Pruett, Rojas Seek Record-Tying Seventh Victory
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley) rebounded from a post-race infraction from the recent event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to score a commanding victory in the recent Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona, increasing their lead in the Daytona Prototype championship to 13 points (235-222) with four races remaining in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series season.
After opening the season with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates drivers won six of the next seven races - with Rojas' first-lap off-track excursion at Lime Rock Park the lone blemish on their record.
This weekend, they will seek to score their seventh victory of the season, which would tie Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty (No. 99 GAINSCO Chevrolet/Riley) for the all-time record. They also look to score a record fourth consecutive overall victory-although their last attempt at that mark resulted in a last-place finish at Lime Rock.
Pruett leads all drivers with 28 victories in the 100 Daytona Prototype races to date, while Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates leads GRAND-AM's premier division with 29 triumphs.
"Going back to New Jersey last year was fantastic," said Pruett, who was involved in a spectacular accident during opening testing prior to the 2008 event. "The weekend was incredible - with fans cheering all the way to the checkered flag despite the horrific rain. I look forward to going back."
Krohn Racing Returns Lola To Scene Of First DP Victory
Krohn Racing gave the Proto-Auto Lola its first victory in Rolex Series Daytona Prototype competition last spring at New Jersey Motorsports Park, when Nic Jönsson (No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford/Lola) and Ricardo Zonta won the rain-soaked NJMP 250.
Jönsson and Zonta backed up that victory in more favorable conditions later in the season, winning at Watkins Glen International.
This weekend, Jonsson will co-drive the No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford/Lola with car owner Tracy Krohn.
"It's a different time of the year, and hopefully it will be sunny for all the spectators enjoying the very close racing," Jönsson said. "We were very quick at New Jersey the last two years, and won there last year. I thought our Proto-Auto Ford/Lola is very suited to that track and we're hopeful that Tracy Krohn and I can do it again. The car runs very well in the rain, but I think we also should be very strong in dry conditions-and I hope it stays dry for the fans."
Jonsson and Krohn finished sixth in the recent Brumos Porsche 250, losing two positions in the closing laps. It was their best outing since placing fourth in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
While Krohn did not race at NJMP last season, he posted his best outing of 2008 at Thunderbolt Raceway with an eighth-place finish.
Buckler Brings Back Daytona Winners Lally, Valentine For Encore
Andy Lally (No. 66 TRG Porsche GT3) got a major boost in his bid to capture the Rolex Series GT championship when TRG owner Kevin Buckler announced he would field the No. 66 Porsche GT3 in the New Jersey Motorsports Park 250 presented by Crown Royal.
Lally will be reunited with RJ Valentine, with whom he co-drove to victory in the recent Brumos Porsche 250. Valentine had not raced in a year-and-a-half.
Lally has won his last three starts for TRG, winning with Ted Ballou at Virginia International Raceway and with Bob Doyle and Spencer Pumpelly in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.
In a bid to remain competitive in the GT championship, Lally has also raced with Matt Connolly Motorsports, Banner Racing and Team Sahlen this season.
Entering the New Jersey event, Lally is second in the championship, nine points behind co-leaders Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal (No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8). After opening the year with a 15th-place finish in the Rolex 24, the SpeedSource combination won back-to-back races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Barber Motorsports Park, followed by second at Virginia and third at Lime Rock Park.
Segal and Assentato have maintained their lead with fourth-place finishes in the last three events. Sylvain Tremblay (No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8) was their major threat for the title before a DNF at Mid-Ohio.
Jordan Taylor Has Seven Consecutive Front Row Starts
Jordan Taylor (No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8) takes a streak of seven straight front-row GT starts into the NJMP 250.
The 19-year-old son of two-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Wayne Taylor was edged out for the GT pole on the final lap of qualifying for the recent Brumos Porsche 250 by Sylvain Tremblay (No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8), giving him four outside front row starts to go with his Rolex Series leading three pole positions.
