From the Grand-Am Rolex Series
In a season where just about everything has gone wrong for the SunTrust Racing team in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, everything went right for once for Michael Valiante and Max Angelelli Saturday at Infineon Raceway.
Valiante led the opening 24 laps before handing over the No. 10 Pontiac Dallara to Angelelli, who led the final 58 laps to win the Armed Forces 250.
It was the first victory of the season and 12th career for Angelelli, the 2005 Daytona Prototype champion - and the first career triumph for Valiante, who joined the Wayne Taylor-owned team this season.
Alex Gurney finished second in the No. 99 Pontiac Riley started by Jon Fogarty, 3.646 seconds behind at the finish. The pair cut the lead of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas to 42 points with two races remaining in the 2008 campaign.
Pruett and Rojas finished sixth in the No. 01 Lexus Riley. Pruett had been running fourth on lap 65 when he was assessed a stop-and-go penalty for contact with Darren Law on the first restart of the event. That dropped the six-time 2008 winners to 10th, but Pruett was able to pass four cars before the finish.
Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle finished third in the No. 61 Ford Riley, giving the team its third consecutive podium finish. Frisselle started 16th after his apparent pole-winning qualifying run was nullified due to a technical infraction. He was able to lead 24 laps before pitting, with Wilkins running third throughout most of his run.
Joao Barbosa and JC France gave the No. 59 Porsche Riley its third fourth-place finish of the season, followed by Ricardo Zonta and Nic Jonsson in the No. 76 Pontiac Lola.
The Grand-Am Rolex Series crosses the country to race at New Jersey Motorsports Park next Sunday in the Supercar Life 250, featuring the Daytona Prototype and GT classes.
In a season where just about everything has gone wrong for the SunTrust Racing team in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, everything went right for once for Michael Valiante and Max Angelelli Saturday at Infineon Raceway.
Valiante led the opening 24 laps before handing over the No. 10 Pontiac Dallara to Angelelli, who led the final 58 laps to win the Armed Forces 250.
It was the first victory of the season and 12th career for Angelelli, the 2005 Daytona Prototype champion - and the first career triumph for Valiante, who joined the Wayne Taylor-owned team this season.
Alex Gurney finished second in the No. 99 Pontiac Riley started by Jon Fogarty, 3.646 seconds behind at the finish. The pair cut the lead of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas to 42 points with two races remaining in the 2008 campaign.
Pruett and Rojas finished sixth in the No. 01 Lexus Riley. Pruett had been running fourth on lap 65 when he was assessed a stop-and-go penalty for contact with Darren Law on the first restart of the event. That dropped the six-time 2008 winners to 10th, but Pruett was able to pass four cars before the finish.
Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle finished third in the No. 61 Ford Riley, giving the team its third consecutive podium finish. Frisselle started 16th after his apparent pole-winning qualifying run was nullified due to a technical infraction. He was able to lead 24 laps before pitting, with Wilkins running third throughout most of his run.
Joao Barbosa and JC France gave the No. 59 Porsche Riley its third fourth-place finish of the season, followed by Ricardo Zonta and Nic Jonsson in the No. 76 Pontiac Lola.
The Grand-Am Rolex Series crosses the country to race at New Jersey Motorsports Park next Sunday in the Supercar Life 250, featuring the Daytona Prototype and GT classes.