Dempsey Racing, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Team Up for Rolex 24 At Daytona

Dempsey Racing, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Team Up for Rolex 24 At Daytona… The No. 40 Mazda RX-8 will Sport Pink Trim to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

       
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 4, 2009) - Dempsey Racing will partner with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and will carry pink trim on the black and white No. 40 Mazda RX-8 driven by Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster and Charles Espenlaub.

 
The team will compete in the GT class of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 in the January 24-25 event, the 47th running of America's premier sports car race.

 
"Real men can wear pink," said Dempsey, who races in the Rolex Series when his busy shooting schedule for the popular television program, Grey's Anatomy, allows. "All of us at Dempsey Racing are proud to partner with the Avon Foundation in its fight against breast cancer. By wearing pink on our suits and on our cars, we hope to raise awareness for this important cause and for an extraordinary series of events: the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer."

 
Dempsey made his first start in the Rolex 24 last year, his first of 10 races. His best finish was ninth at Montreal. In addition to racing in the Rolex Series, Foster won the KONI Sports Car Challenge Grand Sports championship, co-driving the Hyper Sport Ford Mustang with Canadian Scott Maxwell.

 
"I am so proud to support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which raises funds that directly save lives," Dempsey said. "To help inspire fundraising for this important cause, there will be a special contest for top fundraisers - you can visit the web site avonwalk.org for details on how you can win a chance to meet me and my racing team."

 
Dempsey and Foster are co-owners of Hyper Sport Racing. The team's Rolex effort will be under the new Dempsey Racing banner beginning with the Rolex 24.

 
The Avon Walk series is a project of the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, encompassing nine weekend-long walk events that attract thousand of participants and raise significant funds to ensure that everyone can get the breast cancer screening, support and treatment they require, and to fund research to ultimately eradicate breast cancer.  The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series has raised more than $265 million from 2003-2008. 

 
"While two very different types of endurance events, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and sports car racing have the common tie of the mental and physical stamina required to achieve success," Dempsey said. "With that juxtaposition in mind, a special contest for top fundraisers of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer will be unveiled during The Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 24-25, 2009."

 
Contest winners will have the opportunity to meet Dempsey and his team at the Rolex 24.

From Grand-Am / J.J. O'Malley

Todd Bodine Earns Bobsled Title In Lake Placid

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Jan. 4, 2009) – Todd Bodine carried over his success from Saturday’s qualifying round to the finals as he earned his first Whelen Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge championship Sunday at the Olympic Sports Complex.

The top qualifier on Saturday, Todd Bodine was first out of the chute in Sunday’s first round of Race 1, which featured NASCAR and NHRA racers competing against the clock for a trip to the podium. His maiden run of 49.83 seconds stood as the fastest in the round as the top eight of 12 drivers advanced. In the second round, with the race order inverted, nearly each driver that went bested the one before him. Joey Logano, who went next-to-last, posted a 49.56 to set the bar for Bodine. The younger brother of the event’s namesake did not disappoint as he crossed the finish line at 49.35. Bodine’s two-round combined time of 1:39.18 earned the Race 1 title.

“I’ve had a good sled,” Bodine said. “During qualifying and the first round I had really clean runs. The second round wasn’t quite as fast as Larry’s [Gunselman], and what I needed to do was just stay with them, and we got it done.”

Logano, in his second year of competition in the Bodine Bobsled Challenge, finished with a combined time of 1:39.58. Logano, who will contend for the 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, earned his first invitation last year as the 2007 NASCAR Camping World Series East championship. Gunselman came in third at 1:39.60. Gunselman’s second run of 49.33 seconds was the fastest run of either round in the morning session.

Morgan Lucas was the highest finishing NHRA competitor in Race 1 at 1:39.83.

Boris Said, the defending Race 1 champion and five-time winner in the Bodine Bobsled Challenge settled for a sixth-place finish.

The event also included NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Brian Loftin, who finished eighth in his first bobsledding experience. Philip Morris earned a return trip to Lake Placid with his second NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship in three years, finished 10th.