Taylor, a University of Central Florida student, won his first career pole at VIR and backed it up with poles at Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio.
Taylor will co-drive at NJMP with Dave Lacey. His best finish this season was second at Barber Motorsports Park. This will be the second GT start of the season for Lacey, a 42-year-old Canadian who was born in South Africa.
Lacey, who raced for Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle at the 2010 Rolex 24, is also entered to co-drive with Taylor at Watkins Glen.
Other Taylor Also Fast: Ricky Taylor (No. 10 SunTrust Ford/Dallara), Jordan's 20-year-old brother, won his second DP pole of the season at Daytona. He scored his first career pole in the No. 10 at Barber Motorsports Park, and won his first race at Lime Rock Park, co-driving with Max Angelelli. Angelelli has finished second in both of his DP races at NJMP.
First Race For Dalziel, Starworks At NJMP: The NJMP 250 will be Ryan Dalziel's (No. 8 Corsa Car Care BMW/Riley) first race at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It will also be the first race there for car owner Peter Baron. Bill Lester, (No. 7 Flex-Box BMW/Riley), has raced at NJMP, but not since 2008.
Dempsey Looks To Return
Patrick Dempsey (No. 40 Mazda USA Mazda RX-8 GT) is wrapping up a film project in Louisiana but hopes to be back behind the wheel again before the end of the season.
"I had a great opportunity to do four races in a row at the start of the season and I am sure to be back for at least a couple more before the season is out," Dempsey said.
"In the meantime, I am very pleased with the progress of the team and the speed that both of our cars are showing. I am sure Leh (Keen) and James (Gue) (No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving Mazda RX-8) will win a race at some point when the breaks fall their way. Joe (Foster) and Charles (Espenlaub) also continue to impress in the older No. 40 car as we work hard on the sponsorship partnerships we need to get that car updated or replaced. I look forward to getting back as soon as possible."
Rolex Series: By The Numbers
2.25 - Length of track, in miles, of Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park12 - Turns comprising Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park13 - Current Daytona Prototype point lead by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas over second place in points, Ryan Dalziel29 - Number of victories by TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in Daytona Prototype competition30 - Minimum time limit (in minutes) any driver must be in the car to obtain championship points35 - Drivers who have led at least one lap in GT action this season40 - Drivers who have led at least one lap in Daytona Prototype action this season45 - Speed limit (in mph) on pit lane62 - GT car lead changes this season64 - Record number of career Rolex Series podium finishes by Andy Lally100 - Number of Daytona Prototype races held since the class's inception in 2003108 - Daytona Prototype and overall car lead changes this season133 - Record number of career Rolex Series class starts by Darren Law259 - Record number of Rolex Series GT class podium finishes by Porsche since 2000563 - Laps led by the No. 01 TELMEX Sabates BMW/Riley team in Daytona Prototype competition this season1,540 - Laps completed by GT race winners this season1,631 - Laps completed by DP race winners season
Four-Week Layoff Ends For Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Teams
It has been four weeks since the last Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race, but competitors return to action for the third annual Garden State 250 at 2:45 p.m. ET Saturday at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Grand Sport championship leaders Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman (No. 48 Fall-Line/Sparco BMW M3) enter the eighth of 10 rounds on the 2010 circuit with a 17-point advantage (206-189) in the standings over Joey Hand and Michael Marsal (No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3). Espenlaub and Putman have not finished worse than sixth, and have four podium finishes in seven races.
Historically speaking, the leaders with three races remaining on the schedule have won two of the last three titles (2008 season excluded).
New ST Points Leaders Look To Stay There: Seth Thomas and Bill Heumann (No. 81 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i) find themselves atop the Street Tuner championship points standings following their second victory of 2010 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Thomas and Heumann lead the championship by only one point though (212-211), as the pair tries to give the team, BimmerWorld/GearWrench, a title in its rookie season.
