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World Challenge from Watkins Glen Airs Wednesday


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TOPEKA, July 20, 2009: Before the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championships head to Autobahn Country Club for Round Six, fans can catch up on the happenings from Round Five at Watkins Glen International. The Toyo Tires Watkins Glen Grand Prix Presented by Lala Motorsports airs on SPEED Wednesday, July 22, at 2 p.m, (EDT).

World Challenge GT leads things off, as Brandon Davis qualifies on pole, but for the second-straight race, loses his spot in the post-qualifying coin toss. With the top five qualifiers inverted, Mosport race winner Jason Daskalos takes over the top spot on the grid in the No. 5 Daskalos Developments Dodge Viper. When the start lights go out, third-starting James Sofronas in the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 launches into the lead, towing his teammate Dino Crescentini in the No. 4 Stoptech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 with him around Daskalos. Sofronas can’t hold his teammate off for long, as Crescentini sails past the No. 14 on lap five. Eric Curran is charging hard in the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette, though. Will the GMG teammates be able to hold him off? Tune into SPEED on July 22 to see if Crescentini gets the best birthday present a racer can ask for, or if Curran finally claims his first win of the 2009 season.

Next up is World Challenge Touring Car, where Sebring race winner Seth Thomas leads the field into Turn One from the pole. The driver of the No. 38 BimmerWorld/GearWrench BMW 328i immediately has a mirror-full of Charles Espenlaub in the No. 73 MAZDASPEED/Stoptech/ProParts MAZDA6. After doing his best to hold off Espenlaub, Thomas finally gets some breathing room when the No. 35 Phoenix Performance Subaru WRX of Andrew Aquilante begins to challenge Espenlaub for the runner-up spot. The final laps are exactly how racing should be, World Challenge style, with three manufacturers’ going toe-to-toe to decide the podium.

Don’t miss the Toyo Tires Watkins Glen Grand Prix Presented by Lala Motorsports on SPEED, Wednesday, July 22, at 2 p.m. (EDT). A full World Challenge TV schedule is available on www.world-challenge.com.