Fast-Closing Leitzinger Sets Sights On Series
Lead in Johnson Controls 100 at Road America
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CONTACT: T.E. McHale (727) 533-0503
FAST-CLOSING LEITZINGER SETS SIGHTS ON SERIES LEAD IN JOHNSON CONTROLS 100 AT ROAD AMERICA
CLEARWATER, Fla. (August 13, 2002) - Boris Said has held the points lead in the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup since mid-May, but rookie Butch Leitzinger is suddenly looking like the man to beat for the championship.
With three victories in the past four events, Leitzinger has closed within 14 of Said's points lead heading into Saturday's Johnson Controls 100 at venerable Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. (noon ET, Sunday, SPEED Channel, tape delay). Through seven of 12 rounds in the chase for the 2002 Trans-Am title, Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) holds a 198-184 advantage over Leitzinger in championship points.
Leitzinger (#88 Tommy Bahama/Tom Gloy Chevrolet Corvette) took over second place following his Aug. 4 win at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. It was his third triumph in four races, joining victories at Mid-Ohio (June 29) and Washington, D.C. (July 20).
"We want to keep winning, and if we do, the drivers' championship will take care of itself," said Leitzinger, whose performance at Trois-Rivieres extended his streak of podium finishes to five, including finishes of third at Lime Rock and second at Cleveland. "We gained a big chunk on the championship [at Trois-Rivieres]. With five races to go, we have to stay up front."
The 4.048-mile permanent road course at Road America will be the longest circuit of the season for Trans-Am Series drivers. Said owns a victory there, having claimed the first of his six career Trans-Am triumphs at Road America in 1995.
Three of Said's victories have come this season, at Mosport, Lime Rock and Cleveland. He had a streak of six podium finishes - including second at Long Beach and third at Mid-Ohio and Washington, D.C. - snapped at Trois-Rivieres, where he finished ninth due to brake problems.
Still well within striking distance of both Said and Leitzinger is three-time and defending Trans-Am Series champion Paul Gentilozzi (#3 Johnson Controls/Microchip/MatrixOne/Futaba Jaguar XKR), who stands third in the championship with 174 points. Gentilozzi and Said are the only Trans-Am Series drivers to own top-10 finishes in all seven 2002 events, and Gentilozzi joins Said and Leitzinger as the only drivers to have earned victories this year, having claimed the season opener at Long Beach.
Gentilozzi is also a two-time winner of the Trans-Am event at Road America, having driven to victory in 1999 and 2000. He is one of four former Road America winners in this weekend's field, joined by defending champion Michael Lewis (#12 AmeriSuites Jaguar XKR), winner of last year's weather-abbreviated event, and Stu Hayner (#02 Trenton Forging/Tom Bell Chevrolet Corvette), who was first to the checkered flag in 1998.
Previous Road America pole winners on this weekend's entry list include Gentilozzi (1998, 2001) and his Rocketsports Racing teammate, Johnny Miller (#64 Automation Direct/Eaton Cutler-Hammer), who qualified fastest in 2000.
Miller continues in fourth place in the championship with 152 points, despite seeing his run of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes come to an end with a 12th-place result at Trois-Riveires. Rounding out the top five in the championship is Randy Ruhlman (#49 Preformed Line Products Chevrolet Corvette), whose runner-up finish at Trois-Rivieres was the best of his career, in his 121st career Trans-Am Series start.
The entry list for the Johnson Controls 100 at Road America features four drivers who will be making their 2002 Trans-Am Series debuts. John Schaller (#31 Central Power Distributors, Inc. Chevrolet Camaro) of St. Paul, Minn., made his career debut at Road America last year, finishing 13th, while Don Soenen (#74 Soenen Motorsports Ford Mustang) of Plymouth, Mich., also recorded the top finish of his five-start Trans-Am Series career, 17th, at Road America in 2000.
Also making his 2002 debut will be Jim Trotnow (#51 Milwaukee Electric Tool/Jensen Equipment/Trane Co. Chevrolet Camaro) of Mequon, Wis., who has made five of his six career Trans-Am Series starts at Road America, with a best finish of 17th in 1995; and Glenn Andrew (#45 Terre Haute First National Bank/Sycamore Chevrolet Pontiac Grand Prix), who will be making his 22nd career Trans-Am Series start and his first since 1999.
