Grand-Am

Daytona II: Round six preview

Papis and Pruett Go For Rolex Sports Car Series "Hat Trick" in Paul Revere 250 at Daytona DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 29, 2004) - After becoming the first drivers to earn multiple 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series overall victories with ...

Published: Jun 30, 2004, 12:26 PM

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Papis and Pruett Go For Rolex Sports Car Series "Hat Trick" in Paul Revere 250 at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 29, 2004) - After becoming the first drivers to earn multiple 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series overall victories with their second-straight triumph at Watkins Glen, the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley driving tandem of Scott Pruett and Max Papis head into Thursday night's Paul Revere 250 presented by Brumos Porsche at Daytona International Speedway (SPEED Channel, July 4, Noon ET) looking to become the first co-drivers to earn three-straight overall Rolex Series wins since 2003.

Pruett and Papis claimed the Daytona Prototype co-points lead following their maiden victory in the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant in May and extended their points advantage to 14 points over No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley co-drivers Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor (151-137) following the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. They overcame a two-lap deficit to repair a sticking throttle in the first hour to get the "W" at The Glen. Should Papis and Pruett make it thee-in-a-row Thursday, they will be the first to score the consecutive race hat trick since No. 54 Kodak-Bell Motorsports Pontiac Doran co-pilots Terry Borcheller and Forest Barber took back-to-back-to-back victories at Mid-Ohio, Daytona and Watkins Glen in 2003.

To extend their winning streak, however, the Ganassi teammates will have to overcome a stout challenge from several competitors. Chief among the challengers should be Angelelli and Taylor, who have been lightning-quick all year and won the series' last 250-mile race at Phoenix in April. Also not to be overlooked are Borcheller and Barber, who have won each of the past three Rolex Series races at the "World Center of Racing," dating to the Paul Revere 250 last year.

Thursday's race will feature a "special guest star," as NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Tony Stewart will join Andy Wallace in the No. 20 CITGO-Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford as they look to avenge a disappointing end to the Rolex 24 At Daytona in February. After leading the race into the final half hour, Stewart encountered a mechanical failure that robbed the Howard-Boss teammates of the victory, and both drivers plan to erase those painful memories in the Paul Revere 250.

Others to watch include the No. 2 CITGO-Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford which won in Miami in February and will be shared by Venezuelan Milka Duno and Dutchman Jan Lammers; the No. 81 Rx.com/G&W Motorsports BMW Doran of Kelly Collins and Cort Wagner, who currently stand in a sixth-place tie in the point standings and will be joined by Brent Martini as they celebrate G&W Motorsports' 100th Rolex Series entry; and the No. 27 Doran-Lista Racing Lexus Doran with driver Didier Theys, who stands 10th in the Daytona Prototype points race and was an overall winner in the 2002 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

In the GT category, class points leader Boris Said is moving to the No. 22 Prototype Technology Group BMW M3 and will be joined in the No. 22 by Joey Hand, while Said's former co-driver, Bill Auberlen, will remain in the No. 21 PTG BMW M3 with Justin Marks as his co-driver. Auberlen currently trails Said in the GT point standings by three points (154-151) heading into the halfway point of the 2004 Rolex Sports Car Series season.

Both Said and Auberlen will be looking to extend their respective winning streaks to five consecutive races. Obviously, at least one of those drivers will see his streak come to an end this weekend there is a good possibility that neither driver will extend his streak based on the competition. There are several Porsche GT3 RS machines that could keep the BMWs out of victory lane, including the No. 44 Orbit Racing machine of Mike Fitzgerald and Jay and Joe Policastro, the No. 66 The Racer's Group Porsche of Ian James, RJ Valentine and Chris Gleason, and the No. 67 The Racer's Group Porsche of 2003 overall Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Kevin Buckler and Liz Halliday. Said and Auberlen will also have to watch out for the No. 30 Risi Competizione Ferrari 360GT of Ralf Kelleners and Anthony Lazzaro, which finished second in the GT class at Watkins Glen.

Fresh from their first class victory of the season, which also enabled them to take over the Super Grand Sport (SGS) points lead, No. 38 TPC Racing Porsche GT3 Cup co-drivers Marc Bunting and Andy Lally will be looking to make it two-in-a-row in the Paul Revere 250. They will undoubtedly face stiff competition from erstwhile SGS points leaders Randy Pobst and Michael Levitas in the No. 36 TPC Racing Porsche GT3 Cup, who are looking to overcome a disappointing 12th place class finish at Watkins Glen after a run of four straight top-two SGS finishes and now find themselves trailing their TPC Racing teammates by six points (159-153) in the class standings.

Rolex Series activities at the Paul Revere 250 get underway at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, as the Rolex Series machines get their first look at the 3.56-mile circuit in a one hour and 15 minute practice session. After a 15-minute break, the Rolex Series cars are back on track for a second practice from 3:30-5 p.m., which will be followed by GT and SGS qualifying from 6-6:15 p.m. and Daytona Prototype qualifying from 6:20-6:35 p.m. Wednesday concludes with a final, one-hour practice session beginning at 8 p.m.

After a full day of NASCAR Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup activities, the Paul Revere 250 presented by Brumos Porsche, Round 6 of the 12-race 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, is Thursday's featured attraction. The race is scheduled to take the green flag approximately 10 minutes after NEXTEL Cup qualifying, at roughly 11 p.m. ET.

The Paul Revere 250 will be 70 laps in length, but is subject to a two hour and 45 minute time limit. SPEED Channel will provide tape-delayed television coverage at Noon ET on Sunday, July 4, and live timing & scoring information will be available for every session on the official web site of the Grand American Road Racing Association, www.grandamerican.com.

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