$57,750 Continental Tire Bonus Money on Line in Finale at Mid-Ohio

Sept. 6, 2011

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In addition to claiming the “Bounty,” Action Express Racing won a $18,750 Continental Tire HORSEPOWER bonus at Virginia International Raceway.

LEXINGTON, Ohio – After thousands of miles of racing, just a handful of points are all that stand between some teams and their championship aspirations as the 2011 GRAND-AM Championships are set to be decided at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 16-17 in the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank.

In the Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype ranks, only two points separate the battle for Engine Manufacturer honors, with just one point separating the GT Class Manufacturer battle. In a highly competitive season that has seen seven different cars pull into victory lane, the Team and Driver GT Class championships are nearly as close, with a scant five points splitting the three top teams.

And even with so much on the line, the stakes were raised even further with the announcement that the Continental Tire HORSEPOWER Bonus will see $43,750 in cash awards up for grabs in the final Rolex Sports Car Series race of the year, with a further $14,000 bonus on tap for the last Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race of the season.

Established as part of the comprehensive partnership between Continental Tire and GRAND-AM, the HORSEPOWER Program creates additional cash rewards for select GRAND-AM teams. To be eligible, teams must have participated in every race meeting the previous year, finished the season with an entry in the top ten final season standings, and participated in the season-long fan engagement programs that GRAND-AM stages at every race weekend including Fan Walks and Autograph Sessions.

The race award goes to any eligible team for scoring it first win of the season. If a team wins a second race or an event is won by a non-eligible squad, the stakes are raised in the following round as the rewards are rolled forward, growing the bonus every time out until one lucky team breaks through and collects. The award is open to entrants in both the GT and DP classes in Rolex Series competition.

Topping the charts this year was a $25,000 bonus for Stevenson Motorsports’ GT Class victory at Lime Rock Park. The largest DP Class pay out to date was the $18,750 collected by the No. 9 Action Express machine at VIR as part of its remarkable $83,750 pay off for the victory when teamed with GRAND-AM’s “Ganassi Beating-Bounty” and other prize awards.

The race-to-race Continental Tire HORSEPOWER awards are further bolstered by year-end bonus, with a combined $25,000 going to the DP and GT winners and a total of $15,000 in year end awards set for GS and ST entries