Porsche 250 A Winner With Grand-Am Fans, SPEED Television Ratings Prime-time coverage of Watkins Glen race set for Aug. 7

DAYTONA BEACH, July 24, 2009: A large and enthusiastic crowd attended Sunday's Porsche 250 presented by Legacy Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., while SPEED's live coverage scored a rating increase of 81 percent for Round 8 of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The fans watched GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing driver Alex Gurney beat Scott Pruett to the checkered flag in a thrilling finish, while Robin Liddell outlasted Sylvain Tremblay in GT. The unique pre-race Fan Walk drew a large crowd stretching from the beginning to the end of the pit lane, while more than 200 members of the Porsche Club - the highest level of participation in the history of the event - attended and had the opportunity to parade their exotic cars around the track.

An estimated 260,000 viewers - an increase of 48 percent - and an average of 213,000 households - up 82 percent - witnessed the fourth-consecutive Rolex Series race with a margin of victory of less than one second. The race also earned a .29 coverage rating, which was up 81 percent from the 2008 event.

This continues a trend for the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Series season. To date, households watching the SPEED coverage have increased by 34 percent from the 2008 campaign.

The Rolex Series returns to prime time with the Aug. 7 running of the Crown Royal 200 at New York's Watkins Glen International. The green flag is set to wave shortly after 6:30 p.m., with the same-day SPEED telecast beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The weekend will also feature the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races.