Fogartys GRAND-AM Rolex Series-leading 24th Pole Establishes Daytona Prototype Track Record in Inaugural Sports Car Race at Circuit of The Americas
GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing scored one for the home team Friday in qualifying for the first ever sports car race at the Circuit of The Americas when driver Jon Fogarty won the pole in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette Daytona Prototype for today's GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL.Just the 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 tomorrow, Saturday, March 2. The race can be seen later that day on SPEED at 5:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. PST.
Fogarty, who teams with fellow lead driver Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO Red Dragon Corvette, established the Daytona Prototype track record on the new 3.4-mile Austin circuit with a top lap time of 2:00.179 (101.848 mph). He also extended his GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series leading pole record to 24 career top-qualifying efforts.Team lead sponsor GAINSCO Auto Insurance is headquartered in Dallas while GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is based in nearby 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 tomorrows race.I am just happy for GAINSCO Auto Insurance and the whole GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team, Fogarty said. It is kind of a big weekend for us. GAINSCO and the team are based in Dallas so this is kind of a home race. We always try to be the quickest, be the best, but being able to do that here in Texas and at a new track is great.Fogarty turned the pole-winning run on his sixth and final lap of the timed 15-minute session but really only had three realistic chances at a pole-winning flyer. Unseasonably cool weather in the 60s, and some afternoon cloud cover, required most teams to run several laps before for the series-standard Continental Tires were fully up to temperature.We thought we were going to get out at the front of the field and that was going to give us ample time to get temps and pressures in our tires but I very quickly found myself kind of mired in with a bunch of other cars, Fogarty said. So I had to run like two early laps at a slow pace to find some clear running. It wasnt until my last lap, and I dont think the tires were all the way up even at that point, but they were close enough, just enough to get the pole. It was a close one for sure. It is always a challenge but this was definitely one of the more difficult ones.Fogarty will start tomorrows GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL and will hand off to race-finishing driver Gurney at some point in the 2-3/4 hour sprint race.Definitely a great day for everyone on the GAINSCO team, Gurney said. Jon was excellent in qualifying. Tricky conditions out there, we saw a lot of guys struggling, sliding around a lot and it was quite cool at the end there. Difficult to get the tires up but Jon did a lap when he needed it so it is great. We are starting up front at our home event.While GAINSCO got the job done Friday with the No. 99 BobStallingsCars.com Red Dragon, it is likely no single team has the new Circuit of The Americas layout completely figured out after just two days of on-track action.I think everybody is still exploring setups and aero configurations that are good for ultimate lap time, Fogarty said. So I expect to see a very exciting race. I really have no predictions. I feel as if our car has been strong in every session, not necessarily the strongest in any one section of the track, and it is really kind of anybodys bet other than the fact that we are going to win!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
GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and Jon Fogarty Win Record-Extending Pole Position For The Inaugural GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTALFogartys GRAND-AM Rolex Series-leading 24th Pole Establishes Daytona Prototype Track Record in Inaugural Sports Car Race at Circuit of The Americas
AUSTIN, Texas (March 1, 2013)GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing scored one for the home team Friday in qualifying for the first ever sports car race at the Circuit of The Americas when driver Jon Fogarty won the pole in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette Daytona Prototype for tomorrows GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL.Just the 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 tomorrow, Saturday, March 2. The race can be seen later that day on SPEED at 5:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. PST.
