St. Pete: Scott Pruett preview

Scott Pruett returns to the Trans-Am Series.

Lansing, Mich. - The reunion is set for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend February 21-23. Two-time Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup Champion Scott Pruett will get behind the wheel of the Rocketsports Racing, Jaguar R Performance XKR. This will be the first time since 1994 Pruett has competed full-time in the Trans-Am Series.

Pruett will attempt to capture his third drivers' championship, a feat accomplished by only three other drivers, including Trans-Am racing legends Mark Donohue, Tom Kendall and Paul Gentilozzi.

During the 2003 season, Pruett will be driving the Jaguar R Performance XKR for Rocketsports Racing. Pruett is not new to the marque or the team. In 2002, he co-drove a Rocketsports Jaguar XKR to victory at the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona GTS class. In 2001, Pruett drove the XKR at the Laguna Seca Trans-Am event.

Pruett comes back to Trans-Am with some impressive stats including 14 career wins, 20 poles and 44 "Fast Five" efforts. Pruett has even scored the victory here in 1987 on the old St. Petersburg street course.

"Preparing for St. Petersburg will be done mainly after I arrive," said Pruett, who will be pulling double duty in St. Petersburg. In addition to his driving duties, he will also be calling the action in the TV booth during the Champ Car World Series race for SPEED Channel. "I've seen maps and pictures of the course, but you have to walk the course with your engineers to really see the bumps, learn the breaking zones, and get a feel for the layout.

"Scott is a good friend and great competitor," said Rocketsports Racing team owner Paul Gentilozzi, who will be driving in select races this season. "It will be great to get him out of the booth and behind the wheel again."

"Rocketsports has a proven track record," said Pruett, who is a long time friend and past competitor of Gentilozzi "They've won championships, and I have a great relationship with Paul. We always said that when the time was right we wanted to do something together. Well, the timing is perfect.

"Our goal is simple - to come back and win another championship, I wouldn't be here unless I knew I had a shot at winning," explained Pruett.

-rsr-