GT3 Cup: Utah preview

RECORD FIELD READY FOR UTAH ROUND OF IMSA GT3 CUP CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY MICHELIN

BRASELTON, Ga. (July 11, 2006) A record number of Porsche GT3 Cup cars are entered for the third round of the 2006 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin, set for the Utah Grand Prix at the brand new Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City.

The largest field in the two-year-old series 46 drivers will tackle Miller Motorsports Park. At 4.5-miles and 24 turns, it is the longest road course in North America and already has drawn rave reviews as one of the finest facilities in the United States and the world. The state-of-the-art complex will join renowned circuits like Sebring International Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as host sites for IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge events so far in 2006.

Two classes of Porsche GT3 Cup cars will compete on the track at the same time during the 45-minute race in Utah Type 996 and the newer Type 997 Cup racers. The Utah round sees close championship battles in both classes as the Series approaches the halfway point.

The 997 class sees Sebring winner Kevin Roush on top by 2 points on Dino Steiner, who finished second in class at Mid-Ohio. Nathan Swartzbaugh is third, and Mid-Ohio winner Shawn Price is a close fourth. All four are within 8 points of the championship lead.

Dino Loles will take a solid lead in the Type 996 class after opening 2006 with a class victory at Sebring and following it up with another dominating performance at Mid-Ohio. Darrell Carlisle and Ben McCracken round out the top three. In all, 10 points separate positions 2 through 10 in the standings.

The third round of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin at the Utah Grand Prix and Miller Motorsports Park is scheduled for 1 p.m. MDT on Saturday, July 15. Qualifying is set for 1:30 p.m. MDT on Friday, July 14. Live Timing & Scoring and race results will be available at imsaracing.net.

-imsa-