Sunday afternoon’s Race 2 featured two rounds of eliminations and two head-to-head competitions. NASCAR was represented by Todd Bodine, Geoff Bodine, Logano and Said while the NHRA contingent included Lucas, Jeg Coughlin J.R. Todd and Bob Vandergriff. Geoff Bodine and Vandergriff were eliminated in the first round while defending race winner Said and Coughlin failed to advance past the second round.

In the semifinals of Race 2, which pitted the two fastest NASCAR and NHRA drivers against each other for a spot in the championship, Todd Bodine once again edged out Logano with a time of 49.25 for an advantage of .71 seconds. Meanwhile, Lucas defeated Todd by .03 seconds to earn a spot in the finals against Bodine.

For the final round, Bodine and Lucas were setup in competition Bo-Dyn sleds used by the USA National Bobsled team. USA Men’s Coach Brian Shimer served as brakeman for Bodine while Women’s Team Coach Bill Tavares rode with Lucas.

Lucas, who was defeated by Said in the 2008 Bodine Bobsled Challenge Race 2 finals, registered a 47.78-second run in the articulated sled, nearly two seconds faster than his semifinal run. In Bodine’s run, the NASCAR veteran had gained on Lucas’ time through nearly every stage, but rolled the sled coming out of Turn 18. Bodine and Shimer were fine, but Lucas took home the title.

“I felt bad about wrecking the sled, but I had this old-time racer tell me once, ‘boy, if you can’t win, be spectacular,’ and we were spectacular,” Todd Bodine said.

In the three-day event a total of 12 drivers piloted specially-made bobsleds down the track in Lake Placid, site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. The Bodine Bobsled Challenge is geared to raise money for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, which was started in 1992 by former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Geoff Bodine, who partnered with Chassis Dynamics. The Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project has built American-made bobsleds for United States athletes competing in the World Cup, World Championships and Olympic Winter Games.

Funds raised from the Bodine Bobsled Challenge go directly to the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project. The annual dinner auction held in conjunction with the event took place at the Lake Placid Crowne Plaza Hotel & Resort Saturday night with proceeds also benefiting the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project. Whelen Engineering Vice President for Motorsports and Bodine Bobsled Project President Phil Kurze was satisfied with the results.

“The auction was on par with last year’s successful event,” Kurze said. “In 2010, with it being an Olympic year, we look for the Fifth Annual Bodine Bobsled Challenge and auction to be an even bigger and better event.”

SPEED will televise four hours of the Whelen Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge on Jan. 18 at noon and Jan. 25 at 2 pm.

From Jason Cunningham, NASCAR Public Relations

Jimmie Johnson Joins GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Sunday in Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Testing

Jimmie Johnson Joins GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing For First 2009 Laps Sunday in Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Testing

Johnson and Vasser Drive in Final Practice; Gurney Turns Top Lap Of Weekend in a.m. Run

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 4, 2009) — Jimmie Johnson joined his GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing teammates Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty and Jimmy Vasser Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway and quickly got up to speed in the afternoon's final practice in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley.

"It took about three or four laps and then I was like "OK, got it,'" said Johnson, who will run in his second-consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona with GAINSCO later this month.  "I can get within a second, but getting that last bit is the hardest in any sport.  It is one thing to get close but to be competitive is the hard thing.  My reference points, I have got those down as far as where the braking zones are, but the track has changed a little bit with some of the curbs through the bus stop (chicane).  It is just going to take some more laps."

Johnson will likely get many more laps in the third and final day of the test on Monday.  He is expected to do the majority of the driving for the team after Gurney, Fogarty and Vasser shared the No. 99 for the first half of the test.  The reigning three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion is preparing for his fifth career Rolex 24 At Daytona start and knows how difficult but rewarding the day-long race can be.

"Man, it's so worth the pain," Johnson said.  It is so much fun to do this event.  I have been second twice and it is so sweet to finish the race, I can only imagine what it would be like to win.  I would love to add that credential to my resume with the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400.  It would be awesome."

