Lime Rock: Tom Gloy Racing race report

Tom Gloy Racing drivers 3rd and 8th at Lime Rock Park.

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (May 28, 2002) -- The third round of the 2002 BFGoodrich Trans-Am Series continued this weekend with Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Grand Prix. Tom Gloy Racing drivers Butch Leitzinger and Randy Ruhlman took the green flag yesterday for the second consecutive weekend in Trans-Am competition. Letizinger, driving the Tommy Bahama Chevrolet Corvette, finished third and Ruhlman, driving the Preformed Line Products/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette finished eighth.

Start of the race was fantastic with the Tommy Bahama car leading and pulling away from the field on the 1.53-mile road course. Things were looking good and the team had Letizinger #88 entry come in for a scheduled stop with some of the other top-running drivers. After the pit stop, the handling on the Tom Gloy Racing machine fell off and had some under steer. Leitzinger rounded out the top-three, making his first podium appearance of the year with a third-place performance.

"I'm happy with the way the team performed," said Leitzinger. "I made our pit stop longer by stumbling a little bit coming out of the pit box. After that, I picked up a bit of an under steer in the second stint; I just think we missed a little bit on the setup. It's a relief to finish on the podium, after the way the season started it is good to get the Tommy Bahama car up at the front."

"The top 12 cars are so competitive that it is difficult to move up any where but particularly at Lime Rock," said Ruhlman. "Lime Rock is a more follow the leader type of track. We started ninth and stayed with the pack but the opportunity just did not present itself. In a few weeks when race at Mid Ohio we should be able to show off what the Preformed Line Products/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette car has. Mid Ohio is fun drive and has a lot room for passing."

Tom Gloy Racing travels back to its home base in Mooresville, N.C. to get ready for Round Four which will be held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 29, 2002. The permanent 2.25-mile road course is located in Lexington, Ohio. The race will air on CBS Sports at 4:00 p.m. ET, same day tape delay, check local listings. For more information on the BFGoodrich Trans-Am Series go to: www.trans-amseries.com/index.html

"I've raced and won World Sports Car race at Mid-Ohio before; I'm looking forward to racing there again," said Leitzinger. "The fans are great at Mid-Ohio; the atmosphere is festival like and is great.

Established in August 1992, Tommy Bahama is a successful lifestyle company that celebrates island living with upscale collections of men's and women's casual sportswear, swimwear, footwear and accessories as well as a complete home furnishings collection. The company has eighteen Tommy Bahama retail emporiums across the country, including six locations that include Tommy Bahama's Tropical Café. The Tommy Bahama collections are also available at some of the country's finest retailers including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and high profile resort locations around the world. http://www.TommyBahama.com

Preformed Line Products® (PLP) is an international manufacturer and supplier of hardware and support systems for the communications and energy industries. PLP products include the Coyote Closure® and Guy Grip® fasteners used in the telecommunications, cable and energy industries. Worldwide manufacturing facilities include the USA, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico, Great Britain, Spain, South Africa and Australia. Coyote Closure is a family of fiber optic closure systems designed for superior reliability in aerial, underground and building applications for use in the telecommunications and cable industries. For more information on PLP, go to www.preformed.com; for Randy Ruhlman, go to www.ruhlmanmotorsports.com.

-tgr/rh-