TEAM REPORTS (DAYTONA, FLA.) - PENSKE-TAYLOR RACING TEAM DRIVERS MAY VARY IN ROLEX 24 EXPERIENCE

While the trio of Penske-Taylor Racing Team drivers may be entering this weekend’s Rolex 24 endurance racing classic armed with various degrees of experience, their desire to excel is a definite common bond between them.

The all-star lineup of 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and open-wheel and sports-car veteran Ryan Briscoe have enjoyed more than their fair share of fame and success in other forms of racing. They are hoping to achieve that same top level of accomplishment this weekend at Daytona International Speedway as they share driving duties behind the wheel of their No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley.

“I’m definitely the least experienced at this type of racing,” said Busch, who will be making his second career Rolex 24 appearance this weekend, after competing with Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Scott Maxwell in the 2005 edition of the race. “It’ll be a fun race and teaming up with Helio and Ryan will be a thrill and something I’ll remember for years to come.

“I joked with the media back during the testing (Jan. 4-6) that my experience relative to this type of racing would be the ’24 Hours of Pocono’ that we run twice a year in our Cup cars,” Busch said, admitting that he borrowed the humorous line from his friend Kenseth. “That race is so long. It’s 500 miles of flat-track-type racing and it seems like it takes forever. You have to get in your groove, hit your marks and make sure you protect your car.

“My claim to fame in my last Rolex 24 was the fact that I was the only driver on our team who did not have to be brought back in by the wrecker,” said Busch, credited with a 27th-place finish in the 2005 event that was won by the SunTrust Racing Team of Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Emmanuel Collard. “The others all had to be towed in at one time or another and I was the only one to not get brought back in on the hook.

“To tell you the truth, that’s my goal again this time around,” Busch offered. “I know that I won’t necessarily be able to keep as fast of pace as my teammates, but I understand that my biggest job is to keep the car on the track and in one piece.

“Just being able to finish the race will be a thrill,” Busch concluded. “But getting a podium finish or even a top five would be special and I think Toshiba, Roger (Penske) and everyone involved would be extremely proud of our effort.”

Castroneves will be making his second start in the prestigious Rolex 24 this weekend. He made his debut in the event last year, as part of the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing entry with teammates Sam Hornish Jr., Mark Patterson and Oswoldo Negri, Jr. The team finished ninth after starting 22nd.

Castroneves will take a break from the current “Dancing With The Stars” tour to participate in this weekend’s endurance racing classic. The 32-year-old Brazil native won the “Mirrorball Trophy” in claiming the 2007 DWTS championship with dancing partner Julianne Hough.

“Last year was a great experience as everybody was telling me a lot of things and giving me a lot of information,” said Castroneves. “I learned so much doing the race last season. No question that it’s a survival race. You have to maintain your focus on keeping the equipment together and maintain your consistency.”

Castroneves is confident that his No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley will be a strong challenger for this win this weekend and much of that competitive faith stems from teammate SunTrust Racing No. 10’s performance in last year’s Rolex 24. Taylor, Angelelli, Jeff Gordon and Jan Magnussen teamed up to produce an impressive third-place podium finish in their SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley of Wayne Taylor Racing.

“I want to thank Roger, Team Penske, Toshiba and obviously Wayne Taylor for the opportunity to drive the car,” said Castroneves. “It’s a good competition. They were very strong last year and I am sure they will continue to do well again this weekend. The No. 9 car has been a special project for my Penske teammates and we plan on putting forth a great effort this weekend.

“It will be an enjoyable race and we hope to do well,” said Castroneves. “With Ryan moving over to the IRL side to be my teammate at Team Penske, it will be a good way to start off what we hope will be a very competitive year for our team.”

The most-experienced driver in the trio is Briscoe. The 26-year-old Australian will be making his third Rolex 24 start in this year’s race. He won the pole and contributed to a seventh-place finish in a Chip Ganassi Racing entry during the 2005 edition of the race.

“Until my first Rolex 24, the longest race I had ever driven in lasted about 45 minutes,” Briscoe said. With the experience I have gained over the last few years, I feel like a completely different driver out there.

“We will be doing our very best,” added Briscoe, “and we are hoping to come up with a strong finishing position.”

“Toshiba is thrilled to have these three drivers with very different backgrounds come together,” said Rick Taylor, president & CEO, Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. “In my opinion, competing in a race is just like business. It takes teamwork and each person brings a different strength to the table. By having a game plan and working together as a whole, the possibility of a win is so much greater. We’re definitely looking forward to the race!”

Rolex 24 action gets under way on Thursday with the first practice session beginning at 10:00 a.m. Qualifying is set for 4:15 p.m. that afternoon. Additional practice and the final round of qualifying are on tap for Friday. The 46th Rolex 24 Grand-Am race has a 1:30 p.m. EST start on Saturday. SPEED-TV and FOX Sports will combine to offer an unprecedented 17 hours of coverage of the prestigious race.

About Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc.

Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) manages product planning, marketing, sales, service support and distribution of copiers, facsimiles, multifunction printing products, network controllers, and toner products throughout the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TABS has four divisions: the Electronic Imaging Division; the Toner Products Division; the Document Solutions Engineering Division; and TOPAC U.S.A., Inc., dba Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS), a wholly-owned subsidiary corporation of TABS, that operates a network of wholly-owned office equipment dealers throughout the United States.

Named the most favored manufacturer eight times by the Business Technology Association (BTA), Toshiba’s entire product line, customer support and marketing distribution policies are markers for the industry. Among the many other awards garnered in recent years, Toshiba was named the “Manufacturer of the Year” seven times by Marketing Research Consultants (MRC), and has twice been named to the CIO 100 for being among the top 100 “bold” (2005) and “agile” (2004) companies in the world.

TABS is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, the seventh largest electronics/electrical equipment company and the world's 91st largest company in terms of sales. Ranked by Fortune magazine as the 10th Most Admired Electronics Company in the World, Toshiba Corporation is a world leader in high technology products with more than 300 major subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Fiscal year revenue in 2006 was approximately $60 billion

.

For more information on Toshiba copiers, facsimiles, multifunction printing products, network controllers or toner products, or for a dealer in your area, call (800)-GO-TOSHIBA or visit the TABS Web site at www.copiers.toshiba.com.