Brumos Porsche 250 At Daytona To Mark 100th Race For GRAND-AM's Daytona Prototype Class

DAYTONA BEACH, June 23, 2010: The July 3 running of the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway will be the 100th race for the Daytona Prototypes, the premier class of Fact Boxthe GRAND-AM Rolex Series Presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The class debuted at the 2003 Rolex 24 At Daytona, when six DPs from four manufacturers led the field to the green flag for America's premier endurance race.

The DP concept was announced on the eve of the 2002 Rolex 24. The concept called for an affordable class using stable rules and a platform that is designed for close and safe competition. The revolutionary machines have redefined prototype sports car racing, applying sensible rules - underscored by a firm commitment to a level playing field.

Seven chassis, using a variety of engines, were originally approved for the class - Fabcar, Picchio, Doran, Multimatic, Riley, Crawford and Chase. Manufacturers were allowed to transfer their license or submit upgrades for their chassis for the 2008 season, with Dallara, Proto-Auto Lola and Coyote joining the DP competition.

To date, 79 DPs have been built. As a testament of the car's reliability, the original Riley chassis 001 that debuted in the 2004 Rolex 24 remains active in competition. The car finished third for AIM Autosport in the most recent Rolex Series race.

David Donohue and Darren Law have competed in all 99 DP races to date. Rivals in 2003, they have teamed at Brumos Racing since 2004. Other drivers from the 2003 debut expected to race next weekend include Terry Borcheller - the first DP champion - Ozz Negri and Boris Said. Other DP champions expected to race are two-time champs Scott Pruett, Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, plus Max Angelelli and Memo Rojas.

Pruett is the all-time leading DP winner with 27 career victories, while Fogarty leads the class in poles, with 14.

The design of the Daytona Prototype allows drivers from other disciplines of motorsports to be competitive with minimal testing. Among the 336 drivers who have competed in at least one DP race are Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch from NASCAR; Helio Castroneves, Danica Patrick, Dario Franchitti and Al Unser Jr. from IndyCar; Formula One's Juan Pablo Montoya, Eddie Cheever and Sebastien Bourdais; legendary racer/actor Paul Newman; endurance racing champions Hurley Haywood, Derek Bell and Andy Wallace; and motorcycle stars Scott Russell and Jeff Ward.