Posted (04/13/2004) -
For Phoenix International Raceway our team was excited about our new and improved look. While on track performance should always be 85% of the focus of running a professional race effort, the other 15% needs to be focused on the presentation of the team. For Phoenix we had all three of our Grand Am Cup cars painted in the red and black paint job with the yellow lightening bolt. Both of our Grand American Rolex cars were painted in the neon blue and green Planet Earth Motorsports colors. In addition the crew looked very sharp in our new charcoal gray and black polo shirts.
There was no promoter test day at Phoenix so we didn't go on track until the official practice started on Thursday. The promoter test days are always the most affordable testing time we can get as we already have our crew there and we have already paid to transport the cars to and from that track. With a condensed weekend for the Grand Am Cup cars, we only had ninety minutes of practice before the race which isn't a lot to get everyone up to speed and make the required changes to adapt to the track.
Our Grand Sports effort in Grand Am Cup entered the weekend on top of our game. We had placed first and fourth in both the first two races and held a substantial lead in the Points Standings. My dad, Joe, and I are co-driving the #43 car together and we utilized the track time to familiarize ourselves to the track and to tune the shocks to what seemed to be a bumpier Phoenix track than 2003.
Terry Borcheller and Craig Stanton, who are leading the GS points, used their time in our #44 Porsche to tune the car more to their driving characteristic. With car setup there is never a 'right' answer. Our base setup from #43 package has provided these two pro drivers a good opportunity to mold the car to their liking through shock, wing adjustments, and sway bar tuning.
The Grand Am Cup race was on Friday night. Due to a botched qualifying session there was only one timed lap and the grid for the race was very mixed up from the usual order. Stanton put the #44 second on the grid. However my ride, the #43 and #40, with Joe Masessa, had to start near the back of the twenty eight car field.
Dad and Joe Masessa both worked their way up into the top fifteen before both had bad luck. Masessa struck misfortune first when his car was struck by an errant Nissan in the brake zone. Dad's misfortune came when his window net fell down fifty minutes into the two and half hour race. We had to pit out of sequence which meant we had to make two pit stops during what turned out to be a full green race.
When I got into the car we were two laps down due to the mishap. As I drove my way into the night the other cars started to come back to me. In the final stages of the race we worked our way back to third place and on the same lap as all cars but the leader. During my pass on third place, the third place car seemed to almost cut out of fuel right in front of me during a turn. I got into the rear of him and spun him. While it was only an error in judgment and nothing intentional, the officials decided to penalize us ten seconds which pushed us back to fourth.
Stanton had a good race with the #33 Nissan for the first half of the race until the Nissan had a driveshaft failure requiring an extended stop for repairs. Borcheller then took over for Stanton and brought home their third straight win of the season. Terry and Craig now have a perfect 105 points this season. Dad and I have 84 points and the next closest only has 62. Our momentum at the beginning of the season is very strong and we are excited about our hopes of repeating our Grand Am Cup Championship.
The Rolex race took place on Saturday night in front of a larger crowd than last season. With car count growth and spectator growth the excitement of the Grand American Rolex Series is escalating. Our Grand American Rolex Series lineup sees dad
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