SCC: Teams prepare for Homestead-Miami race

Grand-Am Cup Miami 250 offers something for every car lover, race fan

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2003) -- The Grand-Am Cup Series will take center stage at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month when it returns to action for the second round of the 2003 season, April 12-13. With high-end sports cars, popular muscle cars and the hottest import compact cars all racing in Grand-Am Cup's Miami 250, the race is guaranteed to have something for every race fan and car lover to enjoy.

The Grand-Am Cup Series is the premier proving ground for many of today's automotive manufacturers. The series features production cars that are straight off the showroom floor with only minimal racing modifications to enhance safety and performance. Four classes of the Grand-Am Cup cars will compete on Homestead-Miami Speedway's 2.4-mile road course at the same time as drivers race for top honors in their specified class as well as the overall win.

The Grand Sport division features cars that would complement anyone's garage. The premier Grand Sport I (GS I) class includes high-end sports cars and GT models, such as the Corvette, Porsche Twin Turbo, Saleen Mustang and STEEDA Mustang, while the Grand Sport II (GS II) class has popular sports and muscle cars like the BMW M3, Mustang Cobra, Pontiac Firebird and Porsche 993. One of the most popular new entries into Grand-Am Cup's GS II class is the new Nissan 350Z.

For those fans who enjoy the hottest import and domestic sport coupes and compacts, the Sport Touring division is for them. The Sport Touring I (ST I) class is known for its door-to-door exciting racing between entries like the Acura RSX and Integra R, BMW Z3, Lexis IS300, Toyota Supra and Honda Civic. The ST I class will also give fans the rare opportunity to see a pair of the new Mini Coopers and BMW Z4 roadsters battling it out.

The Sport Touring II (ST II) class features small sedans from the world's major car manufactures. ST II cars include the Mazda Protégé and Miata, Acura Integra LS, Chevy Cavalier Z24 and Ford Focus, just to name a few.

For those fans that enjoy open-wheel racing, Homestead-Miami Speedway will also host the Fran-Am Championship Series during the April 12-13 weekend. The Fran-Am Championship Series for open-wheeled race cars with two- and 1.6-liter engines, which had its North American debut season in 2002, is based on the very popular and successful Formula Renault racing in Europe.

With such a wide range of cars taking to the track, the Grand-Am Cup Miami 250 weekend is sure to cater to every car lover's desire. And to make the event even more enticing to South Florida race fans and car lovers, Homestead-Miami Speedway will sell tickets at the gate for $10 per day or a two-day pass for only $15.

Additional information about the Miami 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the Grand-Am Cup Series is available online at www.grandamerican.com.

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