SCC: Daytona Champions weekend preview

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (October 28, 2003) -- The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series will wrap up its 2003 season with the Grand American Champions Weekend presented by Brumos Porsche this weekend, October 31 - November 2. There should be plenty of excitement for fans in attendance, as teams battle for not only a win on Daytona International Speedway's historic 3.56-mile road course, but also for the series championships.

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Three Teams, Four Points, One Race

The inaugural season of Daytona Prototype racing has been filled with plenty of excitement and thrills through the first 11 races of the Rolex Series, and the final race of the season is shaping up to be the best yet as three teams and five drivers enter the Grand American Champions Weekend with a shot at capturing the Daytona Prototype team owner and driver titles.

It seems only fitting that the Daytona Prototype championships be decided at the racetrack from which the new concept in sports car racing was spawned less than two years ago. The Daytona Prototypes made their debut at Daytona International Speedway earlier this year in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and now they will return to the track to determine who will wear the crown as the class' first-ever champion.

Following Bell Motorsports' victory in the VIR 400 earlier this month, the team has pulled into the lead in the team owner point standings, while driver Terry Borcheller leads the driver points. With 346 points, Bell Motorsports and Borcheller hold a slim three-point advantage over the No. 58 Red Bull Porsche of Brumos Racing and its drivers David Donohue and Mike Borkowski.

The Bell Motorsports and Brumos Racing Red Bull teams are not the only ones with a shot at the Daytona Prototype championship. A second-place finish by the Brumos Racing No. 59 Porsche of Hurley Haywood and JC France at VIR propelled them to within four points of the leaders.

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Ten Daytona Prototypes to Run Rolex Series Finale

The Daytona Prototype concept was first introduced at Daytona International Speedway in January 2002. Just over a year later, six of the new cars made their racing debut in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Now, the first season of Daytona Prototype racing will draw to a close in Daytona with a record number of entries on tap for the Grand American Champions Weekend presented by Brumos Porsche. Ten Daytona Prototypes are entered in the finale, which will serve as the debut race for new entries from Essex Racing, SpeedSource and PAP Parts.

Essex Racing and SpeedSource will be racing the latest Ford-powered Daytona Prototypes from the Multimatic stable. Essex Racing has entered the No. 5 Quantum Motorsports/Speed Secrets Ford Multimatic with the father-son duo of Joe and Justin Pruskowski on its driver lineup.

SpeedSource, which has campaigned the Rolex 24 class-winning Ford Multimatic under its banner since the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, has entered the Mears Motor Coach-sponsored car into the Champions Weekend race as the No. 9 Daytona Prototype of Paul Mears Jr. The South Florida-based team will also run it's newest arrival from Multimatic as the No. 70 entry with Selby Wellman and Sylvain Tremblay taking turns at the wheel.

Also making its racing debut at Champions Weekend will be the PAP Parts No. 7 BMW-powered FABCAR, the first FABCAR to be fitted with a BMW engine. The trio of drivers slated to race the No. 7 entry include Duncan Dayton, Steve Southard and Chip Vance.

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Rolex Series LIVE on SPEED

The Grand American Champions Weekend presented by Brumos Porsche Rolex Series race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel this Saturday, November 1, beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

The Grand-Am Cup Series race will be shown on SPEED Channel on a tape-delayed basis, with a two-hour program airing on Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m. ET.

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France Hopes to Celebrate Birthday with Win, Championship

Rookie driver J.C. France will celebrate his 38th birthday on Saturday, November 1, by racing in the Rolex Series' final race of the season. It comes as no surprise that a victory on his home track is just what the Daytona Beach native would like for his birthday. And since he and co-driver Hurley Haywood are only four-points out of the lead in the Daytona Prototype standings, his first professional championship would also be a nice way to celebrate.

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Follow the Race Online

Grand American will offer Zippo Live Timing & Scoring throughout the Grand American Champions Weekend presented by Brumos Porsche. Beginning on Thursday, October 30, fans can follow all of the Rolex Series and Grand-Am Cup practice sessions and qualifying sessions, as well as the races. Zippo Live Timing & Scoring is free of charge and available at www.grandamerican.com.

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McQueen, Minter to Run Gunnar Porsche

Chad McQueen, son of the late actor Steve McQueen, and veteran sports car racer Milt Minter will co-drive the Gunnar Racing Porsche GT1 in the Grand American Champions Weekend.

"I've know Chad for a number of years and we've talked on and off about doing something," team owner Kevin Jeanette said. "This all came together over the past few weeks, and it's going to be a lot of fun having him and Milt together."

For the past few seasons Chad McQueen has been racing his 2-liter Swift in SCCA events where he scored numerous wins.

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RTG Motorsports To Raise Money for MS

RTG Motorsports, which campaigns the No. 71 BMW M3 in the Grand-Am Cup Series, is working to raise awareness and funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Recently, the team's engineer woke up one morning to find he had lost his sight. Subsequent testd confirmed that it was caused by Multiple Sclerosis. While he has now regained his sight, he faces an uncertain future because of the disease.

Now the team is working to increase awareness of MS, while looking to its corporate partners and friends to contribute to the NMSS. With donations of $100 or more, the contributors name will be on the team's race car for the remainder of the season.

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Amicks Return to Sports Car Racing

Brothers Lyndon and David Amick will return to sports car racing for the Champions Weekend. The pair will pilot the Team Amick Motorsports No. 50 Corvette in the GTS class. Lyndon Amick is best known for his time in NASCAR's Busch Series.

Also returning to the Rolex Series is the Hands on Racing Program, which Team Amick Motorsports created in 2000 with its partnership with the Believe In Tomorrow National Children's Foundation to offer children with life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to attend races. The team will have some special guests with them this weekend in Daytona as part of the program, and the children in attendance will get to be 'hands on' as their painted handprints are placed on the car on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

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Advance Super Tickets On Sale

Tickets are currently on sale for this weekend's event. The Advance Super Ticket is the best way to watch all of the sports car racing excitement during the weekend, providing access to the infield, paddock and garage, as well as free parking. The Advance Super Ticket is available for $60 and must be purchased by 6 p.m. (ET) on Oct. 31 from the Daytona International Speedway ticket office by calling 386-253-RACE or online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

For more information on the Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand American Champions Weekend presented by Brumos Porsche, visit www.grandamerican.com.