Rolex series hits the high banks of Daytona, Florida for the 100th Daytona prototype Race

Topics:  Brumos Porche 250 at Daytona

Wikinews
July 1, 2010

In January 2003, the Grand American Rolex Sorts Car Series debuted the Daytona Prototype (DP) class, its new premier class at that year's Rolex 24 at Daytona. Seven years Later, the class reached a milestone. This weekend's Brumos Porche 250 at Daytona marked the 100th race in the DP era.

The biggest story coming into the race was about the 01 Telmex Chip Ganassi BMW Riley. The team had technical violations that were discovered after the previous race at Mid-Ohio. The subsequent penalties (25 team, driver, and manufacturer's points and $15,000 fine) had cut Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas' lead in the standings from 32 to 7.

The extra 75 pounds hurt the BMW powered cars in qualifying. The 01 Telmex Chip Ganassi BMW Riley only qualified 4th, But that didn't slow the team down. Pruett, driving the second and final stint, drove away from the Starworks Motorsports BMW of Ryan Dalziel and Mike Forest, moving the No. 01 drivers' points lead to 13 ahead of Dalziel.

They lead the team standings by 25 ahead of the the Sun Trust Racing team of Ricky Taylor and Max Angelleli.

Pruett and Rojas also had to overcome startling temperatures in the car that resembled a heat sink, to give Ganassi his second Daytona victory this season. He won NASCAR's Daytona 500 with Jamie McMurray in February.

"Look at our suits, they are soaked head to toe," Pruett told reporters about the heat. "I think we probably sweat five, six, seven, eight pounds. It was incredible, the humidity and everything.

"Maybe we should put a temperature gauge up on he dashboard." As for the extra weight, especially under braking: "I don't know how to describe it, try running a sprint with a backpack . . . slow down, it's not the same," Rojas said.

The duo led 40 of 83 laps.

The triumph also was the sixth in eight Grand-Am races for Pruett and Rojas this season. They were second in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 13th at Lime Rock where they were wrecked on the first lap.

Andy Lally drove the No. 66 TRG Porsche to the victory in GT, teaming with co-driver R.J. Valentine who was in the car for the first time in a year-and-a- half. It was Lally's third victory this season with three different sets of co-drivers.

Pruett grabbed the lead in NASCAR Turn 3 on Lap 46, with just a little more than an hour remaining, and steadily built his lead to the victory clinching 24.3 seconds. The triumph was Pruett's 28th in 100 Grand-Am starts and the 29th for Ganassi.

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