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Action Express Racing heads west to Monterey

While scoring points is key, the team knows that the fastest path to the top is to win.

#9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP: Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle

#9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP: Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle

Art Fleischmann

Denver, NC (6 September 2013) – When Action Express Racing returns to GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series competition this weekend, the team will be targeting maximum championship points as the group with a “Two Cars, One Team” philosophy keeps its focus on the championship title.

Entering the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, which marks Round 11 of the 12-race season, Action Express Racing sits third in the GRAND-AM championship – just 16 points out of the lead. Drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa are also in close contention for the Driver’s Championship with Fittipaldi just two points, and Barbosa just four points, out of the top spot.

#9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP: Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle
#9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP: Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

While Fittipaldi and Barbosa, who share the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, aim to take over the championship lead this weekend, teammates Burt and Brian Frisselle will be looking to add to their string of success in the No. 9 TOTAL Lubricants Corvette DP after having claimed their third top-five finish in the last four races in the previous round at Kansas Speedway.

All four Action Express Racing drivers have years of experience at the scenic 2.238-mile, 11-turn California road course. The foursome has a combined 23 race starts at Laguna Seca which includes 17 GRAND-AM events and Fittipaldi’s six CART events. The Brazilian racer took his best finish of second in his final CART event at the track in 2002.

Brothers Burt and Brian Frisselle competed as teammates for their first three GRAND-AM events at Laguna Seca (2005, 2006, 2007) and this weekend’s race will mark the first time in six years that the duo will be back at the track sharing the same car. Brian’s best finish at Laguna Seca came in 2009 when he stood on the podium in third while driving for SunTrust Racing. Burt also took his best result at the track that year when he finished fourth.

Barbosa has made four GRAND-AM starts at Laguna Seca, two of which he drove for Action Express Racing. The group finished fifth in last year’s race.

The beginning of the 2013 season may not have yielded the results the team had hoped for, but Action Express Racing saw an upswing in momentum beginning at Detroit when Barbosa and Fittipaldi delivered the team’s first podium of the year with a second place finish. Since then, the team has claimed two wins, five podiums, and eight top-fives on the way to positioning themselves as a serious championship contender with two races remaining.

“I have tremendous confidence in our equipment and everyone at Action Express Racing, we are ready," said team manager Gary Nelson, who has managed multiple championship runs in his day. “We are focused on executing in these next two races the same way that we have as a team, all year long.”

Action Express Racing

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