Backstretch Motorsports

Season Finale Crowns 2008 Grand-Am Class Champions

TOOELE, Utah (Sept. 20, 2008) - Raphael Matos bookended the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season. After winning the GT class in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona back in January, Matos made his return to the series by winning in his first Daytona Prototype start.

Matos joined regular drivers Ian James and John Pew to give the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley its first Rolex Series victory in the SunRichGourmet.com 1000 presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels. The team became the third first-time Daytona Prototype winner in three races at Miller Motorsports Park.

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MILLVILLE, N.J. (August 31, 2008) — Oswaldo Negri Jr. held off Max Angelelli by .459 seconds Sunday to win the first professional feature race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the Supercar Life 250, while Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas clinched the Daytona Prototype team championship with a ninth-place finish in a backup car.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 20, 2008) – With track temperatures soaring over 120 degrees, the Lexus duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas remained the hottest thing on the track as they registered their sixth Rolex Sports Car Series victory of the season in Sunday’s Porsche 250 at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The win comes in just the ninth race of the season for the #01 Ganassi/Lexus team and gives both the drivers and the team a commanding 60-point championship lead with just five races remaining. In addition, Lexus stretched out its manufacturer’s championship to 16 points.

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Leads, Ala., July 19, 2008 – The SunTrust Pontiac Daytona Prototype (DP) will start from the pole for tomorrow’s running of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The heat is proving to be a factor for all of the teams this weekend. With temperatures averaging in the mid-90s it is playing havoc with the track and the cars. With times declining in the afternoon heat the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Dallara driven by Michael Valiante took the pole for tomorrow’s race with a time of 1:20.521. Valiante is joined in the 10 with co-driver Max Angelelli. The 2005 series champions are trying to make a late season run at the points standings. They have had a difficult season to date which has included on the track contact as well as a hauler fire which destroyed their first Dallara

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WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 7, 2008) – Scott Pruett took the lead with 45 minutes remaining and was never headed as he and Memo Rojas drove the #01 Telmex Lexus to 3.033-second victory in today’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen Rolex Sports Car Series race at Watkins Glen International.

The win is the fourth in six races for the Ganassi/Lexus team and gives both the drivers and the team a 36-point championship lead heading into the midway point of the season at Mid-Ohio. In addition, Lexus continued its domination of endurance racing with its fifth win in the last eight Grand-Am endurance events and now holds a 15-point lead in the manufacturer’s championship.

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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 3, 2008) - In 52 years of existence, Watkins Glen International has become a celebrated track and, in its 27th year, The Six Hours of The Glen has become one of the leading endurance racing events in the world. With its classic, full-course layout and endurance format, history has shown that “The Six Hour” benefits teams with professional preparation, driver skill and a keen understanding of strategy. Teams like Southard Motorsports.

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(Ed. Note: This story is from yesterday but with the race being shown one day later on tape delay on SPEEDTV, backstretchmotorsports decided not to run results as a spoiler)

Dalziel and Zogaib Scored First for SAMAX at Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Calif. - Henri Zogaib and Ryan Dalziel delivered the best birthday present possible for SAMAX Motorsport team owner Peter Baron as the two combined for a convincing race win with the No. 2 Dinan BMW-Riley in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16Rumbum.com 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday. After racing back to the front from a lap down from the leaders, Dalziel led the final 23 laps to take the win.

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