Daytona II: G&W Motorsports preview

G&W Motorsports Hits 100 Mark In Daytona This Week

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 30, 2004) -- G&W Motorsports will field its 100th entry in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series this week in the Paul Revere 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The team's No. 86 Porsche and No. 81 Rx.com BMW Doran will mark the 99th and 100th entries in the series, more than any other team.

"I have always believed in the Grand American concept," said G&W Motorsports team owner Cole Scrogham, whose team is the only one to compete in every Rolex Series race. "From day one, I could tell that Jim France and the team he put together to run Grand American had the right philosophy to make sports car racing exciting and competitive.

"Hitting the 100 mark is exciting for our team," Scrogham continued. "Those 100 entries have been driven by some of the world's best drivers, who are also now some of our best friends. We've had a lot of exciting moments, as well as our share of disappointments since that very first Rolex Series race in 2000. But, through it all we've always enjoyed being part of the Grand American family; which is truly how you feel in this series, like you're with family."

Some of the notable drivers that have been behind the wheel of one of G&W Motorsports 100 entries include Geoffrey Bodine, Price Cobb, Kelly Collins, Mike Fitzgerald, Stu Hayner, Hurley Haywood, Patrick Huisman, Davy Jones, Andy Lally, Darren Law, Dieter Quester, Boris Said and Cort Wagner. Other key drivers for G&W Motorsports have included Shawn Bayliff, Matt Drendel, Danny and Steve Marshall, Brent Martini, John Morton, David Murry, Michael Schrom, Armando Trentini, Johannes Van Overbeek and Mae Van Wijk.

When it came time to submit the historic 100th entry, Scrogham personally delivered it to Grand American Road Racing President Roger Edmondson.

"It was a great pleasure to accept G&W Motorsports' 100th Rolex Series entry," Edmondson said. "Cole and the G&W team have been with us from the very beginning, and we appreciate their loyalty and devotion to the series and Grand American's plan for sports car racing."

G&W Motorsports has been highly successful with its 100 entries, as nearly half of them finishing on the podium in their class. To date the team has captured 15 class victories and 47 class podium finishes en route to four championships.

As the Rolex Series has grown and progressed since its inaugural 2000 season, G&W Motorsports has been at the forefront every step of the way. The team captured the GT championship in 2000 and both the GT and GTS championships in 2001. During the 2002 season, G&W Motorsports advanced into the SportsRacing Prototype II class (SRPII) and won that class' championship in 2003.

Also in 2002, G&W Motorsports helped lead the charge for the new Daytona Prototype class and became the second team to announce its purchase of one of the new cars.

"I have enjoyed watching G&W grow as a team as our series has grown," Edmondson commented. "After winning several championships in the GT and GTS classes, they moved into the SRP II class, and they were one of the first teams to announce their support of the Daytona Prototypes when the concept was unveiled in 2002."

"We've accomplished a lot with our first 100 entries, taking numerous races wins and a few championships along the way," Scrogham remarked. "It was an amazing journey, and I can't wait to see what all we will be able to accomplish with our next 100 entries."

G&W Motorsports will look to add another win to its record this week during Thursday night's Paul Revere 250. Drivers Brent Martini (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Cort Wagner (Los Angeles, Calif.) will pilot the No. 81 Rx.com Daytona Prototype in search of their first win of the season, while Mae Van Wijk (Kingwood, Texas) looks to continue her streak of improvement at the wheel of the No. 86 Porsche in the Super Grand Sport (SGS) class, partnering with Skip Barber Racing School, LLC Chairman Michael Culver for the race.

The Paul Revere 250 is part of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Pepsi 400 race weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The historic 'midnight running' of the Paul Revere 250 will get underway immediately following Nextel Cup qualifying on Thursday night at approximately 11 p.m. Tickets and additional information about the event are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

G&W Motorsports is based outside of Danville, Va., at Virginia International Raceway. Additional information on the team is available online www.gandwmotorsports.com.