"Coming off a great race at Mid-Ohio I think we have a huge momentum swing in our favor," Thomas said. "New Jersey has been good to our cars for speed in the past where we qualified second in a different series last year. Also, the track is very similar to Mid-Ohio with a fast long straight and a very tight technical section. (But) we will have to rely more on the suspension tuning and pit strategy that has helped us run up at the front all year."
The team's other drivers are David White and team owner James Clay (No. 80 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i).
New ST Points Leaders Look To Stay There: Second in the championship standings are a pair of drivers who led the points after the first six races. Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius (No. 74 Skunk2/HPD Honda Civic Si), have two victories, yet a cut tire in the most recent race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course forced a late pit stop and a 10th-place finish, the pair's worst result of 2010.
The pair takes to the track Saturday at a place where Compass360 made history last season, earning an unprecedented podium sweep in the Street Tuner class. Aschenbach and Thilenius's No. 74 Honda Civic Si won the race.
This season, the team is fielding four cars at each race, so a 1-2-3-4 sweep could trump even the record effort from 2009. The other drivers are Ryan Eversley and Zach Lutz (No. 75 Skunk2/JC Concrete Honda Civic Si); John Kuitwaard and Benoit Theetge (No. 76 Skunk2/Carmen & Camille Honda Civic Si); and Alex Kirby and Gregory Liefooghe (No. 77 C360R/Exclusive Management Honda Civic Si).
Ted Anthony Jr. Joins Mitchum: Mitchum Motorsports has picked up rookie Ted Anthony Jr. (No. 62 Atterbury Racing Camaro) to drive for the team the remainder of the season.
Anthony, who has a best finish of 15th this season, joins Joey Atterbury at a team that earned its best finish of the season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course-eighth. Both drivers began the 2010 season with TC Motorsports.
"I am really looking forward to racing the Camaro again, as well as working with Joey and Mitchum Motorsports," Anthony said. "I've been following them all season and have been impressed with the development of the car and the professionalism of the team."
BGB Motorsports Could Compete For Grand Sport Victory
BGB Motorsports team principal John Tecce believes his team can return to victory lane this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park for a number of reasons.
First, the Camden, N.J., born Tecce, who grew up in nearby Philadelphia, considers the track in essence a hometrack. Secondly, he has already seen one of his cars win there. The No. 83 Porsche 997, campaigned by Craig Stanton and Jon Miller, won at the 2.25-mile track in 2008. This weekend, the No. 83 will be piloted by Tecce and Guy Cosmo.
And third, defending race co-winner Duncan Ende (No. 23 Racer's Roast Coffee Porsche Cayman) has joined the team, and he will drive with Keith Carroll.
All of these things, Tecce said, could help to give BGB its first victory in nearly two seasons.
"There isn't any reason we can't win," Tecce said. "The cars have the speed; we just need to stay out of trouble."
Other New Jersey, Tri-State Natives: In addition to Tecce, there are several other representatives from the Garden State participating in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race this weekend. Frankie Montecalvo (No. 16 Bayshore Recycling/Multimatic Ford Mustang 302R), who hails from Highlands, is the only driver who currently lives in New Jersey. Racers Edge Motorsports team manager Jon Mirachi is from Sparta, and team engineer Jim Pattin is from Sussex-both live in Deland, Fla., currently.
Other area drivers include Al Carter and Hugh Plumb (No. 9 Sunoco/Carter Financial Camaro) from Greenville, Del., and Chadds Ford, Pa., respectively; Andrew Aquilante (No. 35 Subaru of America Subaru WRX STI) from Chester Springs, Pa.; Adam Pecorari (No. 24 Columbus Truck & Equipment BMW 330i) from Aston, Pa.; and Shawn Dewey (No. 64 T. Giovanis Copmany/Tisher BMW 330i) from Townsend, Del.
Longhi Joins Rum Bum Racing: Nick Longhi (No. 13 RumBum.com) will compete with Matt Plumb in the remaining three races of the season. Gian Bacardi has decided to return to school to complete a degree in business administration.
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