Returning to Trans-Am competition for the first time since the season opener at Long Beach will be veteran Greg Pickett (#6 Cytomax Ford Mustang), who finished fourth in that event. Pickett, winner of the 1978 Trans-Am Category II drivers' championship, stands second to Gentilozzi in career starts (154), top-five finishes (75) and top-10 finishes (108), and ranks third to Gentilozzi and Tom Kendall in podium finishes (47).
Following the Johnson Controls 100 at Road America, the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup travels to the Mile High City for Round 9, the Shell Grand Prix of Denver, on Sunday, September 1, on the streets of Denver, Colo.
FAST FACTS FOR THE JOHNSON CONTROLS 100
WHAT: Johnson Controls 100.
WHERE: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
WHEN: Friday-Saturday, August 16-17.
TRANS-AM SERIES FOR THE BFGOODRICH TIRES CUP SCHEDULE (All times CDT): FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 - Trans-Am Series practice, 8:15-8:55 a.m.; Trans-Am Series qualifying, 12:40-1:10 p.m. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17 - Trans-Am Series practice, 8:15-8:45 a.m.; Johnson Controls 100, 3:30 p.m.
BROADCAST: SPEED Channel, Sunday, August 18, noon ET (tape delay).
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Michael Lewis.
DEFENDING POLESITTER: Paul Gentilozzi.
TRACK LAYOUT: 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course.
RACE DISTANCE: 25 laps, 101.2 miles.
TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying (one lap) - 1995, Tom Kendall, 114.016 miles per hour (2 minutes, 7.814 seconds). Race - 1991, Scott Sharp, 107.711 mph. Race Lap - 1995, Tom Kendall, 113.514 mph (2:08.379).
RACE NUMBER: 8 of 12 in the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup.
TRANS-AM SERIES FOR THE BFGOODRICH TIRES CUP POINTS LEADERS: Boris Said, 198; Butch Leitzinger, 184; Paul Gentilozzi, 174; Johnny Miller, 152; Randy Ruhlman, 136; Stuart Hayner, 134; Tony Ave, 124; Michael Lewis, 119; Tomy Drissi, 115; Simon Gregg, 99.
NEXT EVENT: Sunday, September 1, Denver, Colo.
PAST TRANS-AM RACE WINNERS AT ROAD AMERICA
1970 Mark Donohue
1971 Mark Donohue
1972 Warren Tope
1973 John Greenwood
1974 Peter Gregg
1975 Jerry Hansen
1976 Carl Shafer (II)
Don Hager (I)
1977 Ludwig Heimrath
Bob Tullius (I)
1978 Greg Pickett (II)
Bob Tullius (I)
1979 Peter Gregg (II)
Gene Bothello (I)
