Pruett Wins Road America, Nets Jaguar Manufacturers' Crown

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 24, 2003

PRUETT WINS ROAD AMERICA, NETS JAGUAR MANUFACTURERSı CROWN

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. ‹ Scott Pruett continued his dominating run toward his
third Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup championship, recording
his sixth victory the 2003 season Sunday at Road America. In the process,
the driver of the No. 7 Jaguar R Performance XKR allowed Jaguar to clinch
its third Manufacturersı Championship. The British carmaker previously won
the manufacturersı crown in 1978 and 2001.

Pruettıs closest pursuer in the championship, Johnny Miller, finished second
in the No. 64 Eaton Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR, ahead of Michael Lewis,
driving the No. 12 Westward Tools/The Crank Jaguar XKR. Justin Bell, making
his first start this season in the No. 59 Ultama Swimwear Chevrolet
Corvette, drove through the field to finish fourth, followed by Stu Hayner,
who battled a severe vibration throughout the event, to finish fifth in the
No. 2 GMAC Commercial Finance/Trenton Forging Chevrolet Corvette.

Pruett took the lead at the start, and never gave it up during the 25-lap
contest, which ended under caution. For his efforts, Pruett won the
BFGoodrich Tires Take Control Award for leading the most laps and set the
fastest race lap of 2:09.558 at an average speed of 112.481 miles per hour.

Pruett was one of two drivers running BFGoodrich Tiresı 75 (hard compound)
tire on the left-rear wheel of his Jaguar. Pruett said this was part of his
conservative approach to the event at the 4.048-mile road course.

³I was in a situation, where I had to drive harder than Johnny,² said
Pruett. ³I was sliding. He could catch me in turns one and two.  I was a
little better in a couple areas like the Carousel, because I could afford to
run a little bit harder. That was the choice we had to make. We knew we
could go green to checkered, so we had to play it conservative. It worked
out for us.²

With the victory, Pruett padded his lead in the Driversı Championship.

³This year has been awesome,² said Pruett, who returned to the Trans-Am
Series this year after an eight-year hiatus, during which he competed in the
Champ Car World Series and NASCAR. ³Iıve come full circle this year. When I
raced in the Series before, I was using it as a stepping stone. Now, Iım
here because I love to drive and itıs where I want to be. Itıs been a lot of
fun and Iım with a great program at Rocketsports.²

However, hadnıt a caution flag waved on lap 23 of the event‹for off-course
excursions by Cliff Ebben (No. 68 Chevrolet Corvette) in turn one, Brian
Kubinski (No. 22 Chevrolet Corvette) in turn six, and Bob Ruman (No. 23
Chevrolet Corvette) in turn one‹the results may have been much different for
Miller. Miller was hunting down Pruett in the waning laps, and was waiting
for his moment to pounce.

³I think I had something for Scott,² said Miller, who recorded his sixth
podium of the season, including a win at Lime Rock. ³I was a bit quicker in
turns one and two, but it was a give-and-take deal. On the last restart (on
lap 19), we were cruising. Once I got clear of traffic, we were boogying. I
had to be decisive, because if you get up under somebody, you can loosen
them, but you also lose all the air to your radiator. You only get one shot.
I was looking for a place, and then the caution came out. It was a good
race, and we had a good race car.²

Meanwhile, Lewis said he was happy all of the right things came his way.

³We got a couple of people at the start, which is critical when you start
eighth,² said Lewis, who earned his third podium this season. ³We were up to
sixth and got by another guy, then some people had some problems. It all
worked out for us. Something really went our way, which didnıt happen in
qualifying.²

Unofficially, Pruett now has a 44-point lead on Miller in the Driversı
Championship.

The race ran in one hour, eight minutes and 46.903 seconds at a winning
average speed of 88.279 miles per hour. The race was slowed by the caution
flag three times during laps 10 through 11, 18 through 19 and 23-25. Miller
earned one bonus point on the Fast Five Lap‹lap four here. The Fast Five Lap
awards one bonus point to all drivers within five seconds of the leader at
each race this season.

The next Trans-Am Series race is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 31 at the
Centrix Grand Prix of Denver. That race will air on tape-delayed basis on
SPEED on Monday (Labor Day) at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

The Trans-Am Series is Americaıs oldest continuously running road racing
series and celebrates its 38th anniversary in 2003.

