Daytona 24: AASCO Motorsports final report

AASCO Motorsports is open 24 hours.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., February 1, 2004 - The neon sign above the AASCO Motorsports' pit stall reads "OPEN 24 HOURS". The Dennis Aase-led crew proved in the 42nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona that it provides top-quality service to accompany its convenient hours. There was little rest for the Anaheim, California-based race team from the start for the crews of the Nos. 16 & 17 AASCO Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entries. The No. 16 of Craig Stanton (Long Beach, Calif.), David Murry (Cumming, Ga.) and Tim Sugden (Leeds, Great Britain) started last in the field and fought its way to finish sixth in SGS class, 20th overall. In the process, the No. 16 earned the SunTrust Most Improved Position Award for the class. The No.17 AASCO Porsche of: Gary Becker (Encino, Calif.), Derek Clark (Corona Del Mar, Calif.), Pat Flanagan (Laguna Hills, Calif.), Joe Kunz (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Mark Webber (Hidden Hills, Calif.) finished 14th in class, 39th overall.

The AASCO crew truly worked 24 hours. Major repairs started within the first hour when the No. 16 was forced off the track and sustained heavy damage. The crew did a remarkable job making complete repairs to the car within 30-minutes of the moment of impact. Meanwhile, Kunz, who qualified and started the No. 17, was hit on the passenger side door of the Porsche. The No. 17 incurred even greater damage than the primary entry and required five hours and ten minutes of repair. With both cars back on track, the AASCO crews- the No. 16 led by Manny Martinez, the 17 by Jim Moore- returned to pit lane to perform their regular pit crew duties for 24 hours of racing. Bringing the "OPEN 24 HOURS" slogan full circle, the No. 16 crew worked to cool the overheating sports car in the final hour of the event.

Dennis Aase, team owner/manager: "We finished two cars in a 24 hour race and that is no small feat. To resurrect two cars from dead and one from the double-dead is an amazing thing. These guys may not know it but they did an amazing thing. They have a great attitude after 36 hours of incredible work."

Craig Stanton, driver No. 16: "It was a weekend for the team. They really gelled and came together. We didn't make it easy on them. One person couldn't do all of the work so they had to come together. I am very pleased. This was David and my first race as teammates and I really enjoy it. I enjoyed working with the whole team including with Mark Webber. I really appreciate Mark and Dennis' vision for the team. I definitely want to congratulate the Doncaster team. They did a great job. Also, I really want to thank all of the families of the AASCO team. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are."

David Murry, driver No. 16: "First, I want to congratulate Doncaster. I drove with those guys last year. They're a class act. They really deserve this. I am incredibly proud of our AASCO crew. Three times they had to repair the cars after accidents. They put the car back together three times and refused to retire. We really have a team here."

Tim Sugden, driver No. 16: "Obviously, we're disappointed to have an incident at the start. After that things worked like clockwork. It is a testament to how good the lads are. We would have been a real shot at winning if the car wasn't damaged."

Joe Kunz, driver No. 17: "What a great job the 16 car did. It's a privilege for me to be associated with drivers like Craig, David, Tim, Gary, Mark Webber, Derek and Pat. And for the crew to do all they did. The whole AASCO operation works. Leave it to Dennis and Mark to come up with all the key people to have this kind of operation. It's been nice for me to see a lot of friends from South California here."

Pat Flanagan, driver No. 17: "This weekend was like every emotion and every kind of weather in the book. The crew was amazing. They're the best crew ever. Then, for me, to get into the car for the first time in the race in the middle of the night, in the rain at Daytona is an experience I'll never forget. This AASCO crew is unbelievable."

For more on AASCO Motorsports and its 2004 Grand-Am Rolex Series effort please visit www.aascomotorsports.com.

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