Powell Inches Into Narrow Championship Points Lead
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 1, 2002) -- Powell Motorsports has moved into a narrow one-point lead for the Grand Sport I team championship according to the latest Grand-Am Cup Series point standings. The victory by Doug Goad and Devon Powell in the #11 Sunoco Corvette at Mosport International Raceway on Saturday propelled the team and its drivers into the lead past Doncaster Racing and its driver, Scott Maxwell. The close points race will be decided at the Grand American Finale at Daytona International Speedway on November 9. With only one point separating Powell Motorsports and Doncaster Racing in the team point standings, whomever posts the best finish in the six-hour endurance race will be the champion. Last weekend's victory moved Goad and Powell into a three-point lead over Maxwell in the driver championship points race. However, Maxwell still has a shot at claiming the championship. If he takes the final victory of the season, Goad and Powell must finish second in order capture their second-straight championship in a tiebreaker. The Grand Sport II point standings tightened over the weekend due to the fifth-place finish by the points-leading #53 Mustang of Max Q Motorsports/TF Racing. The Mustang, piloted by Emil Assentato and Nick Longhi, suffered damage during an off-track excursion early in the race, while its primary points rival, Shreiner Racing, captured the class victory. Shreiner Racing picked up nine points on the leader with the victory and now sits only two points behind Max Q Motorsports/TF Racing in the latest team standings. Shreiner Racing drivers Jeff Lapcevich and John Shreiner also gained ground on Max Q's Assenato and Longhi, trailing the leaders by only five points. If the Shreiner Mustang finds its way to Victory Circle again during the Finale, Assentato and Longhi must finish at least third in the GS II class in order hold on for the driver championship. There was lots of movement in the Sport Touring I ranks following the ninth round of racing. The class win by Villaconn International's #34 BMW Z3 allowed it to retake the lead in the team standings after sliding to second place at the previous race. King Motorsports dropped from first place to third in the team standings following its early exit from the race, and now trails the leader by 12 points. The second-place ST I finish by the Team Lexus #0 entry thrust it into second place after being tied for fourth place prior to the Mosport round. Villaconn holds an 11-point advantage over the #0 Lexus in the team standings. The BMW teams needs only to finish seventh in class to fend off a Lexus victory at the Finale and capture its second-straight team championship. Team Lexus driver Jean-Francois Dumoulin maintained his lead in the ST I driver standings, however Villaconn racer Beau Buisson moved up from third place to second and trails the leader by only five points. If Buisson is victorious at the Finale, Dumoulin must finish on the podium in order to take the driver championship. Chuck Goldsborough also had a giant leap in the driver standings, jumping from seventh place to third following his second-place finish in the Team Lexus #0 IS300. The HRPworld.com #41 Acura Integra LS increased its lead in the Sport Touring II team standings following its victory at Mosport. The team improved its advantage over Bill Fenton Motorsports from two points to five. However, if the Bill Fenton #27 Acura takes the ST II win in Daytona, the HRPworld.com #41 Acura will have to finish second in order to maintain its championship lead. The HRPworld.com drivers have a little more breathing room in the ST II driver championship race. Brothers Will and Wayne Nonnamaker hold a six-point advantage over Bill Fenton Motorsports' Bob Beede. They will need a fourth-place finish to fend off a victory by Beede at the Finale. In the latest manufacturer standings, two championships have already been clinched. The top performances by Ford's Mustang Cobra Rs in the Grand Sport II class has guaranteed the blue oval the class championship, while the dominance of the Acura Integra LS entries in the Sport Touring II class has secured Acura the class championship. Chevy