Grand-Am

Laguna Seca: CGR No. 01 team preview

COMPUSA TEAM LOOKING FOR BACK-TO-BACK WINS AS ROLEX SERIES DEBUTS IN MONTEREY INDIANAPOLIS (April 27, 2005) -- On the heels of their first triumph of the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series season in Fontana, CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix ...

Edited: Apr 29, 2005, 3:42 AM

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COMPUSA TEAM LOOKING FOR BACK-TO-BACK WINS AS ROLEX SERIES DEBUTS IN MONTEREY

INDIANAPOLIS (April 27, 2005) -- On the heels of their first triumph of the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series season in Fontana, CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and pilots Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz invade Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Round 4 of the Grand American docket in the inaugural Road & Track 250 on the famous 2.238-mile ribbon of pavement situated in picturesque Northern California.

Rolex Series officials recently announced a record 52-car field for the groundbreaking event on the Monterey Peninsula-- the most entries the surging series has ever had for a 250-mile "sprint race,"-- and native Californian Pruett could have an edge as the no.01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley prepares for the fight for West Coast supremacy. Although this weekend's visit will be the first for the Rolex Series, the defending Series Champion returns to familiar territory having nine career CART starts at Laguna Seca highlighted by a podium finish in the 1996 event.

"I can hardly wait to get back to Laguna Seca," said Pruett, who after winning the closest race in Rolex Series history in Fontana positioned the CompUSA team to take over championship standings in Monterey. "I've been coming to this special place for many years, and I just really enjoy all aspects of the track. If you've ever thought of coming out to a racetrack and seeing a great show, this is the place to be this weekend. Not only is Laguna Seca an awesome place for the fans in terms of getting to see a large portion of the track, the drivers enjoy it just as much."

Diaz cemented himself as a championship contender in Fontana by putting the no.01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley on pole for the first time in his young Daytona Prototype career, and is looking forward to answering the bell again this weekend as the CompUSA squad seeks back-to-back wins for the second time in team history (Mont Tremblant/Watkins Glen, 2004).

As is the case with Pruett, along with Ganassi teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner, Diaz has many a race under his belt at Laguna Seca, including his very first podium in the now defunct Dayton Indy Lights Series.

"I think the team is starting to get to where we need to be in terms of the performance," said Diaz, who with Pruett stands second in team points (85-102) to SunTrust Racing. "Scott has a lot of experience at Laguna so I think we should be ahead of the learning curve that most drivers will face coming here for the first time. I think winning the last race will really start to get the ball rolling for the whole team. Hopefully we can get the same result again on Sunday."

Fans of CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates can catch the no.01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley in action at the Road & Track 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this Sunday, May 1st at 3:00 pm ET (LIVE, SPEED Channel). Follow the team's progress throughout the race weekend by logging on to the Rolex Sports Car Series website at www.grandamerican.com for free live timing, and keep up with the team's successes throughout the 2005 season by logging onto the official website at www.chipganassiracing.com for news, features, photos and much more.

About CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

Founded in 2004, Indianapolis-based CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates fields the no.01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype class for American driver and defending Rolex Series Champion Scott Pruett, and second-year Mexican pilot Luis Diaz.

-cgr-

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