Grand-Am Cup Earnings Pass Half Million Dollar Mark In 2001
Grand-Am Cup Earnings Pass Half Million Dollar Mark In 2001 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2001) - The inaugural season of the Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series was a tremendous success by any measure. Large fields of competitive cars kept the racing exciting throughout the 10-race series. And, participating teams got to share in a purse and prize money package that totaled more than one half million dollars at the end of the year. "We're very pleased with the way this season has gone," Grand American President Roger Edmondson explained. "When you remember the fact that we created this series just a few weeks before the beginning of the racing season and that we did it without the major sponsorship support the former series had enjoyed - well, let's just say it took a lot of work on the part of the Grand American staff and a lot of faith and support from the teams and drivers." The series offered a $25,000 purse at each event that included overall prize money and pole position bonuses. In addition to that, the automotive industry played a major role, doling out $259,400 to Grand-Am Cup Series teams in contingency awards. In 2001, it was the Compact 2000 and Sport Touring classes that garnered the lion's share of the contingency money. The purse was evenly divided in all four classes, but strong award programs from Acura and Honda combined with race wins by Planet Earth Motorsports Acuras and Honda of America Racing Team Civics raised the class earnings total to more than $145,000. The Sport Touring class also posted strong numbers, again due in large part to the Acura support. The ST class earned more than $73,000 on the season. The Street Stock Series contingency program included most of the world's major automobile manufacturers as well as key companies in the automotive aftermarket. The companies participating in the 2001 program included Acura automobiles, Nitrogen by Air Products, BMW automobiles, Chevrolet Corvette, Custom Wheels, Dura Fitted Garage, Fikse Wheels, Ford automobiles, Honda automobiles, Hyundai automobiles, Lexus automobiles, Mazda automobiles, Revolution Wheels, Tremec transmissions, Racer Parts Wholesale and Toyota automobiles. "We have a new purse structure for next season that we expect will increase purse payout during the year," Grand-Am Cup representative Scott Peterson noted. "Plus, we have begun talking to the industry about our contingency program and it looks like we will have even more companies involved for 2002. So, right now, things are looking pretty good for Grand-Am Cup teams." The Grand-Am Cup 2002 season will kick off at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 1, 2002, as part of the Rolex 24 At Daytona event weekend. Tickets are on sale for the event and may be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 386-253-RACE (7223). More information on the Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series is available online at www.grand-am.com/grandamcup. -30- For more information: Grand-Am Public Relations Christie Hyde (386) 681-4182 email: CHyde@grand-am.com