Mosport preview notes

Contact: Greg Rubenstein SCCA Pro Racing Media Relations (905) 434-5000 or (303) 694-7223 scca@compuserve.com

August 27, 1997

To: Motorsports writers, editors and producers

"MOSPORT FESTIVAL" WEEKEND ON TAP AS THE TRANS-AM TRAVELS NORTH TO MOSPORT PARK FOR A DUAL-SANCTIONED LABOR DAY WEEKEND EXTRAVAGANZA

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Can. -- The SCCA Trans-Am Championship returns to Mosport Park for a Sunday feature race during the SCCA Pro Racing/PSR Mosport Festival Labor Day weekend, August 28-31. The 40-lap, 98.36-mile Trans-Am race, Round 11 of the 13-race 1997 Championship, is slated to begin Sunday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. (ET), and will be televised live on The Nashville Network (TNN). The Speedvision Network will rebroadcast the race Monday, September 1 at 9:00 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, September 2 at 1:00 a.m. (ET) and Friday, September 5 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). Also competing at the Mosport Festival are the SCCA World Challenge Championship and the SCCA Spec Racer Ford Pro Series. Saturday's 28-lap, 68.85-mile World Challenge contest will be broadcast on The Speedvision Network Sunday, September 7 at 3:00 p.m. (ET), with a rebroadcast Monday, September 8 at 2:00 a.m. (ET). Friday's 20-lap, 49.18-mile Spec Racer Ford Pro Series race will be televised on The Speedvision Network Saturday, September 13 at 3:00 p.m. (ET), with rebroadcasts Saturday, September 13 at 10:00 p.m. (ET) and Sunday, September 14 at 2:30 a.m. (ET). With 10-straight wins, Tom Kendall, driver of the No. 11 All Sport Body Quencher Ford Mustang, continues to make motorsports history as his victory at Road America set a new mark for the longest documentable road-racing-series win streak. Kendall has never won at Mosport, so he faces a new obstacle in his quest to become the first driver to sweep a Trans-Am season. Kendall's win also clinched the 1997 Trans-Am Drivers' Championship, his third-consecutive and fourth-career title, both new series records. With the Drivers' and Manufactures' Championships (Ford clinched at Watkins Glen) already settled, the battle is now for second-place, where six drivers are vying for the runner-up spot. Kendall, with 337 points, tops the standings, followed by Dorsey Schroeder, 230; Jon Gooding, 228; Brian Simo, 212; Gentilozzi, 206; Pickett, 203; and top-rookie Mike Borkowski, 190. John Miller IV, 159, and Bill Saunders, 141 are eighth and ninth, respectively, and rookie runner-up Michael Lewis is 10th with 135 points. This weekend's contest will be the 351st race in the Trans-Am's 32-year history, and the 19th time the Trans-Am has competed at Mosport Park, dating to 1976. Trans-Am qualifying and race results are available on the AP SportsWire, the SCCA Pro Racing internet site (http://www.scca.com) and CompuServe's Racing Information Services (GO RACEB) forum.

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