SCC: Fontana: Automatic Racing preview

Automatic Racing aims for fifth straight podium at California Speedway

FONTANA, Ca.- Automatic Racing hopes to earns its fifth consecutive podium this weekend in the Grand-Am Cup's Grand Sports II class during the Lexus Grand American 250 at California Speedway.

Jep Thornton and David Russell will be driving the red #09 Automatic Racing BMW M3. Their sister car, the blue #90 BMW M3, will be piloted by Terry Earwood and Eric van Cleef.

This weekend's race will mark the first time that the four Automatic Racing drivers have visited California Speedway, and they are ready for the challenge of a new track.

"It's the only track on our schedule that at least one of us hasn't been to," commented Russell. "I think it will be a decent track for our cars. It's similar to Daytona in that it's an infield road course using an oval, but I think it will be a better track for us than Daytona.

There are a lot of tricky corners that will require trail braking, and those will be good for us. There are some mid- to high-speed corners, too, and I like those. It looks like it's going to be a pretty challenging racetrack."

Van Cleef is also undaunted by racing at Fontana for the first time, and he and Earwood are ready to put the #90 car back on the podium. "Like always, I'm looking forward to the weekend," said van Cleef. "We've made some changes to our car and we're looking for a better finish than we've had all year. We expect to get out there and really show the car's potential."

Automatic Racing has finished on the podium in all four races this season, and they are currently second in Grand Sports II points, just 13 points behind the class leader. The team hopes to repeat their success at California Speedway, and is aiming to put both cars in the top three.

The Grand Sports classes will qualify on Saturday, June 7 at 11:45 am PDT. The Lexus Grand American 250 will be held on the same day and starts at 4:00 pm.

Automatic Racing is sponsored by Automatic Commercial Aircraft, LandAir, BBS, Engine Music Studios, Redline Oil and Moton Shocks.

Automatic Racing fans can find team information, race reports, and audio clips from the drivers on the team's website, located at www.AutomaticRacing.com.

-ar-