Said's Pursuers Hope to Close Gap at Capital Trans-Am 100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: T.E. McHale (727) 533-0503

 

SAID'S PURSUERS HOPE TO CLOSE THE GAP AT CAPITAL TRANS-AM 100

 

CLEARWATER, Fla. (July 16, 2002) - With three victories and five podium finishes in as many starts during the 2002 Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup season, Boris Said has very much had his own way through the first half of the campaign.

 

Said's rivals, however, may be able to draw some encouragement from the fact that they'll all be starting from scratch at Round 6, the inaugural Capital Trans-Am 100, this Saturday, July 20 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C. 

 

The first-ever Capital Trans-Am 100 will be contested on a temporary road course constructed on the site of RFK Stadium, longtime home of the National Football League's Washington Redskins. None of the expected 23 drivers in the field has any previous experience on the 1.7-mile, seven-turn circuit, which will host Trans-Am drivers for 60 laps (100.8 miles) as one of the featured events of the inaugural Cadillac Grand Prix. 

 

CBS Sports will provide live coverage of the Trans-Am event, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, and if recent history is any indication, the Capital Trans-Am 100 will provide an exciting finish.

 

The two closest races of the Trans-Am Series season have both been broadcast on CBS Sports, as rookie Butch Leitzinger drove to a 0.540-second victory over three time and defending Trans-Am Series champion Paul Gentilozzi at Mid-Ohio in late June, before Said edged Leitzinger by 0.266 seconds at Cleveland last weekend.

 

Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) is off to a great start in pursuit of his first career Trans-Am Series driving championship. He comes to the nation's capital off a victory in last weekend's Trans-Am on the Tarmac Presented by Microchip at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport. It was Said's third victory of the season and his fifth podium finish in as many starts. His earlier victories came back-to-back at Mosport and Lime Rock in May.

 

In six previous full or partial Trans-Am seasons, Said's best finish is sixth, in 1995 and '96. His three victories this season equal his career total in 46 starts entering the campaign.

 

With 152 points, Said holds a 27-point edge over Gentilozzi (#3 Johnson Controls/Microchip/ MatrixOne/Futaba Jaguar XKR), who stands second in the championship with 125 points. Gentilozzi is bidding to become only the second driver in the Trans-Am's 37-year history to win four championships, joining Tom Kendall (1990, '95, '96 and '97). Gentilozzi reigned as Trans-Am champion in 1998, '99 and last year.

 

 













With a recent run of three consecutive podium finishes, Leitzinger (#88 Tommy Bahama/Tom Gloy Chevrolet Corvette) has moved into a tie with veteran Johnny Miller (#64 Automation Direct/Eaton Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR) for third place in the championship, each with 117 points.  

 

Leitzinger, who has made only six career Trans-Am Series starts, leaves Ohio with a mixture of fondness and regret after scoring his first career victory at Mid-Ohio in late June and following with a runner-up performance at Cleveland. Miller has been a model of consistency for the past 1½ Trans-Am seasons, constructing a streak of 17 top-10 finishes, the longest active streak in the series, dating to his victory in the 2000 season finale at San Diego. His season-best finish to date is second at Mosport.

 

Rounding out the lead quintet in the championship is Tony Ave (#53 Trilithic Panoz Esperante), who stands fifth with 92 points. Ave led a race-high 20 laps at Cleveland and was positioned for a possible podium finish until making contact with the crippled car driven by Paet Hidalgo late in the race. Ave ultimately finished 12th. 

 

Stuart Hayner (#02 Trenton Forging/Tom Bell Chevrolet Corvette), meanwhile, has joined Said and Leitzinger as one of the hottest drivers in the Trans-Am Series championship. He has finished fifth or better in each of his past two starts, is coming off a third-place effort at Cleveland, his first podium performance of the season, and is one of three drivers tied for sixth in the championship with 90 points.

 

Hayner shares his position with Michael Lewis (#12 AmeriSuites Jaguar XKR) and Randy Ruhlman (#49 Preformed Line Products Chevrolet Corvette). That trio stands just a single point in front of Justin Bell (#40 XtremeLens Chevrolet Corvette), who comes to Washington ninth in the championship with 89 points. Bell, the 2001 AmeriSuites Rookie of the Year, finished a strong fifth at Cleveland, his best result since taking third at Mosport in Round 2.