Fogarty, who teams with fellow lead driver Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO Red Dragon Corvette, established the Daytona Prototype track record on the new 3.4-mile Austin circuit with a top lap time of 2:00.179 (101.848 mph). He also extended his GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series leading pole record to 24 career top-qualifying efforts.Team lead sponsor GAINSCO Auto Insurance is headquartered in Dallas while GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is based in nearby 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 tomorrows race.I am just happy for GAINSCO Auto Insurance and the whole GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team, Fogarty said. It is kind of a big weekend for us. GAINSCO and the team are based in Dallas so this is kind of a home race. We always try to be the quickest, be the best, but being able to do that here in Texas and at a new track is great.Fogarty turned the pole-winning run on his sixth and final lap of the timed 15-minute session but really only had three realistic chances at a pole-winning flyer. Unseasonably cool weather in the 60s, and some afternoon cloud cover, required most teams to run several laps before for the series-standard Continental Tires were fully up to temperature.We thought we were going to get out at the front of the field and that was going to give us ample time to get temps and pressures in our tires but I very quickly found myself kind of mired in with a bunch of other cars, Fogarty said. So I had to run like two early laps at a slow pace to find some clear running. It wasnt until my last lap, and I dont think the tires were all the way up even at that point, but they were close enough, just enough to get the pole. It was a close one for sure. It is always a challenge but this was definitely one of the more difficult ones.Fogarty will start tomorrows GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL and will hand off to race-finishing driver Gurney at some point in the 2-3/4 hour sprint race.Definitely a great day for everyone on the GAINSCO team, Gurney said. Jon was excellent in qualifying. Tricky conditions out there, we saw a lot of guys struggling, sliding around a lot and it was quite cool at the end there. Difficult to get the tires up but Jon did a lap when he needed it so it is great. We are starting up front at our home event.While GAINSCO got the job done Friday with the No. 99 BobStallingsCars.com Red Dragon, it is likely no single team has the new Circuit of The Americas layout completely figured out after just two days of on-track action.I think everybody is still exploring setups and aero configurations that are good for ultimate lap time, Fogarty said. So I expect to see a very exciting race. I really have no predictions. I feel as if our car has been strong in every session, not necessarily the strongest in any one section of the track, and it is really kind of anybodys bet other than the fact that we are going to win!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
- In addition to holding the Daytona Prototype career pole record, Fogarty has developed a knack for top qualifying efforts at debuting race circuits. In addition to taking the inaugural pole and establishing the Daytona Prototype track record today in Austin, Fogarty also won the pole at 2012s debut races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Detroit Belle Isle. Fogartys most recent pole prior to todays top effort in Texas came last August on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, the third race from the end of the season.
- Circuit of The Americas, built to the latest and greatest international Formula 1 specifications, is perhaps the widest and most modern track to ever host a GRAND-AM Road Racing event. Its a difficult track, Gurney said. There are a lot of areas where you can overdo it and make a mistake. We are going to see a lot of that tomorrow. Its different than a lot of other tracks but I like it because it opens up a lot of stuff for the drivers.About GAINSCO Auto InsuranceThe primary sponsor of the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Daytona Prototype is GAINSCO Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based auto insurer that distributes policies through a network of thousands of independent agents across Sunbelt states. GAINSCO uses its Are You Driven? motorsports sponsorship and marketing campaign to build brand awareness and advance its distribution strategies. For more information, visit .GAINSCO.com.About GAINSCO/Bob Stallings RacingGAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing has been committed to excellence in road racing since its formation in 2001. The team, lead drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, and the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Daytona Prototype won the 2007 and 2009 Championships in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, finishing second in the same championships in 2008, and third in 2010 and 2011. The team is supported by GAINSCO Inc., BobStallingsCars.com, powered by Chevrolet, and partnered with GM Racing, ECR Engines and Riley Technologies. For more information, visit GAINSCOracing.com.
- In addition to holding the Daytona Prototype career pole record, Fogarty has developed a knack for top qualifying efforts at debuting race circuits. In addition to taking the inaugural pole and establishing the Daytona Prototype track record today in Austin, Fogarty also won the pole at 2012s debut races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Detroit Belle Isle. Fogartys most recent pole prior to todays top effort in Texas came last August on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, the third race from the end of the season.
- Circuit of The Americas, built to the latest and greatest international Formula 1 specifications, is perhaps the widest and most modern track to ever host a GRAND-AM Road Racing event. Its a difficult track, Gurney said. There are a lot of areas where you can overdo it and make a mistake. We are going to see a lot of that tomorrow. Its different than a lot of other tracks but I like it because it opens up a lot of stuff for the drivers.
