Pruett earns spot on All-Time IROC Team

Defending Daytona Prototype Champion Pruett Earns Spot on Prestigious All-Time IROC Team

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 29, 2005) -- No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley co-driver Scott Pruett--who co-drove to the 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype championship--was one of four drivers named to the "Crown Royal Legends of Victory Lane" International Race of Champions (IROC) team on Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Representing the "Road Racing" category, Pruett joins open-wheel racing legend Mario Andretti, short-track superstar Steve Kinser and NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt on the team of all-time IROC greats, further solidifying his distinguished multidisciplinary racing career. The team was determined by nearly a quarter-million fan votes.

Pruett was chosen as one of 12 finalists for the prestigious all-time IROC team by an esteemed media panel touting over 100 years of combined motorsports journalism experience.

The finalists represented the three main racing disciplines of IROC racing-- stock car, open-wheel and road racing-- and included Daytona Prototype driver Hurley Haywood as well as Andretti, Mark Donohue, Earnhardt, Tom Kendall, Kinser, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Al Unser Jr., Bobby Unser, Cale Yarborough and Pruett.

Specifically, Pruett-- a two-time IROC race winner-- was pitted against the following drivers in the road racing category of the program: Donohue, the 1974 IROC champion and three-time race winner; Kendall, who earned nine top-five finishes during a six-year IROC career; and Haywood, who had four top-five finishes during his four-year IROC career.

"It's a tremendous honor for me to be chosen by the fans, and to be able to stand here today with these great champions as an IROC Legend of Victory Lane," said Pruett, who will put the wraps on his eighth IROC season later this afternoon when he straps in the No.01 Gold IROC machine at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "It means a great deal to me to represent the road racing discipline of this program. When you're voted onto a team with guys like Mario Andretti, Steve Kinser and Dale Earnhardt, naturally you have to feel very, very proud."

Pruett is no stranger to the Crown Royal IROC Series with 31 career appearances under his belt (1987-'96,'05) and having represented the likes of IMSA, SCCA, CART and Grand American. The California native has two career wins to his credit after taking the checkers at Riverside International Raceway in 1988 and pacing the 1991 season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. He has one pole at Talladega (1992), eight top-three finishes, 15 top-fives, four front-row starts and 51 laps led. His average IROC starting and finishing position is sixth, and he's collected 323 total points and earned $347,600 in prize money.

The 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series wraps up its four-race season this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET. The race will be televised live on SPEED Channel.

Next up for the Rolex Series is La Gran Final de la Series Rolex Sports Car on the weekend of November 3-5 in Mexico City. SPEED Channel will televise the 2005 Rolex Series season finale at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez live beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 5. Tickets are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.mx.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Grand-Am Cup Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 2005 Rolex Series season concludes on the weekend of November 4-5 with the organization's first-ever visit to Mexico City and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The 14-race 2006 Rolex Series schedule and the 11-race Grand-Am Cup calendar deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED Channel and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA, the Rolex Sports Car Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand American at www.grandamerican.com.

-garra-