RACING BUSINESS (DAYTONA, FLA.) - Grand-Am Adds Chief Operating Officer, Vice President To Staff Entering 2008 Season

Following tremendous expansion since the inception of the Daytona Prototype formula to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 only five years ago, Grand-Am President Roger Edmondson announced today the addition of a pair of motorsports industry veterans which will help the series maintain continued growth.

Among the additions made to the Grand-Am staff, Tom Bledsoe has been named Chief Operating Officer of Grand-Am, while Kevin Hindson will become Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Each brings a wealth of experience to Grand-Am including years of motorsports expertise at NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation, respectively.

As the Chief Operating Officer, Bledsoe will oversee the day-to-day operations of Grand-Am. Bledsoe has been a integral part of NASCAR for the past 17 years which saw the series grow to the number one motorsports sanctioning body in the country. The veteran executive’s knowledge and experience will be instrumental in generating similar additional growth and expansion to Grand-Am. Bledsoe previously served as Treasurer of NASCAR and was Vice President of Finance for Grand-Am.

Hindson will join the Grand-Am staff on a fulltime basis in January as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. He will oversee the marketing, sales and public relations efforts of Grand-Am. Prior to joining Grand-Am, Hindson served as Senior Director of Interactive Marketing for ISC’s Consumer Marketing department and previously founded and served as President of RacingOne.com, an online news source for motorsports that was acquired by ISC.

“To be able to place Tom Bledsoe and Kevin Hindson in these key positions signifies not only how far Grand-Am has come in just eight years, but the growth that we are targeting for the future,” Edmondson said. “Tom and Kevin will provide resources, ideas and leadership with an eye toward our current and future goals in the motorsports world.”

Grand-Am also plans to add additional staff resources in the near future.

“The addition of these two positions and the top notch professionals who will oversee each area are just the beginning of an exciting and aggressive plan to expand our sport,” Edmondson continued. “We expect to name several additions on our competition side very shortly, including a Vice President of Competition and two additional managers. These new roles will enhance our position as the leader in American sports car road racing, while helping us reach our goals to raise the public awareness and acceptance of our sport.”

The staff additions are the latest to come during a period of growth for the Rolex Sports Car Series and KONI Challenge Series. In 2008, international motorsports constructors Dallara and Lola join the series to challenge the established and domestic Daytona Prototype chassis constructors over the season’s 14 races.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 returns to the track for January Test Days Jan. 4-6 at Daytona International Speedway. Test Days is the official test session for the opening event on the international motorsports calendar, the Rolex 24 At Daytona Jan. 26-27.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.