continues to cut into Porsche's lead in the Grand Sport I manufacturer standings. The Corvette victory over the weekend reduced the German manufacturer's lead to four points heading into the final race of the season. If a Chevy wins the Finale, a Porsche must finish second in order take the championship. BMW retook the lead in the Sport Touring I manufacturer standings as Acura slid to second place, seven points behind the leader. The Grand-Am Cup Series championships will be determined in Daytona during a six-hour race at the Grand American Finale, November 9. Tickets are currently on sale for the event and may be purchased by calling 386-253-RACE. More information on the Grand-Am Cup Series can be found online at www.grandamcup.com. - 30 - ***************************************************************** Team Point Standings DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 1, 2002) -- The Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series awards points to teams based upon each individual car's finish in its respective class. Only members of the Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series Team Owners Program are eligible to earn points in the Team Point Standings. The team points reflect the standings after the ninth race of the season. Next Race: Grand-American Finale (Nov. 9) Last Race: Mosport International Speedway (Sept. 21) Grand Sport I Class Pos., No., Team (Wins), Points 1, 11, Powell Motorsport (4), 290 2, 76, Doncaster Racing (3), 289 3, 7, Doncaster Racing , 246 4, 66, Speedsource, 231 5, 02, Powell Motorsport, 219 6, 70, Speedsource, 178 7T, 47, TF Racing, 166 7T, 01, G&W Motorsports, 166 9, 81, G&W Motorsports (1), 165 10, 18, Team Turbo Performance, 159 11, 43, Planet Earth Motorsport (1), 148 12, 16, Zoom Motorsports, 74 Grand Sport II Class Pos., No., Team (Wins), Points 1, 53, Max Q M/S - TF Racing (2), 271 2, 30, Shreiner Racing (4), 269 3, 04, Istook/Aines Motorsport (1), 248 4, 45, Mike Baughman Racing, 230 5, 65, Speedsource, 223 6, 54, Bell Motorsports (2), 219 7, 73, Theetge Motorsports, 203 8, 63, Speedsource, 188 9, 26, Snipes Ford Motorsport, 143 10, 49, Competition Preparation, 137 11, 09, Automatic Racing, 91 12, 37, JBS Motorsports, 77 13, 81, G&W Motorsports, 25 Sport Touring I Class Pos., No., Team (Wins), Points 1, 34, Villaconn International (3), 252 2, 0, Team Lexus, 241 3, 64, King Motorsports (2), 240 4, 2, Team Lexus, 235 5, 3, Team Lexus, 231 6, 36, Villaconn International (1), 230 7, 6, Hyundai Motorsport, 206 8, 68, Speedsource, 184 9, 00, Honda of America Racing Team (2), 182 10, 85, RC Imports, 175 11, 77, Power Racing Team , 171 12, 14, Hyundai Motorsport, 168 13, 67, Speedsource, 148 14T, 72, Team Spartanburg (1), 146 14T, 24, Power Racing Team , 146 16, 69, Honda of America Racing Team, 128 17, 10, Braco Racing, 108 18, 07, Team Spartanburg, 66 19, 8, Hyundai Motorsport, 48 Sport Touring II Class Pos., No., Team (Wins), Points 1, 41, HRPworld.com (3), 289 2, 27, Bill Fenton Motorsports (5), 284 3, 42, HRPworld.com, 255 4, 5, DTM Engineering (1), 243 5, 88, Team Ford Focus Racing, 209 6, 57, Baglieracing, 182 7, 05, Caduceus Motorsports, 167 ***************************************************************** Driver Point Standings DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 1, 2002) -- The Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series awards points to drivers based upon their finish in their respective class. Although drivers may race in more than one class during a race, they are only awarded points in the first car they drive. Only drivers holding valid Grand American Road Racing Association memberships are awarded points. The driver points reflect the top-20 drivers in each class after the ninth race of the season. Next Race: Grand-American Finale (Nov. 9) Last Race: Mosport International Raceway (Sept. 21) Grand Sport I Pos, Points, Driver, DIS, CAL, PIR, WTG, VIR, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1T, 290, Doug Goad, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 7th, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 1st 1T, 290, Devon Powell, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 7th, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 1st 3, 