1980 Monte Shelton
1981 Monte Shelton
1982 Jerry Hansen
1983 David Hobbs
1984 Richard Spenard
1985 Willy T. Ribbs
1986 Pete Halsmer
1987 Pete Halsmer
1988 Scott Pruett
1989 Dorsey Schroeder
1990 Tom Kendall
1991 Scott Sharp
1992 Ron Fellows
1993 Scott Sharp
1994 Dorsey Schroeder
1995 Boris Said
1996 Tom Kendall
1997 Tom Kendall
1998 Stu Hayner
1999 Paul Gentilozzi
2000 Paul Gentilozzi
2001 Michael Lewis
PAST TRANS-AM POLE WINNERS AT ROAD AMERICA
1970 George Follmer
1971 Mark Donohue
1972 George Follmer
1973 Warren Agor
1974 John Greenwood
1975 Jerry Hansen
1976 Carl Shafer
1977 Peter Gregg
1978 Greg Pickett
1979 John Paul
1980 Greg Pickett
1981 Monte Shelton
1982 Jerry Hansen
1983 David Hobbs
1984 Bob Lobenberg
1985 Paul Newman
1986 Wally Dallenbach, Jr.
1987 Russ Newman
1988 Scott Pruett
1989 Dorsey Schroeder
1990 Tom Kendall
1991 Scott Sharp
1992 Jack Baldwin
1993 Scott Sharp
1994 Scott Pruett
1995 Tom Kendall
1996 Tom Kendall
1997 Dorsey Schroeder
1998 Paul Gentilozzi
1999 Brian Simo
2000 Johnny Miller
2001 Paul Gentilozzi
NOTEWORTHY
· Butch Leitzinger's (#88 Tommy Bahama/Tom Gloy Chevrolet Corvette) August 4 victory at Trois-Rivieres moved Chevrolet into first place in the 2002 Trans-Am Series Manufacturers' Championship for the first time this season, while adding some heat to one of the most closely contested Manufacturers' Championship battles in recent history. Through seven of 12 rounds in the 2002 Trans-Am Series, Chevrolet has 87 points, while Panoz and Jaguar are tied close behind, with 83 points each. On the strength of championship leader Boris Said's (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) three victories and six consecutive podium finishes to start the season, Panoz had held the Manufacturers' Championship lead since Round 2 at Mosport, but Said's ninth-place finish, and Leitzinger's victory, at Trois-Rivieres allowed Chevrolet to take over the top spot. Manufacturer's Championship points are awarded to a manufacturer's highest-finishing automobile, regardless of model, on a 15-13-11-9-7-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
· This weekend's Johnson Controls 100 will mark Trans-Am Series' 33rd consecutive appearance at Road America, making the 4.048-mile road course the most tenured venue in the series. Trans-Am cars have competed at Road America annually since 1970, when Mark Donohue drove a Javelin to victory over Swede Savage and Sam Posey. Tom Kendall (1990, '96, '97) and the late Peter Gregg (1974, '77 [Category II], '79) own the most career Trans-Am Series victories at Road America, with three each. Donohue (1970, '71), Jerry Hansen (1975, '82), Bob Tullius (1977 [Category I], '78 [Category I]), Monte Shelton (1980, '81), Pete Halsmer (1986, '87), Dorsey Schroeder (1989, '94), Scott Sharp (1991, '93), and Paul Gentilozzi (1999, 2000) have won two each. Gentilozzi (#3 Johnson Controls/Microchip/Matrix One/Futaba Jaguar XKR) is one of four drivers competing in this weekend's Johnson Controls 100 who owns a previous Trans-Am Series victory at Road America. The others are Boris Said (1995), Stu Hayner (#02 Trenton Forging/Tom Bell Chevrolet Corvette, 1998) and Michael Lewis (#12 AmeriSuites Jaguar XKR, 2001). Kendall is the all-time leader in Trans-Am Series pole positions at Road America, with three (1990, '95 and '96), and holds the track qualifying record of 114.016 miles per hour (2 minutes, 7.814 seconds), established in 1995.
· Tom Gloy Racing and drivers Butch Leitzinger and Randy Ruhlman (#49 Preformed Line Products Chevrolet Corvette) will be seeking the team's fourth Trans-Am victory at Road America in the past decade, joining wins by Ron Fellows (1992), Dorsey Schroeder (1994) and Boris Said (1995).
· No pole winner has driven to a Trans-Am race victory at Road America since 1993, when Scott Sharp turned the trick. Tom Kendall was the fastest qualifier when he drove to victory in 1996, but he started fifth as a result of series rules stipulating that the five fastest qualifiers start the race in inverse order of their qualifying positions.
· For the first time this season, BFGoodrich® Tires engineers have mandated the BFGoodrich® g-ForceTM T/A® radials hard #75 compound for all competitors at Road America. The mandating of tire compound is based on the combination of car weight (2,800 pounds) and the sustained 180-plus miles per hour speed the Trans-Am cars reach at Road America. (In comparison, the CART Champ cars, which exceed 200 mph, weigh only 1,550 pounds.) "From a tire perspective, the expected high ambient temperature in August and the length of time at high speed on these heavy cars takes a toll," said BFGoodrich® Tires lead engineer Gary Blalock. "We have taken a conservative approach and mandated the hard compound for the past couple of years and it has worked very well. Our #75 compound tires will allow drivers to race hard for the entire 100-mile event and provide some exciting racing action. The hard compound has proven to be extremely durable without sacrificing speed - a perfect combination for Road America."
· BFGoodrich® Tires sponsors the BFGoodrich® Tires "Take Control" Award, an award that will be given to the driver who leads the most laps in each Trans-Am race. In the event of a tie, the driver with the highest finishing position will receive the award. For his effort, the driver will receive a free set of BFGoodrichâ g-Force T/Aâ radials. BFGoodrich® has also established a contingency award for the top 10 finishers in each Trans-Am Series race this season. The top five finishers will receive two tires and finishers from sixth through tenth place will receive one tire.
