ALMS (ROAD ATLANTA) - VOICES OF PETIT: CHRIS DYSON

Chris Dyson has three podium finishes in four Petit Le Mans starts.

Since his debut at Petit Le Mans in 2003, Chris Dyson has carved out quite a name for himself in the American Le Mans Series' premier event. Only once in four previous runnings has he finished off the class podium, and that came last year when the Lola he shared with Guy Smith crashed while running second overall. Dyson is back for 2007 with Smith in a Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyder with hopes of returning to the LMP2 podium and perhaps on its top step.

Going long: "Certainly the strategy becomes a huge part of the longer races. Every second you can save in the pits will figure into the final result. There also are a lot more opportunities for improvements because it's a long race, but there also are just as many risks of having problems. You have to be extra careful about everything from preparing the car to our driving. You have to push as hard as you ever do. But it's a longer race and a lot more can happen."

'Always a classic': "Petit is always a classic. It's gotten bigger and bigger each year. It's a tremendous way to round out our season and it's also a jumpstart for 2008; it's the point in time where everyone starts to talk about next year. So there's a real sense of closure on the season and also new beginnings. Dr. (Don) Panoz has always made a way to keep the crowds coming out year after year. We've been blessed by good weather and we hope that continues. The fans in Atlanta are really phenomenal, die-hard folks."

Mixing it up at Road Atlanta: "It's outstanding. It has a great combination of high-speed corners. But it's a very good race track too. If you're racing in mixed categories as we are, there are plenty of places to get by. We can co-exist out there for quite some time if everyone behaves themselves. There can be hours of caution-free racing, which is good too."

The 10th running of Petit Le Mans, the annual 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic at Road Atlanta, is set for 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday, October 6. SPEED will provide live coverage from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 to 10 p.m. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com