Notebook:
n Justin Bell returned to Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup this
weekend at Road America, after making eight starts last season and running
the full schedule two years ago. The 2001 Trans-Am Series Rookie of the Year
drove the No. 59 Ultama Swimwear/Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette. In
19 Trans-Am starts, Bell has two victories, seven podiums, nine top-five and
14 top-10 finishes. ³Iım sad that Simonıs health doesnıt allow him to do
this race, but obviously Iım very grateful heıs chosen me to stand in as his
replacement,² said Bell, who is filling in for Simon Gregg, who is
undergoing minor elective surgery. ³Not racing in Trans-Am this year has
really left me with a personal void. The last two seasons in the Trans-Am
Series were the most enjoyable in my racing career.²

n Interestingly, Bell won a thrilling STRANA Tonka Truck race held prior to
Saturdayıs Trans-Am qualifying session.

n Gregg received a get-well card after the weekend in the form of an
autographed green flag. Dee Duncan, Trans-Am Series Marketing Services
Manager/Administrative Services Manager, passed the green flag around in
this Fridayıs driversı meeting.

n Two drivers elected to use the BFGoodrich Tiresı 75 (hard) compound
g-Force T/A tires in Sundayıs race. Both Max Lagod (No. 83 Hypermax
Chevrolet Camaro) and points leader Scott Pruett (No. 7 Jaguar R Performance
XKR) used the harder tires on the left-rear wheels of their respective cars.
Interestingly, in Round 6 at Cleveland, Lagodıs choice to run hard tires
earned him his second career podium.

n Defending and two-time SCCA National GT-1 Champion Tim Cowen was sporting
a new look here at Road America. Cowen re-bodied his No. 75 Cowen Truck
Lines Ford Mustang just after Round 6 in Cleveland with the newest spec
Mustang bodywork. In fact, the veteran driverıs crew chief, George Lee,
hinted the team nearly didnıt have the car ready for this weekend. ³We just
rolled it off the scales on Tuesday,² said Lee of the red and yellow car.
³We just made it here.²

n Also sporting new livery this weekend was rookie Joey Scarallo. Scarallo
repainted his No. 06 ROH Wheels Chevrolet Corvette after the last Trans-Am
Series event in Trois-Rivières.

n Paul Menard, who was driving the No. 3 Jaguar XKR normally wheeled by
three-time Trans-Am Series champion Paul Gentilozzi, celebrated his 23rd
birthday on Thursday. Menard drove the newly painted blue, yellow and red
Jaguar this weekend for sponsors Menards and Johns Manville. Gentilozzi, who
is not competing for the championship this year, choosing to run a part-time
schedule, spent the weekend in Montreal with his Champ Car World Series
team.

n Tomy Drissi (No. 5 Stuck on You Jaguar XKR) and Michael Lewis (No. 12
Westward Tools/The Crank Jaguar XKR) did double duty over the weekend, as
they were entered in both the Trans-Am Series and American Le Mans Series
races at Road America. Drissi and Lewis teamed with Guy Cosmo in the No. 12
Riley & Scott Mk. III C/Lincoln in Sundayıs ALMS event, which took place
after the Trans-Am Series race.

n Had it not been for some help from fellow Corvette team Revolution
Motorsports, rookie Joey Scarallo may have had to leave Road America early.
Scarallo, driver of the No. 06 ROH Wheels Chevrolet Corvette, suffered a
differential failure during Thursdayıs test session. Revolution came to the
rescue, allowing the fledgling team to ³borrow² one of their spares.
Scarallo also received some help from Rocketsports Racing, as the veteran
team helped Scarallo with his race preparations at their Lansing, Mich. shop
prior to the race weekend.

n Baucom Motorsports welcomed three new sponsors to their team this weekend
at Road America. MAP Quality Engineering, Northwest Analytical and Software
Toolbox backed the No. 86 Jaguar XKR with driver John Baucom. ³We are
pleased to have MAP Quality Engineering, Northwest Analytical and Software
Toolbox as marketing partners with us for both Road America and Denver² said
Baucom Motorsports spokesman Scott Matre. "We really feel that this is a
marketing partnership that will bear fruit for all involved. The Trans-Am
series has long had a history of an established fan base and corporate
involvement in the industrial information marketplace, Banner Engineering,
Cutler-Hammer, and of course, Automation Direct have all experienced results
from their involvement.²

n Bobby Houghton, crew chief on polesitter Johnny Millerıs No. 64 Eaton
Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR made wholesale changes on the car prior to
Saturdayıs qualifying session. In fact, the veteran head wrench was just
about ready to go shopping. ³We were ready to go to Menards to buy a kitchen
sink because thatıs about the only thing we hadnıt thrown at the car.²

n Jorge Diaz, Jr. who turned a 2:08.846-minute lap in the No. 8 Don Q Rum
Jaguar XKR, timed third in Saturdayıs qualifying session, but was
disqualified in post-qualifying technical inspection. Diazıs car violated
Rule 2.10 in the 2003 Trans-Am Series General Regulations & Technical
Specifications: ³Ground Clearance.² Diaz therefore forfeited his time and
will started 20th, ahead of Glenn Andrew and Dan Furey. Diaz also forfeited
one bonus point awarded for qualifying third.

n Greg Pickett, who timed 10th on Saturday for Sundayıs race started 19th
due to a four-tire change in his No. 6 Cytomax Exercise and Recovery Drink
Jaguar XKR. Pickett was cited under Rule 1.7.10.2: ³Tire Declaration Form²
in the 2003 Trans-Am Series General Regulations & Technical Specifications,
which states: ³Šfour tires will be used for all qualifying sessions, and to
start the race. If a team is unable to start the race on at least three of
their marked tires, they will forfeit their starting positionŠ²

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