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Texas test 2006-04-03

Ft. WORTH, April 3, 2006 -- The Crown Royal IROC Series continued on track testing sessions Monday night with series competitors, Max Angelelli and Sam Hornish Jr. getting in a few initial practice laps for the series' second event of the 2006 ...

Ft. WORTH, April 3, 2006 -- The Crown Royal IROC Series continued on track testing sessions Monday night with series competitors, Max Angelelli and Sam Hornish Jr. getting in a few initial practice laps for the series' second event of the 2006 season on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. Angelelli, the 2005 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Champion, is completely new to stock car racing and oval track racing, as was his teammate Wayne Taylor who finished sixth in the IROC season opening race at Daytona International Speedway in February. Angelelli and Taylor are competing for the Crown Royal IROC championship as a single entry in the same way they race for the championship in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series. Each driver will race in two of the four Crown Royal IROC events.

"First I want to thank Crown Royal and the IROC organizers for having me in the series this year, said Angelelli. I can say I certainly have gained a great respect for all of the drivers in this style of racing on ovals; it is unbelievably difficult and really challenging for me. I hope to learn as much as I can and get up to speed for the race this Friday. Texas Motor Speedway is a very nice race track and I'm really enjoying my time here and the opportunity to race in the Crown Royal IROC Series in Texas. It's my first time for everything, my first time racing on an oval and my first time racing in a stock car, so it is all very exciting to me."

Crown Royal IROC test driver, David Donohue, also a competitor in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, has a keen sense for what Angelelli is up against. "It's a big learning curve for Max, said Donohue. "It's still four tires making contact with the pavement and everything, but much like what Wayne Taylor went through in Daytona, these cars act so differently from what we're used to in sports cars. At the very least, I'm a good interpreter for Max. I know what he expected before he got into in the car and I know what he's feeling in the IROC cars compared to what he's used to feeling in the sports car. The most I can do is help him to understand the differences of what he's feeling and why. But, now that's he's been in the car a few times his instincts and talents are taking over and I think he'll do fine. " Two-time IRL IndyCar Series Champion, Sam Hornish, Jr., arrived for IROC practice fresh from the St. Petersburg Grand Prix on Sunday. Although a winner at Texas Motor Speedway in his IndyCar, Hornish, Jr., has never driven a stock car at "The Great American Speedway." Hornish said, "Well, it is a lot different here in the IROC cars than it is in the IndyCar, but the IROC cars are handling real well. You can run side-by-side very easily. I'm not really sure what to expect in the race because it looks like we're going to stay pretty bunched up. I'll have a long way to go with starting in the back, but I think that might be where you want to start in this race. It's been a great experience for me here tonight and I'm really excited about it."

The Crown Royal IROC team will continue on track testing and driver practice daily at Texas Motor Speedway through the April 7th race-two event.

-iroc

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