Johnson shared the car in Sunday's final one-hour practice with Vasser after Gurney set the team's fastest lap of the weekend so far in the morning practice.  Gurney's time of 1:42.230 (125.364 mph) ranked fourth fastest in that session and the lap put the GAINSCO team back within range of the competition's fastest times.

Johnson and Vasser joined lead drivers Gurney and Fogarty in finishing second in last year's Rolex 24 At Daytona and GAINSCO is one of the few teams to return with the same driver lineup in 2009.  Johnson's first second-place Rolex 24 finish came in 2005 when he was part of the runner-up lineup in a Pontiac Crawford.

Monday's testing schedule includes a morning practice at 10:15 a.m. and the final run of the test that afternoon at 2:30 p.m.  Testing is open to the public for a $10 admission, which includes access to the infield, garage and Sprint FANZONE.

From Adam Saal

Michael Shank Racing Quickest in "Roar Before the Rolex 24" Opening Session

Michael Shank Racing Quickest in "Roar Before the Rolex 24" Opening Session

Valiante fastest driver in three practice sessions Saturday; Sunday's testing starts at 9 a.m.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 3, 2009) - Michael Valiante ran the fastest lap of the day in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley, leading the opening round of the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" at Daytona International Speedway.

Valiante ran a lap of 1:41.760 (125.943 mph) to lead the first day of the three-day session in preparation for the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona Jan. 24-25, the opening round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The "Road Before the Rolex 24" continues Sunday with practice for the Rolex Series and Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The test concludes Monday, with practice from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Spectator admission is $10 both days, and includes access to the Sprint FANZONE and Grand-Am garage areas.

"The car is working real well, and the team has been phenomenal," said Valiante, who will be running his first race with Michael Shank Racing, co-driving with AJ Allmendinger, John Pew and Ian James. "The team is working well together in the short amount of time I've been here, and they've made it real easy for me to come in and drive the car. We've been working well since the first test here in October."

Meanwhile, Scott Pruett led the opening session with a lap of 1:42.163 (125.459 mph) in the No. 01 TELMEX Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley. While Pruett is seeking his fourth career and third consecutive overall victory in the Rolex 24, Ganassi Racing is going for a fourth consecutive triumph, dating back to a 2006 triumph by the team's No. 02 entry.

"It's always nice to pick up after a winning season," said Pruett, who won second Daytona Prototype championship last season. He will be joined by defending co-champion Memo Rojas and Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 01 entry.

"Last year was huge for Ganassi Racing, winning our third in a row. Now, we're going for four, and that says a lot about the team and the commitment Ganassi has made. We haven't been in these cars since the end of last season, and we missed the testing here in October and November. To come here right out of the box and be fastest in our opening practice is a great way to start the year."

Montoya will be seeking his second consecutive victory in the event.

"I'm pretty excited, because the car is pretty quick," said Montoya, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner. "It's probably a little easier to drive around here, so we'll have to wait and see what happens."

Dario Franchitti was part of the 2008 winning Ganassi lineup. For 2009, he shifts to the No. 02 entry, co-driving with Target Chip Ganassi IndyCar Series teammate Scott Dixon and 2007 Indy Lights champion Alex Lloyd. Dixon is the defending Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion, while Franchitti accomplished both fetes in 2007.

"Chip's going for four in a row, so it should be pretty exciting," Franchitti said. "That's an amazing statistic, and it speaks volumes for the job that this team does. The team has done a great job preparing the car, as usual, and it's always exciting to come back to Daytona. It's good to be in the car with Scott. We've raced against each other for a long time, so it's nice to be in the same car now, because it gives us a chance to work with each other. My engineer, Chris Simmons, is engineering the No. 02 car, so that will also help get us ready for the IndyCar season.

"If you look at the entry list, there are many, many strong teams," Franchitti added. "But these guys are up to the challenge."

