Gurney, Fogarty, and the GAINSCO Pontiac win the Daytona Prototype Championship

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

TOOELE, Utah (September 15, 2007) -- From championship to heartbreak, Saturday's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve season finale at Miller Motorsports Park was a true representation of the season as a whole - including one team's championship hopes literally going up in smoke.

The Sunchaser 1000 was a race for the ages, not in the least because of Riley-Matthews Motorsports first career Rolex Series win. Jim Matthews, Marc Goossens and Ryan Hunter-Reay persevered in the No. 91 Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley throughout the 1000k marathon, climbing 18 spots from their starting position to the top of the podium.

"Our car was very strong toward the end of the race," said Goossens, who ran the team's final stint. "We kept trying and trying all afternoon long. We were running some of our fastest times toward the end of the day. The car wasn't fantastic, but we kept going thanks to my team."

Equally as impressive though was the battle for the Daytona Prototype championship, which entered the day as the closest in all of motorsports.

As many expected, the championship outcome wasn't decided until the final laps of a drama filled race. Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty entered the season finale in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley one point ahead of Scott Pruett in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley and three points ahead of Max Angelelli in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley.

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[Realist]

Shame on Gainsco and shame on Grand Am. The 99 car did a dirty move by making contact with the 01, which also led to the 10 car catching on fire. Grand Am never called any penalties.

Yet, when the 01 car made contact with the 99 near the end of the race, the 01 car was given a penalty. So essentially the championship was decided NOT by racing but by a questionable penalty call.

[Koasterking]

With this and the Rolex series, Pontiac has some sweet racing teams. Nice to see them win over Porche, Lexus, etc.

[jaywestfall]

A picture of a Pontiac with the red dart ahead of the rice crowd makes my day.

Viva Pontiac!

[Beau]

It doesnt matter really does it?
No one pays much attention to this series in particular.

A pontiac sticker placed upon any car that wins ANY race in ANY series still leaves the end user, just a good car or two, that are on life support.

In otherwords, does this really get pontiac the cycles ( funding ) it needs to become competitive again?

No.

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

Originally Posted by Beau

It doesnt matter really does it?
No one pays much attention to this series in particular.

A pontiac sticker placed upon any car that wins ANY race in ANY series still leaves the end user, just a good car or two, that are on life support.

In otherwords, does this really get pontiac the cycles ( funding ) it needs to become competitive again?

No.

Point being. Pontiac is collecting reams of data from this committment to the DPs and GT1s in the Rolex Series. Does it matter? Yes.

I would also like to see the Solstice and/or Sky in the Koni Challenge.

[tholland]

Originally Posted by Realist

Shame on Gainsco and shame on Grand Am. The 99 car did a dirty move by making contact with the 01, which also led to the 10 car catching on fire. Grand Am never called any penalties.

Yet, when the 01 car made contact with the 99 near the end of the race, the 01 car was given a penalty. So essentially the championship was decided NOT by racing but by a questionable penalty call.

I have to say the 01 car has been given a free ride on penalties in the past. I have seen Pruett get away with a lot over the last few years... I'm glad the officials finally did something about it. The 10 car and the 99 have received many more penalties than the 01 over the course of the year, many of which were not warranted IMO.... so don't cite one incident as affecting the outcome... especially since the penalty essentially restored their relative order before the incident.

[Randle2I]

Originally Posted by Realist

Shame on Gainsco and shame on Grand Am. The 99 car did a dirty move by making contact with the 01, which also led to the 10 car catching on fire. Grand Am never called any penalties.

Yet, when the 01 car made contact with the 99 near the end of the race, the 01 car was given a penalty. So essentially the championship was decided NOT by racing but by a questionable penalty call.

I didn't catch the second contact, but the first one wasn't an intentional hit. It also effected both cars, the 99 losing its front right tire & the 01 losing its left rear. Both cars had to pit, but the design of the tires/cars made it easier for the 99 to get around the track with out tearing the car to shreds. It could hardly be said that such an outcome was intended. The 99 car did nothing wrong, unless you call the desire to win "wrong".

[bksavs]

I saw both incidents. The first was 2 cars racing for position, the second an intentional take out move. The fact that the car didn't wreck doesn't matter. Pruett does this all the time, it's about time he got called on it. Anyway...CONGRATS to Pontiac. They had the best cars all year and deserved the championship.

[Payne78]

Originally Posted by Realist

Shame on Gainsco and shame on Grand Am. The 99 car did a dirty move by making contact with the 01, which also led to the 10 car catching on fire. Grand Am never called any penalties.

Yet, when the 01 car made contact with the 99 near the end of the race, the 01 car was given a penalty. So essentially the championship was decided NOT by racing but by a questionable penalty call.

The 99 making a move to the inside and gaining the inside line was racing, not a dirty move. He had the inside line and Pruett tried to close the door. Neither of them was going to give up the position they had, so it was a racing incident.

The second incident, the 01 clearly hits the 99 from behind and continues to do so till he got by. It was almost like he forgot how to use his brakes. Plus if the 01's sister car, the 19, hadn't been holding everyone up the second incident would never have happened.

I wasn't to crazy about a penalty practically deciding the race, but it's what had to be done. I've been following this series for a couple of years and am glad to see a Pontiac and the 99 win it. Congrats.