Grand-Am
Mid-Ohio: Lexus preview
LEXUS ATTEMPTS TO COMPLETE FIRST HALF ON A STRONG NOTE -- Sporting a 15-point manufacturer's championship lead, Lexus will attempt to close out the first half of the Rolex Sports Car Series schedule on a strong note at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ...
Published: Jun 18, 2008, 10:55 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
LEXUS ATTEMPTS TO COMPLETE FIRST HALF ON A STRONG NOTE -- Sporting a 15-point manufacturer's championship lead, Lexus will attempt to close out the first half of the Rolex Sports Car Series schedule on a strong note at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. To date, Lexus has registered four victories, a second and a third in the season's first six races, winning at Daytona, Miami, Virginia and Watkins Glen. Lexus has enjoyed previous success at Mid-Ohio with a victory by Scott Pruett and Max Papis in 2004.
FAST START KEEPS GANASSI/LEXUS DUO OUT FRONT -- Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have registered the fastest start in Rolex Series history. The drivers of the #01 Ganassi/Lexus have four victories, a second and a third in the season's first six events. The pair holds a 36-point championship lead as Pruett hunts for a second series title and Rojas eyes his first Rolex championship. Pruett also is looking for a record eighth American sports car title.
TWO YEARS AND COUNTING -- This weekend's race at Mid-Ohio marks the two-year anniversary of the last time the #01 Ganassi Lexus finished outside of the top-10 in a Rolex Sports Car Series event. Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz were running comfortably in the top-10 in the late stages of that race before Pruett was collected in a crash by Hoover Orsi. In the two years since, the team has registered a record 25 consecutive top-10 finishes. In addition, the #01 has scored eight victories, 17 top-threes and 21 top-five finishes during that span. The streak began with Pruett and Luis Diaz behind the wheel in 2006. Memo Rojas joined Pruett in 2007 and has co-driven in the last 20 races.
MORE RECORDS -- With four wins this season, Scott Pruett now has 18 career Rolex Series victories, while Chip Ganassi Racing has extended its win total to 19 - both Rolex Series records. The Ganassi team has notched 19 of Lexus' 21 victories since the manufacturer entered the series in 2004.
TRUESPORTS CONNECTION -- Scott Pruett's first full-time CART ride came with the Mid-Ohio-based Truesports team founded by the late Jim Trueman, who's family continues to own the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course today. Pruett joined the team in 1989 and won the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year that season. After suffering serious injuries in an off-season testing incident, he sat out the 1990 season before re-joining the team for its final two seasons of competition in 1991 and 1992.
HOME TRACK -- The Southard Motorsports team should be right at home this weekend. The Powell, Ohio-based team is located approximately an hour away in a northern suburb of Columbus, but it's not just the location that makes Southard comfortable at Mid-Ohio. Team principle Steve Southard has considered Mid-Ohio to be his "home track" since he began racing in the early 1970s, while driver Shane Lewis has been an instructor at the Mid-Ohio School. The team has steadily been gaining speed as the season progresses and has qualified in the top-10 in five consecutive events prior to Mid-Ohio.
-credit: lexus
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Mid-Ohio: Ryan Dalziel preview
Next article SCC: Mid-Ohio: ST round four preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Shane Lewis
Robinson Racing enters two Mercedes-AMGs in World Challenge GTS
SRO America
SRO America
Robinson Racing enters two Mercedes-AMGs in World Challenge GTS
Ruman, Lawrence share spoils at Homestead Miami
Trans-Am
Trans-Am
Ruman, Lawrence share spoils at Homestead Miami
Trans Am Series heads to Homestead-Miami for Round 2 with 68 entries
Trans-Am
Trans-Am
Trans Am Series heads to Homestead-Miami for Round 2 with 68 entries
More from
Chip Ganassi Racing
Five-time IndyCar champion, first-time Indy NXT driver: Alex Palou tops IMS road course test
Indy NXT
Indy NXT
Five-time IndyCar champion, first-time Indy NXT driver: Alex Palou tops IMS road course test
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
IndyCar
IndyCar
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
Alex Palou to drive Indy NXT machinery in Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS
IndyCar
IndyCar
Alex Palou to drive Indy NXT machinery in Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS
Latest news
MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez wins sprint to seize points lead, Jorge Martin crashes
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
7 min
MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez wins sprint to seize points lead, Jorge Martin crashes
NASCAR Truck Series championship down to two with two to go
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck 2 h
NASCAR Truck Series championship down to two with two to go
MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez recovers from crash to take pole at wet Phillip Island
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
3 h
MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez recovers from crash to take pole at wet Phillip Island
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe