Guy Cosmo Crown Royal 200 Pre Race Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: johnt@c2group.com
Guy Cosmo Back With Bobby Labonte At The Glen For The Crown Royal 200
This week, the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by
Crown Royal Special Reserve returns to Watkins Glen International for
the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen on Friday night (SPEED, 9 p.m. ET).
Cosmo will team up with NASCAR Champion, Bobby Labonte, in the #09
Spirit of Daytona Pontiac Crawford sponsored by AMD.
In his last visit to The Glen Guy Cosmo had to fight nasty whether.
In fact, more often than not, Guy's 2006 Grand Am Series challenges
have all come with added drama by way of the weather. Be it
smothering heat and humidity or blinding rain... or both, Cosmo
continues to demonstrate why he ranks as one of the most successful
and versatile young racing drivers in North America.
"Last time we were here it was awfully wet," remarked Cosmo. "I'm not
sure if anything I learned will translate to this weekend, but my
comfort level in the Daytona Prototypes has come along way since
earlier in the year when I first jumped in to cover for Memo Gidley
after he suffered an injury at Long Beach. Plus, I think Bobby and I
are continually finding ways to get the car to where we're both
comfortable and finding a common ground that closely suits each of
our driving styles. Bobby's willingness to adjust his driving to suit
these cars and road racing has been a great asset."
Cosmo and Labonte last raced together at Barber Motorsport Park.
While they both felt the car and team made great strides there, their
race performance was unfortunately hindered by contact suffered early
in the race.
"I think the team put in a terrific effort at Barber," Cosmo
continued. "The contact was unfortunate because I think we really had
the car working better than it's ever been. I felt bad for the crew,
and Bobby, for that matter, because our performance throughout the
weekend was much better than what is reflected in the race standings."
"If we have the car we had at Barber, I really think we'll be towards
the front," said Guy. "With the close performance among the Daytona
Prototypes, it doesn't take being off by much to have either a
competitive car or non-competitive car. We're really close. With good
weather and a few breaks, I think Bobby and I can show this team's
true potential."
Guy Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and
sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most
successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The
2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top-
level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles
and major successes in many disciplines including karting, Formula
Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and
American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at
www.guycosmo.com.
Spirit of Daytona was founded in 1987 when Troy Flis and his brother
began competing in club-racing events with their Volkswagen. Troy's
love for turning cars into speeding, streamlined racing machines soon
became a small business and after numerous wins on the club-racing
circuit he turned professional in 1999 with the beginning of the
Grand American Rolex Series. Spirit of Daytona has grown tremendously
since Troy's club-racing days and now encompasses a Daytona Prototype
effort, a fleet of three Pontiac GTOs which compete in the Grand-Am
Cup Series, an 8,000 square foot preparation and race shop facility,
a staff of eight full-time employees and five part-time employees.
The Grand American Road Racing Association was established in 1999 to
return stability to major league sports car road racing in North
America. As the organization begins its sixth season of competition
in 2005, Grand American is universally regarded as one of the
world’s fastest-growing motorsports organizations.