287, Scott Maxwell, 1st, 5th, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd 4, 255, David Empringham, 1st, 5th, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, , 3rd, 2nd 5, 239, David Lacey, 5th, 7th, 4th, 5th, 2nd, 12th, 4th, 4th, 4th 6, 223, Paul Mears Jr, 4th, 2nd, 7th, 15th, 5th, 7th, 7th, 7th, 6th 7, 220, Greg Wilkins, 5th, 7th, 4th, 5th, 2nd, , 4th, 4th, 4th 8, 212, Michael Weinburg, 7th, 4th, 9th, 9th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 10th, 5th 9, 197, Selby Wellman, 6th, 3rd, 13th, 8th, 4th, 5th, 9th, , 6th 10, 174, Joe Nonnamaker, 8th, 9th, 1st, 13th, 8th, 10th, , 2nd, 11T, 161, Brent Martini, 3rd, 14th, 6th, 4th, , , 1st, 5th, 11T, 161, Gary Smith, 11th, 11th, 10th, 14th, 3rd, 3rd, 8th, , 13, 153, Michael Levitas, 10th, 10th, 8th, 10th, , 6th, 11th, 9th, 14, 146, David Haskell, , 2nd, 7th, 15th, 5th, 7th, 7th, , 15, 145, Stuart Hayner, 7th, 4th, 9th, 9th, , 8th, , , 5th 16, 144, Cort Wagner, 3rd, , 6th, 4th, , , 1st, 5th, 17, 140, Darren Law, 9th, 12th, 5th, 7th, , , 5th, 8th, 18, 133, Freddy Baker, 10th, 10th, 8th, 10th, , 6th, , 9th, 19, 131, John Kohler, 11th, 11th, 10th, 14th, 3rd, , 8th, , 20, 121, Shane Lewis, 8th, 9th, 1st, 13th, 8th, , , , Grand Sport II Pos, Points, Driver, DIS, CAL, PIR, WTG, VIR, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1T, 266, Emil Assentato, 2nd, 6th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 12th, 2nd, 5th 1T, 266, Nick Longhi, 2nd, 6th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 12th, 2nd, 5th 3T, 261, Jeff Lapcevich, 1st, 3rd, 8th, 11th, 1st, 1st, 13th, 3rd, 1st 4T, 261, John Shreiner, 1st, 3rd, 8th, 11th, 1st, 1st, 13th, 3rd, 1st 5, 238, Don Istook, 10th, 2nd, 2nd, 18th, 5th, 4th, 1st, 10th, 3rd 6, 218, Michael Baughman, 7th, 9th, 7th, 4th, 7th, 10th, 5th, 7th, 6th 7, 213, David Shep, 8th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 11th, 8th, 6th, 8th, 7th 8T, 211, Forest Barber, , 1st, 3rd, 8th, 13th, 2nd, 14th, 1st, 10th 8T, 211, Terry Borcheller, , 1st, 3rd, 8th, 13th, 2nd, 14th, 1st, 10th 10, 204, John Sturm, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 5th, 4th, 6th, 16th, , 7th 11, 199, Benoit Theetge, 5th, , , 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 2nd, 6th, 2nd 12, 187, Alejandro Lince, 10th, 2nd, 2nd, 18th, 5th, 4th, 1st, , 13, 165, Sylvain Tremblay, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 5th, 4th, 6th, , , 14, 136, Peter Sachs, , 7th, 10th, 10th, 12th, , 8th, , 4th 15T, 128, Howie Liebengood, 9th, 10th, 9th, 16th, 9th, 5th, , , 15T, 128, John Lloyd, 9th, 10th, 9th, 16th, 9th, 5th, , , 17, 119, Joe Danaher, , 9th, , 4th, 10th, , 7th, 7th, 18, 115, Chuck Snipes, , 7th, , 10th, 12th, , 8th, , 4th 19, 112, Kenny Wilden, 5th, , , 2nd, , 9th, , , 2nd 20T, 82, Andrew Kopperl, , , , , , 7th, 3rd, 4th, Sport Touring I Pos, Points, Driver, DIS, CAL, PIR, WTG, VIR, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1, 249, Jean-Francois Dumoulin, 2nd, 6th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 10th, 2nd 2, 244, Beau Buisson, 4th, 7th, 1st, 1st, 4th, 16th, 3rd, 17th, 1st 3, 231, Chuck Goldsborough, 17th, 2nd, 10th, 3rd, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 10th, 2nd 4T, 227, Bransen Patch, 3rd, 5th, 2nd, , 3rd, 7th, 2nd, 1st, 13th 4T, 227, Don Salama, 3rd, 5th, 2nd, , 3rd, 7th, 2nd, 1st, 13th 6, 225, Tim Gaffney, 2nd, 6th, 4th, 8th, 11th, 5th, 14th, 2nd, 9th 7T, 221, Ian James, 5th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 5th, 15th, 17th, 3rd, 3rd 7T, 221, Daniel Dror, 5th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 5th, 15th, 17th, 3rd, 3rd 9, 211, Bob Endicott, 24th, 1st, 13th, 2nd, 1st, 4th, 4th, 4th, 10, 202, Ken Dobson, 4th, 7th, 1st, 1st, , 16th, 3rd, , 1st 11, 199, Mike Van Sicklen, 24th, 1st, 13th, 2nd, 1st, 4th, 4th, , 15th 12, 193, Andy Lally, , 2nd, 10th, 8th, 11th, 5th, 14th, 2nd, 9th 13, 166, Wade Gaughran, 11th, 16th, 6th, 25th, 20th, 3rd, 15th, 16th, 4th 14, 161, John Schmitt, 18th, 19th, 12th, 15th, 19th, 1st, 1st, , 12th 15, 154, Scott Schlesinger, 27th, 14th, 9th, 19th, 13th, 13th, 9th, 13th, 8th 16, 150, Jason Piscelli, 15th, 8th, 11th, 21st, 17th, 18th, 20th, 8th, 11th 17, 148, Pete Halsmer, , 19th, 12th, 15th, 19th, 1st, 1st, , 12th 18, 147, Mike Keravich III, 