Looking For Third GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Championship
Title Hopes Still Alive For No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance® Corvette Daytona Prototype Team
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (September 26, 2013) – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty will be racing for their second win of the year and third career Daytona Prototype Championship in the season-ending GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Championship Weekend Friday and Saturday at Lime Rock Park.
The 12th and final round of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, the 2-3/4 hour timed race can be seen live this Saturday, September 28, on FOX Sports 2 at 1:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 a.m. PDT. An encore telecast is scheduled the next day, Sunday, September 29 on FOX Sports 1at 12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. PDT. The race can also be heard live on MRN Radio.
GAINSCO, Gurney and Fogarty won their first championship in 2007 and have a shot at a third crown this weekend for the first time since winning a second Daytona Prototype title in 2009.
Anchored by a victory in Round 2 at Circuit of The Americas in Texas in March and three more podium finishes, Gurney and Fogarty currently rank third in the driver championship standings with 293 points. Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli and the Wayne Taylor Racing No. 10 lead with 304 points while perennial GAINSCO rivals Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and the TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing No. 01 are just three points ahead in second with 296 points.
“I'm excited about our season finale, especially given the fact that it is still a real possibility that we can win this championship,” Gurney said. “The GAINSCO team has worked very hard as usual over the season and it would be something special if we managed a come from behind victory! We would need a little help but stranger things have happened. All we can do now is win this race.”
GAINSCO finished third in last year’s race at Lime Rock, their first on the 1.54-mile, 7-turn road course in the No. 99 “Red Dragon” Corvette Daytona Prototype.
“There were many competitive cars last year but we were quite good in the race, and especially on old tires,” Gurney said. “We were leading even toward the end but our strategy did not work out as we ended up having to make one more stop than the two guys in front of us. I don't see any reason why we can't win this race if we can get the car balanced and execute like we know we can.”
The BobStallingsCar.com No. 99 GAINSCO squad is also in the hunt for the Daytona Prototype team championship. The No. 01 leads with 315 points, the No. 10 is second with its 304 points and the No. 99 is third with its 293 markers.
“We have our work cut out for us, but you always want to come into the season-ending race having a shot at a championship if it still hasn’t been decided,” Fogarty said. “It is a different situation in that we will need some things beyond our control to fall our way, but – like I have said – Lime Rock is one of those tracks where anything can happen.”
Although Lime Rock is the shortest track on the current GRAND-AM Road Racing schedule, it is long on giving teams and drivers a tough task in hitting on the right setup.
“Lime Rock is a very tricky place for setting up the car,” Gurney said. “The nature of the track, with all right hand corners and only one left, steers you toward an asymmetrical setup which can sometimes be quite complicated. It’s a big challenge.”
A two-day event, Friday features both morning and afternoon practice sessions. Saturday begins with a rare race-day qualifying session at 9:20 a.m. The green flag for the featured event of GRAND-AM Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park is scheduled to drop Saturday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. EDT.
Noteworthy
- Lime Rock is not on the recently announced schedule for the all-new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship that debuts next year. “Despite having a shot at the win last year, it was still fun to celebrate on the podium,” Gurney said. “Lime Rock has this great arena-like spot where the podium takes place. Last year the fans were going crazy and having a great time, a fantastic atmosphere. We'll miss the place but maybe we'll be back in a different year."
- Although Lime Rock will be missed, the 2014 schedule in total garnered great reviews from GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing. “It sure looks like a terrific schedule,” said Team Owner Bob Stallings. “Full of exciting venues, and especially exciting is the expectation of seeing the merged series competing together at these great tracks.” Gurney echoed his team owner’s sentiments. "I think this is a sports car schedule that every team, driver and fan can be very proud of,” Gurney said. “I'd call it a home run."
- Among the 2014 schedule highlights are four true endurance races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta. “Overall, I think it’s a great schedule, hitting many of North America’s top road and street circuits, as well as the stacked endurance schedule,” Fogarty said. “I think sports car racing needs to be tied to endurance events. That is the history and what brought many fans to be interested in our unique style of racing. Daytona and Sebring back to back is classic, I am really looking forward to it, although I don’t know if I speak for the crew!”
