at This Weekends GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTALInaugural Sports Car Race at Circuit of The Americas First in the Lone Star State for GAINSCO Auto Insurance and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car SeriesAlong with lead drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, Texas-based GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racingand title sponsor GAINSCO Auto Insurancewill run the race they have been waiting for since entering the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series more than eight years ago at this weekends GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL, March 12, at the Circuit of The Americas.The first sports car race at Circuit of The Americas, and second major event at the world-class Austin facility following last Novembers inaugural Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, this weekends featured GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. CST local time this Saturday, March 2. The race can be seen later that day on SPEED at 5:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. PST.GAINSCO Auto Insurance, headquartered in Dallas, is the lead sponsor of GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette Daytona Prototype Red Dragon driven by Gurney and Fogarty. The GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing shop is based in Lewisville, Texas in the greater Dallas area.
GAINSCO is also the primary presenting sponsor of this weekends GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL and is bringing 500 corporate, VIP and agent guest to the event on race-day Saturday.This race in particular is really very important for us, Gurney said. GAINSCO, our sponsor, has been wanting a major race here in Texas ever since 2006, when they began their first full season of GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype racing. Not only has that dream finally been fulfilled, but the first Texas GRAND-AM race is being held at a truly first-class facility. So the pressures really on Jon and myself to win this first one for GAINSCO and the team.Although GAINSCO and its GRAND-AM Road Racing competitors are getting their first full run on the 3.4-mile Circuit of The Americas today in a special promoter test session, Gurney was the first driver in the Rolex Series to ever turn laps on the Austin track. I am very lucky to be one of the very few drivers entered in the GRAND-AM race this weekend that actually has been able to drive the track, Gurney said. I was here with the GAINSCO No. 99 back in October, when Circuit of the Americas held its first-lap ribbon-cutting event. So in some respects, that gives me a bit of a leg up on the other drivers.Having some up-front knowledge of the challenging Formula 1 caliber circuit will certainly be a help to Gurney and the team.It really a pretty complicated track, given the fact it has 20 corners to navigate, with some of them not being very straightforward, Gurney said. Understanding the complexity of the track, and which corners are more challenging, is pretty valuable knowledge for me to have, going into the race.A win for GAINSCO on its home Texas turf would be important not only for the hundreds of supporters in attendance but also for the teams 2013 bid for a third GRAND-AM Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championship. The No. 99 squad recovered from early-race electrical issues to finish seventh in last months season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and a top result in Round 2 this weekend in Texas would likely put them back in the thick of the early-season points race. We would certainly like to win our third championship for the GAINSCO team this year, said Gurney, who co-drove with Fogarty and the team to the 2007 and 2009 Rolex Series Daytona Prototype titles. We didnt do as well as we had hoped to do in the season-opener in Daytona. Its always been a tough race for us, which it was again this year, but we are hopeful to get back in the chase in Austin.Fogarty took his first laps around Circuit of The Americas in Thursday mornings opening test session.The track had more grip than I anticipated, Fogarty said. It seems like the running that has been done here worked, or it has not rained much or something, but the track is in pretty good shape. I anticipate we will probably even get quicker, assuming it doesnt get much hotter, but it is a feel it as you go process. We are not 100% certain on the setup at this point, the aero balance and what ultimately is good for the race, but I am not sure anybody is.A two-day event, the inaugural GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL at Circuit of The Americas begins with practice and qualifying on Friday. Race-day Saturday begins with a final 20-minute practice session at 8:30 a.m. before the featured GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL at 3 p.m. local time.Noteworthy
- While the Circuit of The Americas is filled with challenging sections, the unique uphill run to Turn 1 certainly gets everybodys attention. Whats going to be particularly interesting is how the drivers adjust to Turn 1, Gurney said. I really think its going to be great. Given the fact youre going uphill, it tends to slow the car down more than you might think, so you can go in really, really deep before turning in."
- Gurney and Fogarty began their visit to Texas on Monday to put in two full days of promotional and media work in Dallas and Austin on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tour included a visit to GAINSCO headquarters in Dallas where Gurney and Fogarty were greeted by an office fully adorned in GAINSCO Red Dragon decorations and good-luck signs. The drivers even served as judges in a racing-themed cubicle decorating contest that saw the staff show some amazing creativity and enthusiasm for their racing team. We are a Dallas-based team and sponsor so having this race here in Texas is great for us, GAINSCO and the team. And to have it at such an awesome facility, it is just good to be able to bring clients, agents and employees here. We couldnt be happier.
