Action Express Racing targets three-in-a-row at Indianapolis

Denver, N.C. – With seven rounds of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season already in the books, Action Express Racing will look to keep up the positive momentum as the team rides a two-race win streak into Indianapolis this week for the Brickyard Grand Prix (broadcast: SPEED, Friday at 7:30 PM ET).

The strong team performance has propelled Action Express to fourth in the championship – just four points out of the lead. The highly anticipated Brickyard Grand Prix is part of the Kroger SuperWeekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway which also features the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.

Winners Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

The win at Watkins Glen leapfrogged the team to the top of the North American Endurance Championship presented by VISITFLORIDA.com (NAEC) standings and Indianapolis marks the third and final event of the triple crown championship within a championship. With $100,000 in winnings up for grabs for the NAEC winner, the team will be mindful of the NAEC title while also remaining focused on earning a healthy haul of points toward the overall championship.

Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa, who share the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, finished second in Detroit’s Chevrolet Grand Prix, and then went on to claim back-to-back victories at Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen. The result also marked the second consecutive win for the team in the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen and the team hopes to carry that winning momentum into this weekend’s three-hour race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Former open-wheel racer Fittipaldi returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in nearly 20 years. His first visit to the track was an auspicious one, as he finished just 2.481-seconds behind the winner as he took the runner-up spot in the 1995 Indianapolis 500, and Fittipaldi would like nothing more than to celebrate a win on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Indy for the Fittipaldi family is hot and cold,” said Fittipaldi of his family’s history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I finished second there so hopefully now going back, I can change the story! It is one of the most important tracks in the world, so going there and doing well at Indy would be very special.”

The Brickyard Grand Prix also marks a major milestone for Action Express Racing’s Burt Frisselle who will make his 100th career Rolex Series start this weekend. Burt and his brother Brian share the No. 9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP and will each make their first race start at the iconic circuit.

“I am really surprised that it has already been 100 starts,” said Burt. “That for me is exciting and what makes it even more special is that it is taking place at a track that made me dream of racing cars as a child. I truly feel blessed to have had the opportunity to race in 100 Rolex Series races. To race at Indy will be special. It is a place with so much history and prestige that as a racer you can't help but dream of driving across - and at the end hopefully kissing - the bricks!”

Following a mid-season driver line-up change at Action Express Racing which saw the Frisselles partnered in the No. 9 Daytona Prototype, the pair has shown strength each time out. The brothers appeared poised for their first podium of the season in the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen until a flat tire late in the race thwarted a sure podium run. The Frisselles persevered back up through the field to take fifth in the six-hour endurance event.

“The whole team has just been doing a fantastic job,” said Brian. “To come away with fifth at the Glen was disappointing because we could have won the race very easily and had a 1-2 finish for the team. We are just focusing on doing what we have been doing as a group and we know the results will come. It’s an exciting weekend for Burt making his 100th start so to celebrate in victory lane with him at Indianapolis would be even more special.”

The Brickyard Grand Prix marks the second appearance at the historic venue for the team and longtime Action Express Racing driver Barbosa. Action Express Racing finished fifth in last year’s Brickyard event when Barbosa teamed with Darren Law in the No. 9 Corvette DP. The sister Action Express Racing No. 5 Corvette DP placed eighth with drivers Terry Borcheller and David Donohue.

The Brickyard Grand Prix event kicks off with two practices on Thursday, July 25 ahead of a 15-minute qualifying session. The three-hour Rolex Series race is set to begin Friday, July 26 at 5:30 PM (ET).

Action Express Racing