Grand Am
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
GRAND-AM: Barber Preview
After two-month post-Rolex 24 break, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series roars back into action this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park...
John Dagys  |  Posted March 27, 2012   Chicago, IL
Starworks Motorsport and GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing are among the contenders for Saturday's Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park. (Photo: LAT)
With guest drivers, international teams and the added fanfare that comes with the around-the-clock classic, the Rolex 24 at Daytona is often considered a race in itself, albeit the kick-off for GRAND-AM Road Racing each year.

That’s why many consider this weekend’s Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, SPEED) the start of the 'regular season' for the Rolex Sports Car Series, in what’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive years yet for both the Daytona Prototype and GT categories.

Twenty-eight cars are entered for the two-hour and 45-minute race, including a field of nine DPs, all of but one featuring the new-generation bodywork which debuted at the 50th Rolex 24 in January.

Daytona saw GRAND-AM stalwarts Michael Shank Racing come out on top, and drivers John Pew and Ozz Negri, who will be making his 100th series start this weekend, will be looking to make it two-for-two in their No. 60 Riley-Ford.
Ozz Negri, center left, and John Pew, center right, will be looking to give Michael Shank Racing back-to-back Rolex Series victories for the first time since 2008. (Photo: LAT)

The fight for the Ohio-based team to take its first sprint race victory in more than three years will be tough, though, with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas looking to rebound after late-race gearbox issues demoted the defending series champs to a sixth place finish.

Another team to walk away from Daytona with even fewer points was SunTrust Racing, as its new Dallara-chassied Corvette DP suffered engine issues in the first hour of the race, which led to an early retirement for 2011 runner-ups Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli.

The misfortunes for two of this year’s title contenders opened the door for some of the hard-working 'underdog' squads, such as Starworks Motorsport, to capitalize on some crucial early season points.

For Peter Baron’s Starworks team, fresh off a class victory and overall podium finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring, there’s plenty of momentum flowing, and the team’s No. 8 Riley-Ford, which came less than six seconds away from victory at the Rolex 24, will be one of the contenders this weekend in the hands of Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio.

Starworks sister No. 2 machine, still running in last year's configuration, could also play a factor with Lucas Luhr and Alex Popow at the wheel.

But what about the Corvettes? After an underwhelming debut that saw various technical issues, both Action Express Racing and GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing will be looking to get their seasons back on track, as well as the Spirit of Daytona machine of Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook.

For the first time in recent memory, the entire field of DPs could have a chance of victory on Saturday, which should make for some entertaining battles on track.

Page 1 of 2
Prev
12
Next
john_dagys's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Dagys

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.