Sears Point: Race notes

Said Scores Trans-Am Victory at Infineon; Second-Place Kendall Takes the Points Lead

SONOMA, Calif. (June 27, 2004) -- It appeared as if the third time, or in this case the third race, was a charm for Boris Said Sunday at Infineon Raceway. Said, competing in his third event of the weekend, won the Trans-Am 100, Round 3 of the 2004 Motorock Trans-Am Series championship.

Said, fresh off finishing sixth in the NASCAR Nextel Cup race earlier Sunday, led every lap of the Trans-Am race from the pole. Said had also competed in the NASCAR Southwest Tour race on Saturday. Tommy Kendall was second, ahead of Randy Ruhlman. Rookie GT-1 competitor Ross Murray was fourth in just his second Trans-Am start, while Joey Scarallo completed the top five, recording his second top-five finish in as many races.

"I'm just hungry," said Said (No. 33 Applied Computer Solutions/GE Access Ford Mustang. "I like driving and I like winning races. It was just a blast this weekend running all three races. We ran really strong in the Cup race today, coming from 19th to eighth. I just barely made it to the Trans-Am car before the engine started. The car was unbelievable today.

"Joe Huffaker's shops are right here (at Infineon Raceway)," added Said, whose 13th Trans-Am victory ties him with the legendary George Follmer for 10th on the all-time Trans-Am win list. "He built me an unbelievable motor. I've never had that kind of advantage in horsepower."

Tommy Kendall finished second, earning his first Trans-Am podium since September of 1997. Kendall, driving the No. 11 Jaguar R Performance XKR, also gave Jaguar's new production-based, overhead-cam, fuel-injected engine its first top-three finish.

"This is rewarding," said Kendall. "We've had three races where we really worked hard. To get the first podium for this engine is special. It's been a long time. I'd really like to thank the folks at Jaguar and (team owner) Paul Gentilozzi for giving me a shot. Jaguar makes us feel like the F-1 guys. They really support the whole effort, and I think it brings quite a bit of prestige to the Series.

"We've taken a few punches in the gut this year," added Kendall. "But the team never gives up. We're going to win some races this year."

Ruhlman, driving the No. 49 Preformed Line Products Chevrolet Corvette recorded his first podium of the season.

"This weekend just went smoothly," said Ruhlman. "We had a gearbox failure at Long Beach and an engine failure at Portland, so this is really a great finish. The crew worked great. It's just fantastic to get back on the podium. We're planning to make a habit of this."

Kendall leads the point standings with 66 markers, just one point ahead of Gentilozzi. Greg Pickett, Jorge Diaz, Jr., and John Baucom round out the top five points.

The next race for the Motorock Trans-Am Series is scheduled for Friday, July 2 as part of the Cleveland Grand Prix.

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