Grand-Am

Papis selected for IROC 2005

2004 Daytona Prototype Champion Max Papis Selected for 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 19, 2005) -- Officials from the Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) series today announced that 2004 Grand American ...

Published: Jan 21, 2005, 7:09 PM

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2004 Daytona Prototype Champion Max Papis Selected for 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 19, 2005) -- Officials from the Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) series today announced that 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype champion Max Papis has been selected to compete in the four-race championship worth $1 million.

Papis will race against 10 other champion drivers representing the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, as well as the Champ Car World Series, IRL IndyCar Series and World of Outlaws in equally-prepared cars. The 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series gets underway on Friday, February 18 at Daytona International Speedway, with Round 2 scheduled for April 15 at Texas Motor Speedway, Round 3 at Richmond International Raceway on September 8 and the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 29, with a $1 million prize going to the series champion. All races will be televised on SPEED Channel.

Papis earned the right to compete in the 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series by winning the 2004 Rolex Series Daytona Prototype championship as co-driver with Scott Pruett of the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley with a class-leading four victories and a Rolex Series-record 11 pole positions. It will be Papis' first appearance in IROC.

"I'm really proud to be here and representing Grand American," said Papis. "It's going to be very exciting. It will be the first time for me to race a NASCAR-type car, and I'm proud to be racing with these caliber of champions from so many different kind of Motorsports. To get a chance at a $1 million check will add some extra excitement as well."

"Daytona 24 Hours has been my business card to the USA Motorsport in 1996 "added Papis" I hope that this opportunity could be a second business card and the next step towards achieving my goal of racing in NASCAR and being one of the first European drivers to do that in a competitive fashion ."

Joining Papis in the field will be NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver and four-time IROC champion Mark Martin, 2004 NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr., 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton, 2004 Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais, Indianapolis 500 champions Buddy Rice and Helio Castroneves, Daytona Prototype co-champion Scott Pruett and World of Outlaws champions Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski.

"We are proud to announce this elite group of drivers who will compete in the 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series," said Jay Signore, IROC President. "With seven reigning series champions and numerous individual victories among the remainder of the field, the driver who wins this year's championship will have certainly earned it."

Max and the other Rolex Series drivers will get their 2005 racing seasons underway in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on the weekend of February 3-6 at Daytona International Speedway. Papis will start his Daytona Prototype title defense co-driving the No. 66 Krohn Racing/TRG Pontiac Riley with co-drivers J0x00f6rg Bergmeister and Oliver Gavin, while Pruett will compete again with the defending title Team in the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley with co-drivers Luis Diaz and Ryan Briscoe. Among the IROC competitors, Kenseth, Busch, Bourdais and Rice will also participate in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

For additional information www.iroc.com, www.grand-am.com, www.maxpapis.com.

-Max Papis Racing

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