David Donohue led the evening session, waiting until the closing minutes to run a lap of 1:42.217 (125.380 mph) in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley co-driven by Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia.

"The Brumos guys did a great job, because we had issues with the engine in the afternoon session," said Donohue, who missed October and November testing while recuperating from shoulder surgery. "It started making funny sounds, so the guys went ahead and changed it between sessions. We went out towards the end of the session, and what can I say, the car is good. We've done a lot of testing here, so we're pretty pleased."

Also on Saturday, Childress-Howard Motorsports announced its driver lineup for the 2009 Rolex 24. IndyCar Series regular Danica Patrick and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Casey Mears will join three-time Rolex 24 winner Andy Wallace and Rob Finlay in the No. 2 Pontiac Crawford.

"We think we've got a real good package, running with Richard Howard and Max Crawford," said Richard Childress, a six-time championship-winning car owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. "We've got a great driver lineup. Danica will do a real good job here. She's a great road racer, and we're excited to have her in the car. Casey's real excited. He won this race three years ago with Chip Ganassi, and he called me and said, If you've got a seat, put me in.'"

A total of 49 cars - 20 Daytona Prototypes and 29 GT - participated in the opening day's testing, with 52 teams filing entries for the event.

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For additional information contact Grand-Am:
J.J. O'Malley, Manager of Communications, 386-681-6910, jjomalley@grand-am.com

Ford Mustangs Dominate Saturday's Opening Day of KONI Sports Car Challenge Testing at Daytona

Ford Mustangs Dominate Saturdays Opening Day of KONI Sports Car Challenge Testing at Daytona

Rehagen Racing and ICY/Phoenix Racing strongest in GS and ST respectively in first of three test days

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 3, 2009) - Ford Mustang GTs were the class of the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge field in Saturday's "Roar Before the Rolex 24" test session at Daytona International Speedway, sweeping the top six Grand Sport (GS) practice times on the first of three test days to open the 2009 campaign.

The lead car belonged to Ken Wilden, who set the fastest time of 2:00.918 (105.989 mph) late in the afternoon session in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing RehagenRacingProducts.com Ford Mustang GT. Wilden passed fellow Rehagen Racing driver Nick Gullatta, who had set a time of 2:01.262 (105.689 mph).

James Gue, the 2008 KONI GS runner-up with Bret Seafuse, was third on the charts in the No. 37 JBS Motorsports Trumansburg Shur Save Ford Mustang GT, followed by Hugh Plumb and Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 61 Horsepower Ranch Sunset Hills Vineyard Ford Mustang GT; Matt Plumb and Mike Canney in the No. 60 Horsepower Ranch Sunset Hills Vineyard Ford Mustang GT; and Bryan Ortiz and Roberto Bengoa in the No. 57 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT.

In Street Tuner (ST) competition, Kristian Skavnes was quickest of the two practice sessions, setting a best time of 2:11.162 (97.711 mph) in the No. 111 ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacy.

Overall, 30 cars made on-track appearances. Sunday's KONI Sports Car Challenge practice begins at 11 a.m., and the final session ends at 3:45 p.m.

Rehagen Racing Continues Where Team Left Off

Dean Martin had to rebuild the Rehagen Racing team after losing three of its drivers during the offseason.

However, the team showed Saturday its driver power and horsepower in claiming three of the top six positions in practice. Leading the way was Ken Wilden in the No. 59 Ford Mustang GT; he was flanked by Nick Gullatta in the No. 58 Ford Mustang GT and Bryan Ortiz in the No. 57 Ford Mustang GT.

Rehagen Racing finished 1-2 in the season finale at Virginia International Raceway last October, with Mike Canney and Hugh and Matt Plumb charging to victory. In the offseason, Canney formed Horsepower Ranch, taking the Plumb brothers and Jack Roush Jr. with him. Martin was in the second-place finishing car.

