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VIR: Synergy Racing profile - Danny Marshall

Racing at VIR brings back fond memories for Danville's Del. Danny Marshall ALTON, Va. (October 5, 2005) -- Virginia International Raceway brings back a lot memories for Danville's Del. Danny Marshall, delegate for the 14th House District of ...

Racing at VIR brings back fond memories for Danville's Del. Danny Marshall

ALTON, Va. (October 5, 2005) -- Virginia International Raceway brings back a lot memories for Danville's Del. Danny Marshall, delegate for the 14th House District of Virginia. From his first visit to the track as a young child to his first race on the classic road course, Marshall has held VIR close to his heart for nearly his entire life.

"I grew up going to VIR. My father took me there for the first race back in 1957," remembers Marshall. "It was a great place to have near you growing up. I got to see all the legends of racing there; people like Carroll Shelby, Roger Penske and Dick Thompson."

This weekend Marshall will be at the track for the Rolex Sports Car Series VIR 400--not as local lawmaker welcoming a national event or the owner of a successful local business, Marshall Concrete. Instead, he will be at VIR indulging a passion he's had for many years--a love of racing--as he takes to the track for Sunday's race at the wheel of the No. 81 Porsche of Synergy Racing, a professional race team Marshall shares ownership in with his brother Steve and Cole Scrogham.

"To participate in a professional race at VIR was a dream come true," admits Marshall, who has contested four races with the Rolex Series and Grand-Am Cup Series at VIR since the track reopened in 2000.

Marshall previously competed on a fairly regular basis in professional sports car racing, capturing two podium finishes in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona. But as his civic and professional duties required more of his time, he slipped more into the role of Synergy Racing team owner and spent less time competing as a driver.

This weekend's VIR 400 will be Marshall's only professional race this season, and he hopes to make the most of it. He will share the No. 81 Porsche with Synergy's young protege Mae Van Wijk, the youngest female racer in the Rolex Series at age 22. Marshall's brother Steve, who captured a driver championship for Synergy in 2003, will also be listed as a driver on the No. 81 entry, though he says he'll most likely be a back-up driver in case a third is needed.

In addition to reveling in his time on track, Marshall will closely watch his team's other entries in the Rolex Series and Grand-Am Cup events. Synergy driver Craig Stanton, who pilots the No. 80 Porsche with David Murry, currently holds the points lead in the Rolex GT driver championship, and this weekend's VIR 400 will play a crucial role in determining the title as one of only two races left this season.

Synergy's Rx.com No. 8 Daytona Prototype had several strong runs this season at the hands of young brothers Burt and Brian Frisselle, and VIR could prove to be one of their best shots a victory this season. Additionally, the team's Grand-Am Cup entry, the No. 81 Porsche 997 of Brent Martini and Kelly Collins, is coming off its best finish of the season and looks to improve on the team's 'home track,' where Martini brought home victory for Synergy in 2002.

VIR will hold a test day for Rolex Series and Grand-Am Cup teams on Thursday, with official practice sessions beginning on Friday. Qualifying for the VIR 400 is on Saturday, and the race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

About Synergy Racing
Team owners Cole Scrogham and Danny and Steve Marshall introduced Synergy Racing in December 2004. Based at Virginia International Raceway, Synergy Racing is an evolution of G&W Motorsports, which had catered to Porsche racing since 1996 and became the most successful team in the Rolex Sports Car Series with four championships, 15 class wins and more than 50 podium finishes. The team underwent a major transformation that included a name and logo change, as well as a complete restructuring into a customer-based championship racing business, which concentrates on the needs of the customer rather than the desires of the team. For more information on Synergy Racing, visit synergyracing.com.

-sr-

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