Michael Shank Racing Takes 6th and 10th on NJMP GRID
(Millville, NJ) 17 July 2010 – Returning to a track where the team scored a convincing victory in 2008, Michael Shank Racing will look to duplicate that feat on Sunday after both team Daytona Prototype entries scored top-ten positions in qualifying at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Saturday.
Leading the team charge will be Brian Frisselle in the No. 6 Dallara-Ford that carries the Rocky Fork Company colors. Frisselle will start the 2.75-hour Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal race from the third row before turning the machine over to Michael Valiante to take to the finish.
The day opened with a pair of practice sessions before Ozz Negri and John Pew were invited to participate in a meet and greet with participants in a Susan Koman event on the track grounds before returning to the paddock for the qualifying session.
The sister No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford Riley of Negri and Pew will roll off the combined Daytona Prototype and GT Class grid from tenth on Sunday after Pew clocked his personal best time of the weekend to take the spot on the fifth row.
"We have a very good car once again this weekend," said Pew after the session. "Once I set my quick time, I was working harder to go even quicker but I probably ended up over-driving it a little bit. But you have to work hard in qualifying and I was giving it my all. We've improved a lot already this weekend, and I'm really happy with where we are with the car and hopefully we can keep the momentum we have in the championship going."
Negri's constant smile through the day was likely the best indicator of the state of play for the No. 60 entry as the No. 6 Dallara also continued to pick up speed through the event.
"The car's balance was better than it has been all weekend but we still struggled a little bit with getting the power down so we weren't as far forward as we wanted to be today," said Frisselle. "The car is good on corner entry, and it is really stable through the middle of the corner. But with the track temperatures being what they are, it's very slippery out there. I think we have a good car for tomorrow so we will see what we can do when the race starts."
The track temps soared to nearly 140 degrees in the mid-summer July heat and humidity, but the team has kept the focus with both cars on having Daytona Prototypes that can once again compete for podiums on race day.
"We've barely had to make any changes for the Crown Royal car so far this weekend and both Ozz and John feel like we've got a great car for the race tomorrow, so we're just going to keep doing what we've been doing with the 60," said team owner Mike Shank about the car that currently sits third in the team championship standings. "We are still learning a lot with the Dallara and we've made a lot more progress this weekend. We've got some more changes in mind and have a practice session in the morning to try some things to get even better for the race."
Make sure to tune in to SPEED at 1:00 PM ET for Live coverage of the Rolex Sports Car Series.
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Press Notes:
About AIM Autosport
Established in 1995, AIM Autosport operates multi-car teams competing in the Formula BMWUSA Championship and the Star Mazda Series. The company has a mandate to identify, train and manage emerging motorsport talent. AIM has provided many young drivers with a solid foundation on which to build a career in professional racing. The success of the AIM driver development programs has been achieved through the dedication of our employees and the ongoing support of our commercial and technical partners.
Away from the track, AIM Autosport serves the needs of the racing community with a purpose-built preparation shop situated in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario.
Chassis brings resume of success to AIM Autosport:
AIM Autosport's Riley chassis was purchased from Chip Ganassi Racing and comes to the team with an impressive legacy of success, having won the Rolex Sports Car Series Championship in 2004.
AIM Autosport Alumni:
AIM has a long history of bringing drivers up through the ranks, and the alumni list reads like a who's who in the sport: www.aimautosport.com/drivers/Alumni/Alumni.htm
Performance-Oriented:
Performance Drink, the "Official Performance Drink" of Grand Am has signed on as an associate partner for the 2007 season, and will be utilizing the relationship to develop and demonstrate the high-performance capabilities of the drink. The drivers in the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be participating in a unique program that will closely monitor their bodies' performances throughout the enduro. More details to follow.
For additional information
www.aimautosport.com
www.michaelshankracing.com
