Chip Ganassi back to back at the 24; Jeff Gordon 3rd

The Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley of Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya and Salvador Duran won overall honors at the 24 Hours of Daytona Grand-Am Rolex series classic on the Speedway's 3.56 mile road course. That car completed 668 laps in 24:00:55.002. Montoya is a NASCAR Nextel Cup series rookie, reunited with racing maven and team owner Ganassi for 2007. Not a bad result for JPM. Pruett has 7 class wins at Daytona (most of any driver) and now has 13 Rolex series wins. JPM joins a list of nine other drivers to win a sports car race at Daytona, and the Indianapolis 500 (for the record, they include Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Arie Luyendyk, Bobby Rahal, Mark Donohue, Al Unser Sr. & Al Unser Jr., and Dan Wheldon.

Gordon impressed a lot of observers with the 3rd place drive. The Wayne Taylor machine got behind and the team (Gordon, Taylor, Max Angelelli, and Jan Magnussen) clawed its way back to the lead lap, before a late race brake pad change knocked them off the lead lap.

Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish had a long race...finishing 9th...some 40 laps down to the winner. Props to Hornish for getting road racing experience the hard way...it will pay off.

The Indy Racing League will test here Wednesday and Thursday. We'll blog some stuff your way.

Paul Kaminski

1/28/2007

Overnight at the 24 Hours of Daytona

For the record, people who report on the 24 DO get some sleep. So do the drivers; that's why the teams have multiple drivers.

Rain is a great equalizer in endurance racing. We've just had a downpour...the cold front is blowing the rain away.

Of the visiting racers (from NASCAR, IRL, Champ Car) only Jeff Gordon & 2005 IRL champ Dan Wheldon have a shot for the overall win. Wheldon runs 3rd...Gordon's team 4th. If you call Scott Pruett a NASCAR driver---his team leads after 19:15 of the 24 hours.

This ain't over until it's over (thanks, Yogi Berra). One thing we know--Chip Ganassi's Lexus-Riley cars are stronger than rent money.

Paul Kaminski

1/28/2007

AJ Allmendinger--the real deal at Daytona?

The Red Bull Nextel Cup rookie took the overall lead into the second hour of the 24 Hours at Daytona, with a bold move around leader Marc Goosens (who has 2006 Nextel Cup champ Jimmie Johnson as a co-driver). Allmendinger motored to a four second lead (and gaining). Tony Stewart's car is in the garage. In big time sports car racing...not an insurmountable problem...we've seen winners of the 24 come back even after spending 'quality' time in the garage--but this involves engine woes. Allmendinger is teamed with another bold driver--Paul Tracy. Just to clarify...Sam Hornish and Helio Castroneves are in the team car to Allmendinger & Tracy, et al. In case your memory fails you...Allmendinger and Tracy were Champ Car teammates for Gerry Forsythe, until the Bull was thrown AJ's way.

Paul Kaminski

1/27/2007

Sports Cars @ Daytona--24 Hours

Race-Talk listeners know that I like to see racers race in other series. Tony Stewart has run in 22 kinds of different series...and has victories in all but sports car racing. It's not for lack of trying; in 2005, he was leading overall with 18 minutes to go, when a wheel bearing gave out. So 'Smoke' has unfinished business today.

Michael Shank Racing has 2 Indy 500 winners (Sam Hornish, and Penske teammate Helio Castroneves), plus the "thrill from West Hill" (Ontario, Canada), Paul Tracy. Dan Wheldon (2005 Indy 500 winner) is driving for Chip Ganassi (he, Scott Dixon and Casey Mears won in 2006).

Richard Petty is the Grand Marshal for the race.

We'll post nuggets as they are unearthed from the "World Center of Racing".

Paul Kaminski

1/27/2007