Daytona 24: Synergy Racing No. 80 preview

Young gun, veterans make for perfect Rolex 24 At Daytona combo in SHOES FOR CREWS® Porsche

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 25, 2006) -- At only 22 years old, Leh Keen, of Dublin, Ga., is already one of the fastest competitors in the Rolex Sports Car Series GT class. Add his talent and youthful exuberance to the experience and know-how of veteran championship racers David Murry, of Cumming, Ga., and Craig Stanton, of Long Beach, Calif., and you have the perfect driving combination in the No. 80 SHOES FOR CREWS® Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for this weekend's 44th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Murry and Stanton each have a pair of driving championships to their credit, including Stanton's 2005 Rolex Series GT title he earned while co-driving with Murry for Synergy Racing. It was last season that the pair took notice of a young rookie driver giving them a run for the championship. In only his rookie season, Keen was able to rival Stanton and Murry on the track and in the driver standings, taking the GT victory at the historic Six Hours of The Glen and impressively finishing fifth in the final point standings.

"We raced against Leh last season, and he's proven his a good young driver. He's focused, he's committed, and he's shown great speed," Stanton remarked. "I think the combination of David, Leh and myself in the SHOES FOR CREWS® Porsche will be a great one for the Rolex 24. David and I already have a track record of running well together, and now we have Leh to help us out. He's equally quick and really savvy in the car. We have a great shot this year."

"I first met Leh a few years ago in Savannah when he was first starting out with some Porsche club events," Murry said. "Even then you could tell he had great talent, and he's been developing that. For such a young racer, he's already got a lot of speed and ability."

For Keen, racing with drivers like Murry and Stanton is a dream come true. "I couldn't ask for better teammates. These guys have a ton of great experience that I plan to learn from," Keen said. "And I think the three of us will definitely be fast in the SHOES FOR CREWS® Porsche and hopefully be able to bring it to the checkered on Sunday."

Practice for the Rolex 24 At Daytona will begin on Thursday morning, with first-round qualifying taking place on Thursday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. Additional practice sessions and second-round qualifying will take place on Friday. The Rolex 24 will start at noon on Saturday and conclude 24 hours later at noon on Sunday. More than 13 hours of the race, including the start and finish, will be broadcast live on SPEED.

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