THE LINE #433

February 20, 2008.

Ryan Newman, Penske Racing South, Dodge. Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger) got a huge shove from teammate Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) on the final lap of last Sunday's Daytona 500, and they both blew by the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart to give Roger Penske (and Dodge) his first ever 1-2 sweep in the Daytona 500, the 50th running of the "Great American Race." Dodge drivers also finished fifth (Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge Charger from Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), sixth (Elliott Sadler), seventh (Kasey Kahne) and eighth (Robby Gordon). Dodge awarded a $1 Million Bonus to Penske Racing for the win. It was Newman's first Daytona 500 victory and it snapped an 81-race winless streak. He led four times for just eight laps. Newman collected $1,506,045 for the win. Busch started 43rd but managed to work his way to the front and lead nine laps. It was his third runner-up finish in the Daytona 500. Busch also has seven top-five finishes in 15 races at Daytona.

Racing. The International Race of Champions series is finally going away for good. The entity will liquidate all tools, equipment, race cars and memorabilia in a two-day public auction March 7 and 8 at its headquarters. The "all-star" series has been idle since the conclusion of the 2006 season due to lack of sponsorship. And it's no wonder why. The IROC became a thinly-disguised extension of NASCAR in its last configuration, and its raison d'etre simply became nonexistent years ago. The original concept was great but that was a simpler time and a simpler era. The IROC became a NASCAR sideshow that was literally un-watchable for at least the last decade of its run. We say good riddance - and it won't be missed.

Corvette Racing. The roster of championship-winning drivers will return to Corvette Racing in 2008 to race the Chevrolet factory team's Compuware Corvette C6R race cars in the 12-race American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Jan Magnussen (Roskilde, Denmark) will drive the No. 3 Corvette C6R, joined by Ron Fellows (Mississauga, Ont., Canada) for three endurance races (Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans). Oliver Gavin (Yardley Hastings, England) and Olivier Beretta (Monte Carlo, Monaco) will drive the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6R, teamed with Italian Max Papis (Mooresville, N.C.) in long-distance events. "Continuity and consistency are two of the cornerstones of Corvette Racing's success, and that is reflected in our longstanding relationships with these championship-winning drivers," said Steve Wesoloski, GM Racing Road Racing Group manager. "They thoroughly understand the team's overall objectives, and they are total professionals both on and off the race track. We're very proud to have these six drivers as part of the Corvette Racing family." Corvette Racing's six drivers have a combined total of 135 ALMS victories, 13 ALMS championships, and 17 class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They've been successful in series that span the spectrum of motorsports from karts to Formula 1.

(Richard Prince for GM Racing)
Corvette Racing's No. 4 C6R was driven to first in GT1 by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Max Papis in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta (October 6, 2007), clinching the 2007 ALMS GT1 drivers championship for Gavin and Beretta. Gavin, Beretta and Papis will return to Corvette Racing in 2008 along with Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen, and Ron Fellows.

K-PAX Racing. Jim Haughey, of K-PAX Racing, and Bob Raub, of 3R Racing, jointly announced that they will return to the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship in 2008. The 2008 K-PAX/3R Racing team will field 911 GT3s for defending SCCA SPEED GT Drivers’ Champion Randy Pobst, of Gainesville Ga., and five-time World Challenge champion Michael Galati, of Olmstead Ohio, who finished fourth in points in 2007. The 2008 SCCA Pro Racing’s SPEED World Challenge GT Championship will begin in March at Sebring International Raceway, and is scheduled for stops at Long Beach, Miller Motorsports Park, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and Mosport. SPEED GT will conclude the season with a double header at the new Thunderbolt Raceway in New Jersey and the season ending race at Road Atlanta seven days later.

(K-PAX/3R Racing)
The Porsche 911 GT3s of Michael Galati and Randy Pobst.