Daytona II: Krohn Racing preview

Krohn Racing Covers More Distance in GRAND-AM

As we enter Round 8 of 12 in the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, the No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Proto-Auto Lola of Tracy W. Krohn and Nic J0x00f6nsson tops the lap charts. The No. 75 Krohn entry has completed more laps than any GRAND-AM DP car this season (1,501 of 1,548).

The team is Daytona-bound this week for the Brumos Porsche 250 race, July 2-3. The two hour and thirty minute race will run on the 3.56, 12-turn speedway road course at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Krohn Racing team has been on the podium three times in the past four years at the Daytona sprint race, including a victory in 2006 with Krohn drivers Colin Braun and J0x00f6rg Bergmeister. The team collected two third-place finishes, in 2007 and 2008. Krohn Racing's highest 2010 finish to date was a 4th-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona race in January at the legendary circuit.

QUOTES:

TRACY W. KROHN, Team Owner/Driver No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola:

Did you get any down time after five weeks in a row at the race track? "Actually, I did get some down time! I was able to go to Pebble Beach for a couple rounds of golf...a game I have not played much of since I began racing. I have only played four times in the last five years! I broke 90 so with a little practice maybe I could break 80 again! While we were in Paris after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, my girlfriend, Laurie, and I became engaged!"

You have 7 races completed and 5 to go...past the half-way mark. How do you feel about the season so far? "It has been a tough season for us and the competition has never been tougher. Having said that, I believe the Proto-Auto is better than it ever has been and I just feel like we should see the podium soon! We had a very good car the last time we were at Daytona and I think that will translate well!"

You and John Pew have been going neck-to-neck on leading the Jim Trueman Award this year and it looks like it might be a battle throughout the season. How do you plan on winning this prestigious award? "The Trueman Award is for those of us that do not race cars for a living or do not choose to make it a career. That does not mean the competition is weak. John is an excellent driver and the only way to win is through performance. I believe that Krohn Racing has as good or better a crew as any other team in the paddock and having Nic J0x00f6nsson as a co-driver has always proven to be an advantage. Oz Negri is also a spectacular driver so it should be really competitive for the rest of the season."

This race at Daytona has traditionally been a good race for Krohn Racing with 3 podiums, including one victory, in the last four years. Your best result for this year so far was also at Daytona for the 24 Hour with a 4th place finish. Please talk about the team's success at Daytona. "We have had many races at Daytona over the years and feel like when we get there for the summer race that we have a pretty good car setup coming off the truck. We usually test and perform well there because we always seem to have a lot of confidence and expectation for good results. Nic and I know the track well and our engineers and crew are used to racing at Daytona."

What is going to be most challenging at Daytona this week? "Usually the most challenging thing other than all of the other teams of course, is managing the heat. You have to manage the heat in the cockpit, the tires, the engine bay, and the extra burden it puts on the crew. We always enjoy the crowd for this race and want to put on a good show for them as well."

NIC JONSSON, Driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola:

Did you get any down time after 5 weeks in a row at the race track? "I didn't get much down time. I came back home from Mid-Ohio and went straight to my Kinetic job and carried on developing our Kia cars. I was at least able to have one weekend back home, sleeping in my own bed. At least I was home for a week, which is nice."

You have 7 races completed and 5 to go...past the half-way mark. How do you feel about the season so far? "We have been much more competitive this year than last year. The team engineers have been working hard and we haven't had the same kind of issues to get the car up to speed. We've been in the Top 5 cars speed-wise everywhere we've been so far this year. We qualified on pole in Lime Rock and ran strong at Mid-Ohio, where we ran fifth before we were taken out. So I think the car is better than it has been and I'm looking forward to going to Daytona this weekend.

Also I think this year has also shown that Tracy had been more consistent and getting into a rhythm and groove, running very competitive this year, and not just in comparison to the other gentleman drivers but actually to all the other competitors. He's been running within a second and a half to two seconds off the quick car out there, which is very, very impressive. I think he feels that himself. He's getting back in the groove after taking most of last year off. I think the car is better and Tracy drives more now and is actually shows. So I'm very pleased with Tracy's performance so far this year."

What is going to be most challenging at Daytona this week? "I think the most challenging this week is the tight schedule. There's not going to be much rest in between. When we go out to practice on Friday morning and we start at 8:00 a.m. and will be done by 12:00 noon. We won't even come back to the garage from the pits. You don't have a chance to do much set-up changes in any big way. You can just do small tweaks to the car. So I think it's important we unload close to where we need to be, which we normally do. Hopefully that will be the case again.

And we just need to stay sharp and stay focused and make sure you take on fluids, and eat properly. It's a very hectic schedule and we're together with NASCAR again so we are going to be pushed aside a little. It will be different than when we are at Daytona for the 24 hours. All those things have to be taken into account because that is normally second nature to us. With the team following direction I think we can have a good Proto-Auto Lola for the race."

DAVID BROWN, Krohn Racing Team Manager and Engineer:

There are 7 races completed and 5 to go...past the half-way mark. How do you feel about the season so far? "We have been more confident of being competitive at a wide range of tracks this year. The results have been variable but we have been working on various aspects of our team's performance throughout the year. One of the highlights for us is the step forward Tracy has made in his race pace this year. We continue to develop the car and the team and we aim to win races this year. We believe this is attainable and it's our primary goal."

This race at Daytona has traditionally been a good race for Krohn Racing with 3 podiums, including 1 victory, in the last 4 years. The team's best result for this year so far was also at Daytona for the 24 Hour with a 4th place finish. Please talk about the team's success at Daytona. "Although in recent years our car has seldom been the fastest at Daytona, we have benefitted from good team organization and pit work. The car is on the pace in the race and we use good strategy and the skill level of the drivers to work our way forward. It's always an event in which tenacity pays off. We have plenty of will to win and we are determined to put good results in the books."

How do you best support Tracy's effort for the Jim Trueman Award? "It has not been our sole focus this year. We have other priorities -- like winning. It continues to be an award which we monitor and we alter our race strategy if the opportunity allows."

What is going to be most challenging at Daytona this week? "We always get involved in the game of lift over drag. We have to be fast enough on the straights without giving up all our downforce. This is our balancing act at Daytona."

You are bringing back Colin Braun for a Grand-Am tire test session for Krohn Racing following the Daytona race. Tell us about that. "Krohn Racing has offered to participate in order that the Proto-Auto chassis can be evaluated with the test tires. It's part of the process to evaluate the tires for 2011 -- a process which we are more than happy to take part in. For the test at Homestead, we will once again call upon the services of Colin Braun. Colin was a Krohn Racing driver in 2006 and 2007 and has also driven for the team most recently in the 2010 Daytona 24-hour race as one of our 4 race drivers. Colin is a well respected and talented young driver who will take time out of his busy time Nationwide Cup schedule and we are glad to have to opportunity to put him in the car again, albeit briefly, for this tire test."

The Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway will be televised slightly tape-delayed on SPEED on Saturday, July 3rd at 1:00 p.m. ET.

-source: kr