But Martin landed Wilden, whom he won with at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2007, and garnered the likes of Gene Martindale and Nick Gullatta for two cars on Saturday. Wilden will be a fulltime driver in 2009. Andrew Caddell was also driving the No. 58 car.

"I think this is a Mustang track for sure," Wilden said. "I don't think we are going any faster than we were last year. I think you'll see guys go for it tomorrow. Our car ran flawlessly today. We've got some issues we're going to try and sort out to make our car more manageable over the long run. We put on some new tires and I actually cooled down a lap before setting that fast one."

The newly-formed Horsepower Ranch didn't show any major issues Saturday. The cars came in at fourth and fifth on the charts Saturday, both cars faster in the afternoon session than the morning's practice. Hugh Plumb, who drove with Canney last season, was quickest on two of the three test days in the 2008 January Test Days, and said the No. 61 started out well.

"We're out to win a championship this year, and we need to be the best every weekend," Hugh Plumb said. "I think we're headed on the right course. Today, we did well, and we look to improve on that throughout the weekend. Come the race, we look to be on the top of the podium."

TRG Fastest Porsche on First Day

The fastest Porsche on the first day of KONI Sports Car Challenge was the No. 41 TRG Porsche 997, with Andy Lally and John Potter driving the car.

Lally drove for three teams in KONI competition in 2008, earning a victory driving for TRG with co-driver Scott Schroeder. TRG has two other cars - the Nos. 39 and 41 Porsche 997s - in its operation this weekend. Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende drove the No. 39 and Schroeder and Beau Borders drove the No. 40.

Lally has several victories at Daytona in the past, but none have come in KONI action. TRG is also looking for its first KONI victory at the 3.56-mile track.

"We've got a very well set-up car," Lally said. "It's as finely tuned and about as good as it's going to get. It handles excellent, we've got a great brake package; we just can't go any faster.

"We're just going to have to have a perfect race," Lally said about having a shot to win the race. "The other thing is that we just have to have long runs."

Added Ende: "Daytona is exactly the perfect track for us, but we ran here very strongly last year before we fell out at the end of the race. Of course, a Porsche won last year (from BGB Motorsports) so it can be done. I think we're going to field the best Porsches, and if we call a good setup and stay up front we can have a good shot."

Ranger Sport Racing Team Starting Sixth Season in KONI Sports Car Challenge

Barry Ellis, Fraser Wellon and Frank Rossi will start their sixth season in KONI Sports Car Challenge GS competition in 2009, after debuting in 2004 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In that race, the three piloted the car to a career-best second-place finish.

After admitting progression throughout each season, the team drivers and owners are looking forward to running at Daytona at the end of the month. The team's No. 88 Ranger Sport Racing Hop-A-Jet Porsche 997, which will be piloted by Ellis and Wellon, was built last season, while the No. 89 Porsche 997 is a veteran machine, and will have Rossi and Marcelo Abello as co-drivers

Though the team struggled to find speed its drivers and owners say is needed to be competitive, Ellis said one advantage was the team's presence. Several teams decided to forego the three-day test and concentrate on the single test day prior to the Fresh From Florida 200.

"We certainly hope to get a lot accomplished during the test here," Ellis said. "We came here with a list of things we're going to try. We know we're not going to have the horsepower here, so we're working on the handling and trying to make it the best handling car we can."

The trio's best finish at Daytona came in 2007, with a ninth-place result.

ICY/Phoenix Racing Quickest ST Team of Day

Notching the fastest KONI ST time of the day was Kristian Skavnes, who turned a lap of 2:11.775 (97.257 mph) in the No. 111 ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacy. Skavnes, who paired with Andrew Aquilante, was among the fastest cars in last year's three-day test session at Daytona as well.

Second and third went to the same driver - Tom Long - who piloted two Mazda MX-5s for Freedom Autosport. His fastest time came in the afternoon session, when he lapped the track at 2:11.162 (97.614 mph) in the No. 145 machine. He was also third quickest in the No. 146 Mazda MX-5.