6th, 3rd, 16th, 24th, 18th, 19th, 10th, 7th, 19, 145, Rick Ellinger, 10th, 9th, 14th, 17th, 14th, 21st, 21st, 14th, 14th 20, 144, Mark Craig, 11th, 11th, , 4, 6th, , 5th, 6th, Sport Touring II Pos, Points, Driver, DIS, CAL, PIR, WTG, VIR, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1T, 289, Wayne Nonnamaker, 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 1st, 1st 1T, 289, Will Nonnamaker, 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 1st, 1st 3, 283, Bob Beede, 1st, 1st, 8th, 1st, 4th, 1st, 1st, 6th, 2nd 4, 242, Tony Nuzzo, 6th, 5th, 3rd, 5th, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 6th 5, 235, Scooter Gabel, 7th, 4th, 1st, 4th, 5th, , 2nd, 2nd, 3rd 6, 198, Jonathan Lowman, 7th, 4th, 2nd, 4th, , , 2nd, 4th, 5th 7, 188, Bill Fenton, 1st, 1st, 8th, 1st, , 1st, , 6th, 8, 176, Dennis Baglier, 4th, 7th, 6th, 8th, , 5th, , 5th, 7th 9, 171, Jim Harrell, 8th, 6th, 7th, 9th, , 6th, 7th, , 4th 10, 162, Don Velcio, 6th, , 3rd, 5th, , 3rd, 5th, , 6th 11, 152, Marty Luffy, 4th, , 6th, 8th, , 5th, , 5th, 7th 12, 127, Dean Martin, , , , 9th, 3rd, 8th, 7th, , 4th 13, 99, Steven Lisa, , , 5th, 7th, 6th, 7th, , , 14, 91, Charles Espenlaub, 5th, 3rd, 1st, , , , , , 15, 86, John Wymore, , 5th, , , 2nd, 4th, , , 16, 84, Rod Riley, 5th, , 2nd, , 5th, , , , 17, 72, Mark Underwood, 8th, 6th, 7th, , , , , , 18, 67, Eric Curran, , , , , , , 1st, , 2nd 19, 60, Miciel Schuitemaker, , , , , , 3rd, , 3rd, 20, 58, Frank DelVecchio, 3rd, , , , 4th, , , , ***************************************************************** Manufacturer Point Standings DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 1, 2002) -- The Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series awards points to manufacturers based upon their best finish in their respective classes. The manufacturer points reflect standings after the ninth race of the season. Next Race: Grand-American Finale (Nov. 9) Last Race: Mosport International Speedway (Sept. 21) Grand Sport I Class Pos., Points, Manufacturer (Wins), DIS, CAL, PIR, WGI, VIR1, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1, 298, Porsche (4), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd 2, 294, Chevrolet (5), 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 6th, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 1st 3, 161, Saleen , 11th, 11th, 10th, 14th, 3rd, 3rd, 8th, , 4, 42, BMW, , 8th, 12th, , , , , , Grand Sport II Class Pos., Points, Manufacturer (Wins), DIS, CAL, PIR, WGI, VIR1, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1, 295, Ford (6), 1st, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 8th, 2nd, 1st 2, 247, BMW (2), 6th, 1st, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 2nd, 9th, 1st, 8th 3, 240, Porsche, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 5th, 4th, 6th, 4th, 8th, 7th 4, 238, Audi (1), 10th, 2nd, 2nd, 18th, 5th, 4th, 1st, 10th, 3rd 5, 229, Pontiac, 7th, 9th, 7th, 4th, 7th, 7th, 3rd, 4th, 6th 6, 199, Acura, 5th, , , 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 2nd, 6th, 2nd 7, 55, Chevrolet, , , , 17th, , , 10th, 11th, Sport Touring I Class Pos., Points, Manufacturer (Wins), DIS, CAL, PIR, WGI, VIR1, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1, 287, BMW (5), 1st, 5th, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 7th, 2nd, 1st, 1st 2, 280, Acura (4), 6th, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 4th, 6th 3, 268, Lexus, 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 2nd, 2nd 4, 227, Hyundai, 11th, 11th, 6th, 4th, 6th, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 4th 5, 185, Porsche, 9th, 12th, 9th, 12th, 10th, 13th, 9th, 12th, 8th 6, 145, Mercedes, 10th, 9th, 14th, 17th, 14th, 21st, 21st, 14th, 14th 7, 56, Toyota, 19th, , , 22nd, , 11th, 16th, , 8, 52, Audi, 12th, , , 20th, 9th, , , , 9, 25, Honda, 16th, 21st, , , , , , , Sport Touring II Class Pos., Points, Manufacturer (Wins), DIS, CAL, PIR, WGI, VIR1, MOH, VIR2, MTT, MOS 1, 310, Acura (8), 1st, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st 2, 269, Mazda (1), 4th, 3rd, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 5th, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd 3, 205, Ford, 8th, 6th, 7th, 6th, 3rd, 6th, 6th, , 4th 4, 30, Olds, 3rd, , , , , , , ,