Craig Stanton, of Long Beach, California, won his first career Grand-Am Cup event yesterday in the Daytona 250 from Daytona International Speedway (DIS). Making his season debut with the No. 44 TheRaceSite.com Racing Porsche 996, Stanton started theevent driving to the team's first, and only, pit stop of the event.Stanton, an avid athlete, used his physical endurance to stretch hisdriving stint to a full fuel load before handing over the red, yellowand black Porsche to co-driver Terry Borcheller of Gainesville, Ga.
The Daytona 250, the first Grand-Am Cup of the season and the first race of Speedweeks 2004, is a support event for today's 42nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona, twice-around the clock endurance event. Stanton will start the Rolex 24 in the No. 16 SGS class Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of AASCO Motorsports and is listed as a favorite to win the race with co-drivers David Murry (Cumming, Ga.) and Tim Sugden (Leeds, Great Britain) despite starting in the last position.
"The Grand-Am Cup race was a great start to what I think will be a goodyear," remarked Stanton minutes after stepping off Daytona InternationalRaceway's world famous victory podium. "Like the AASCO team, theNonnamaker/ TheRaceSite.com team has a lot of passion and focus. Theyknow the race strategy of these events real well. Terry and I complimenteach other in many areas to come up with, what I feel, is one of thebest driver teams in the series. Terry and I have been friends for many,many years and this is the first opportunity that we have had to worktogether. So it is another goal that has been met on my list."
"This win today with Terry and TheRaceSite.com Porsche is just a greatstart for personal momentum for the Rolex tomorrow," continued Stanton."The AASCO car has been quickest in every session we have run thisweekend and at the test, except for two I think. I've never seen a groupof talented people come together with such excitement and have such goodresults as we've had so far in the Rolex 24 Hour weekend. I'm veryoptimistic for a good run in the race!"Since moving from moto-cross/super-cross to automobiles in 1986, Stantonhas positioned himself as one of the premier drivers in sports carracing. A desire to win in all kinds of machines has led to drives inclosed and open cockpit sports cars, sedans, NASCAR stock cars, openwheel formula cars and midgets and in off-road competition. He has wonthree championships and a Driver of the Year award in Sports Renault andis the 1997 Speedvision Cup Rising Star Award winner. Stanton begancompeting in the top echelon of sports car racing in 1999 with rides inboth the ALMS and USRRC. He takes his fitness training very seriouslywith the goal of being the fittest race driver in the world and hascompeted in 27 triathlons in his career.