 

The Capital Trans-Am 100 represents the midpoint of the 12-race 2002 Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup season. After a weekend off the series continues with the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 3-4, at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada. The race will air live on SPEED Channel, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

 

 

 




























FAST FACTS FOR THE CAPITAL TRANS-AM 100
 

WHAT: Capital Trans-Am 100.

                WHERE: Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C.

                WHEN: Friday-Saturday, July 19-20.

TRANS-AM SERIES FOR THE BFGOODRICH TIRES CUP SCHEDULE (All times EDT): FRIDAY, JULY 19 - Trans-Am Series practice, 11-11:30 a.m.; Trans-Am Series qualifying, 2:05-2:50 p.m.; Trans-Am Series practice, 6:35-7:05 p.m. SATURDAY, JULY 20 - Capital Trans-Am 100, 2:30 p.m.

BROADCAST: CBS Sports, Saturday, July 20, 2:30 p.m. ET (live).

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Inaugural event.

DEFENDING POLESITTER: Inaugural event.

TRACK LAYOUT: 1.7-mile, seven-turn temporary circuit.

RACE DISTANCE: 60 laps, 100.8 miles.

TRACK RECORDS: N/A.

RACE NUMBER: 6 of 12 in the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup.

TRANS-AM SERIES FOR THE BFGOODRICH TIRES CUP POINTS LEADERS: Boris Said, 152; Paul Gentilozzi, 125; Butch Leitzinger 117; Johnny Miller, 117; Tony Ave, 92; Stuart Hayner, 90; Michael Lewis, 90; Randy Ruhlman, 90; Justin Bell, 89; Tomy Drissi, 79. 

NEXT EVENT: Sunday, August 4, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada.

 

 

NOTEWORTHY
                

·         Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup championship leader Boris Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) drove to his third victory of the 2002 Trans-Am Series season last Saturday at Cleveland, continuing his standing as the only driver to win multiple Trans-Am events this season. Said's victories have come at Mosport and Lime Rock in addition to Cleveland. His 2002 victory total equals his career total in 46 starts covering six full or partial Trans-Am Series seasons prior to this year. Said's first career Trans-Am victory came at Road America in 1995. He also recorded wins at Las Vegas in 2000 and Sebring last year.

 

·         Rookie Butch Leitzinger (#88 Tommy Bahama/Tom Gloy Chevrolet Corvette) brings a streak of three consecutive podium finishes to this weekend's Capital Trans-Am 100, and his moved into third place in the championship as a result of that success. After finishing outside the top 10 in each of his first two starts this year, Leitzinger began his run with a third-place finish at Lime Rock. He followed that with his first career victory from the pole at Mid-Ohio before extending the streak with a runner-up performance to Boris Said at Cleveland last weekend. Leitzinger leads the Trans-Am Series with three pole positions - at Mosport, Mid-Ohio and Cleveland - and holds a 117-36 lead over Bobby Sak in the race for the AmeriSuites Rookie of the Year Award.

 

·         Johnny Miller (#64 Automation Direct/Eaton Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR) finished sixth at Cleveland last Saturday to extend a streak of 17 consecutive top-10 finishes, the longest active streak in the Trans-Am Series. The run dates to Miller's first career victory at San Diego in the 2000 season finale. Miller, whose 117 points tie him with Butch Leitzinger for third place in the Trans-Am Series championship, has finished sixth or better in all five of his starts in 2002, highlighted by podium results of second at Mosport and third at Long Beach.

 

·         Boris Said's victory at Cleveland allowed Panoz to gain some breathing room in a close, three-way battle for the 2002 Trans-Am Manufacturers Championship.  Panoz collected 15 points for Said's victory, giving it 69 for the season and a 10-point lead over Jaguar, which stands second at 59. Right on Jaguar's heels is Chevrolet, which improved to 57 points on the strength of Butch Leitzinger's runner-up result in Cleveland. Jaguar is the defending Trans-Am Series Manufacturer's Champion.

 

 ·       The command to start engines for the inaugural Capital Trans-Am 100 will be given by Petty Officer Lee O'Connor of the United    

        States Navy. Petty Officer O'Connor is an active duty member of the Navy with eight years of service, and was named Sailor of

        the Year for the Washington Naval District. He is the Lead Firing Platoon Petty Officer for the Navy Ceremonial Guard.