Skavnes was fourth in the KONI ST point standings in 2008 and won at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with Chuck Hemmingson. The New Jersey native led the points twice in 2008 before falling victim to problems at the end of the season.

Burrows, Hopwood Pleased with RSR Motorsports' Mini Cooper S

Driving their third car in as many seasons, Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood are set to regain momentum from the middle portions of the 2008 season and claim their second championship since moving into the KONI Sports Car Challenge in 2007.

Burrows finished second and Hopwood sixth in the 2008 ST point standings, after winning the 2007 title despite not winning a race. This season, they will drive for RSR Motorsports in the No. 198 Mini Cooper S after signing with car owner Randy Smalley's team last fall.

Both noted brakes when discussing their first on-track performances, which came during the morning session. Burrows said he had "never driven so deep into a turn before and came out without crashing," and Hopwood said he was ecstatic with the handling.

"There is no question these guys have done a lot of detail work on these cars," Burrows said. "You can tell the quality and craftsmanship is there. The handling is amazing; the braking is great. These cars are well put together, and it's going to be a lot of fun."

The team's No. 196 Mini Cooper S also made on-track appearances with Smalley, veteran Owen Trinkler, Joe Toussaint and rookie Jade Buford behind the wheel.

Other News and Notes

Several drivers made rounds in the KONI Sports Car Challenge garage area looking for rides for Daytona and the season. Among them were Mark White and Chip Herr...The No. 5 Blackforest Motorsports Dodge Challenger made its on-track debut with Tom Nastasi behind the wheel. The car managed only five laps during the first session.

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For additional information contact Grand-Am:
Michael Harker, PR Coordinator, 386-681-6379, mharker@grand-am.com

PHOTO GALLERY: ALSTAR at Barrie Speedway - July 17, 1999 by Dave Franks

This is a photo gallery from Barrie Speedway on July 17, 1999. The ALTAR Series was at Barrie that night, along with some of the track's regular classes. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his photos. You can see Dave's website here.

FW: Grand-Am Rolex Series Set for Three-Day Test at Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 1, 2009) - Teams from the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will get a head start on the 2009 season Jan. 3-5 with three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Known as the "Roar before the Rolex 24," the session is the lone scheduled testing at the speedway prior to the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 24-25. All three days of the session are open to the public for $10 admission, which includes access to the infield, Sprint FANZONE and garage. Saturday's session also includes fan forums, including drivers from GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Banner Racing and Hyper Sport.

Saturday's schedule opens with Rolex Series practice at 9 a.m., and includes night practice running through 8 p.m. Sunday's schedule runs from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., with Monday's activities running from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will also test all three days in preparation for its Jan. 23 season-opening Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona.

Nearly 50 entries have been received for the test, which will feature 19 Daytona Prototypes and 29 GT entries.

TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will have a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys in preparation for a potential fourth consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, including the No. 01 of defending series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

Five-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Hurley Haywood is part of a two-car Brumos Racing entry, with Michael Shank Racing, Penske Racing and Krohn Racing also entering two cars. Other entries include 2007 co-champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, with three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson set to join them for the Rolex 24; 2005 Rolex 24 winners and series champions Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor; 1995 Rolex 24 winner Christophe Bouchot, for Level Five Motorsports; Childress-Howard Motorsports, making its Rolex 24 debut with three-time event winner Andy Wallace; and Spirit of Daytona Racing, featuring motorcycle champions Scott Russell, Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore.

Several of the teams, including Ganassi, Penske and Shank, are also expected to announce their Rolex 24 driver lineups at the test.

TRG and Farnbacher Loles Racing both have five Porsche GT3s entered in the test to head the GT lineup. Defending Rolex 24 class winner SpeedSource will have a pair of Mazda RX-8s, while 2008 champions Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards share the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R with Jan Magnussen.

The GT entry also includes three Corvettes and a pair of Ferrari 430s.

For additional information, including the complete entry list for the Daytona Test Days, please visit www.grand-am.com.

From J.J. O'Malley, Grand-Am Manager of Communications