THE LINE

January 7, 2009

(Krohn Racing)
Krohn Racing will enter two Ford-powered Lola machines in the 24 Hours of Daytona. The team participated in the official test days on January 3 - 5 at Daytona International Speedway. Drivers for the No. 75 entry include team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn, Eric van de Poele and Oliver Gavin. The No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Lola features drivers Nic Jonsson, Ricardo Zonta and Darren Turner. The No. 75 entry finished with a best combined session time of 1:42.373, set by Oliver Gavin, the 13th fastest overall. The No. 76 entry posted a combined session best time of 1:41.967, set by Ricardo Zonta, the fifth fastest overall. The 47th Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race is scheduled for January 24-25, 2009.

GM, Chevrolet. They renew their sponsorship deal with the Daytona International Speedway and its signature event - the Daytona 500 - but at a dramatically reduced price and now on a year-to-year basis only, according to the Detroit News. GM had been involved with Daytona for 40 years, and their high-visibility role there (they provided the pace car for the Daytona 500) was in jeopardy due to its financial meltdown. The original contract was due to expire on December 31, but a new one was agreed to earlier in the month. It looks like the brain trust in Daytona Beach has finally gotten the message - albeit months too late - about the financial situation facing the Detroit automakers. Look for other pullbacks from NASCAR on GM's part, and you can bet price rollbacks and other concessions will be on the menu du jour for NASCAR from here on out.