Watkins Glen II: Notes of interest

Rolex Series returns to The Glen

Watkins Glen, N.Y. (August 05, 2003) -- The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series will roar into Watkins Glen International for the second time this season racing in the Bully Hill Vineyards 250 on Friday. This weekend's race will also be the second race of the season in front of a NASCAR Winston Cup crowd. The race will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET, following qualifying for the Winston Cup Series SIRIUS at The Glen.

Big Changes to Second Race At The Glen

Although the Bully Hill Vineyards 250 will be the Rolex Series' second trip to The Glen this season, this Friday's race holds few similarities to the event held at The Glen in June. One of the major differences between the Bully Hill Vineyards 250 and the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen is the distance. While endurance and perseverance were the keys to victory during the six-hour race, the Bully Hill Vineyards 250 will be a non-stop sprint race to the checkered flag. Another major difference between the two Rolex Series events at The Glen is the track length. While the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen was contested on the 3.4-mile course, which includes the infamous 'boot' section, the Bully Hill Vineyards 250 will be run on the shorter 2.45-mile course.

NASCAR Drivers In The Bully Hill Vineyards 250

NASCAR driver Geoffrey Bodine will return to Watkins Glen International at the wheel of the No. 8 BMW-powered Picchio Daytona Prototype. The Chemung native will partner with co-driver Darren Law and the G&W Motorsports team for his third Rolex Series race of the season. Bodine made his first appearance at the wheel of the No. 8 BMW Daytona Prototype in June during the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen, where he and co-drivers Law and Andy Lally finished fourth in the Daytona Prototypes class and eighth overall.

Petty Racing CEO and NASCAR driver Kyle Petty will join Gunnar Jeannette in the No. 6 Gunnar Racing Porsche GT1 at the Bully Hill Vineyards 250. The car, driven by Petty to a second-place finish in the GTS class in last month's Paul Revere 250 at Daytona International Speedway, will carry a special paint scheme featuring all eight Hole in the Wall camps for the 250-mile race. The camps are for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and their families. Petty won the GT class with John Andretti at the 2001 Bully Hill Vineyards 250 in a Porsche GT3 RS.

Tight Points Race

As the Rolex Series heads into round nine of its 12-race season, all three of the points championships are in a dead heat, including three teams vying for the title as the first-ever Daytona Prototypes champion. Four points separate the top-three teams and top-five drivers in the race to be crowned Daytona Prototypes champion. No. 58 Red Bull Porsche drivers Mike Borkowski and David Donohue lead the charge, while teammates Hurley Haywood and J.C. France, of the Brumos Racing No. 59 Porsche, are two points behind. Bell Motorsports No. 54 Chevy driver Terry Borcheller rounds out the leading contenders four points back.

New Cars to the Series

Doran-Lista Racing team owner Kevin Doran will debut a Toyota-powered Doran JE4 Daytona Prototype in the Bully Hill Vineyards 250. Drivers Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard Sr. will pilot the machine in its maiden race. The car joins a similar Chevrolet-powered Doran JE4 campaigned by Bell Motorsports in the series. The Bell Motorsports entry, driven by Terry Borcheller and Forest Barber, made its debut at this year's Rolex 24 At Daytona and already has three overall victories and five podium finishes in class in the first eight events of the 12-race series.

SpeedSource Race Engineering and Multimatic Motorsports reached an agreement for SpeedSource to field the Rolex 24 At Daytona class-winning Robert Yates-powered Ford Focus Daytona Prototype in the four remaining 2003 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series events beginning with this weekend's Bully Hill Vineyards 250. Paul Mears, Jr., Selby Wellman and Speedsource owner Sylvain Tremblay will drive the car. SpeedSource announced its purchase of two Ford Focus Daytona Prototypes from Multimatic, which the team will campaign for the entire 2004 season.

There are three new teams to the GT class that will race at the Bully Hill Vineyards 250. John Stevenson and Chip Vance will co-drive the Stevenson Motorsports/Auto Assets No. 39 Porsche GT3 RS. Bill Jennings and Dennis Black will pilot the Preferred Path No. 07 Ferrari 360 GT, while Chip Vance and Steve Southard will drive the Auto Assets/PAP-Parts.com No. 71 Porsche GT3 RS.

Heritage Aims For Five-In-A-Row

Heritage Motorsports No. 48 Mustang drivers Tommy Riggins and Dave Machavern will go after their fifth victory in a row in the GTS class at the Bully Hill Vineyards 250. The driving duo is currently tied for first place in the driver point standings.