RACE: National Runoffs: Goodyear qualifying report

Goodyear-Equipped Cars Take 13 Pole Positions at Runoffs

LEXINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 23, 2004) -- As the 2004 Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs presented by Kohler begins racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course today, 13 pole sitters will be on Goodyear tires. That represents the best performance by a tiremaker in the hotly contested Runoffs field.

The 13 poles cut across the tire spectrum. Goodyear has DOT radial tires on the pole in two classes and bias-ply racing slicks on pole-winning cars. Goodyear tires are on pole winners in open wheel formula classes, touring classes and GT classes. Goodyear hopes to better last year's results in which the Akron-based giant won 15 races and made 40 podium appearances. The Runoffs includes 24 national championship classes and 23 of those classes are open to competition among tiremakers. No other tiremaker has more than eight poles.

Among the pole sitters, John Heinricy has a chance to extend his streak of laps led in the Touring 1 national championship race. Heinricy has led the last 60 laps in the class. No driver has led the Touring 1 race at the Runoffs since the Runoffs of 2000.

Joe Huffaker, the pole sitter in GT5, seeks his third straight Runoffs win in the class. His wins in 2002 and 2002 came on Goodyear tires. He has a total of eight Runoffs wins, third on the all-time list.

<pre> GOODYEAR POLES: GT4 Wilson Wright (Stockbridge, Mass.) Nissan Sentra GT5 Joe Huffaker (Petaluma, Calif.) BLMI Mini Cooper Touring 1 John Heinricy (Holly, Mich.) Chevrolet Corvette Formula Mazda Doug Peterson (Bonita Springs, Fla.) Star Mazda Sport 2000 Steve Johnson (Deerfield, NH) JRE SR71 Touring 2 Donald Knowles (Chapel Hill, NC) Cadillac CTS GT1 Lew Larimer (Hayward, Calif.) Oldsmobile Cutlass GT2 David Finch (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Porsche 944 D Sport Racer John Hill (Seattle, Wash.) Stohr DSR E Production Pratt Cole (Salt Lake City, Utah) Mazda Miata GT3 Mike Henderson (El Cajon, Calif.) Mazda RX7 Formula Vee Brad Stout (Webster Groves, MO) Vortech G Production Kent Prather (Wakarusa, Kan.) MGA

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