driver titles. The No. 87 Porsche carries the momentum of a podium finish last week in Mexico. Dominik Farnbacher returns to drive with defending GT champion Dirk Werner. Leh Keen and Eric Lux have vowed they won't shave until they get a podium finish in the No. 86 Porsche. Former New England Patriots tight end Steve Johnson will drive the No. 88 Porsche with Dave Lacey.

LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: April 19, 2008 – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (GT; No. 87)

LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: April 28, 2007 – Virginia International Raceway (GT & Overall; No. 87)

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