Sunday Group Management

Tune in Alert: Rum Bum Racing in New Jersey

Rum Bum Racing Programming Reminder: Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on SPEED – 3:00 PM (ET) Saturday, July 30

Make sure to tune into SPEED channel July 30 at 3:00 PM (ET) for the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Following two podium finishes at Road America and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Rum Bum Racing drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb looked to continue the streak of podiums with another strong run as the team battled sweltering conditions at the New Jersey circuit. The Rum Bum Racing duo had extra incentive to finish up front as Matt Plumb’s mother would wave the checkered flag as part of the Be Positive event.

Heading into the final round of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition September 16-17 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Rum Bum Racing sits third in the Team Championship Standings.

www.rumbumracing.com
You can also follow the team here: www.facebook.com/rumbumracing

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RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS BROADENS MANAGEMENT TEAM

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS BROADENS MANAGEMENT TEAM

Brian Moffitt Takes Over as CEO, Mike Hargrave to Lead Team Marketing Efforts

CONCORD, N.C. (July 28, 2011) – Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) officials today announced several changes to the NASCAR Sprint Cup team’s executive lineup. Brian Moffitt, who previously headed up the RPM sales and marketing department, has been named chief executive officer for the multi-car team and Mike Hargrave has taken over the EVP, sales and marketing position. In addition, Robbie Loomis has been named chief operating officer for the organization.

“We’ve worked hard to put together a solid executive management team,” stated team co-owner Richard Petty. “Brian Moffitt has played an important role in the Petty organization for many years. He knows the ins and outs and strengths and weaknesses of this organization and he was an obvious choice to lead the team. Read more of this post

TUNE IN ALERT-AJ Allmendinger

AJ Allmendinger on Trackside Live

Friday, July 29, 2011

6 p.m. ET on SPEED

Be sure to tune in to SPEED at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, July 29 when AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion, joins Kyle Petty, Jeff Hammond and Rutledge Wood live on SPEED’s Trackside Live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Riley Track Day Car Wins Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Pirelli Ultimate Track Car Challenge at VIR Once Again

Riley Track Day Car Wins Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Pirelli Ultimate Track Car Challenge at VIR Once Again

Note: Please contact media for any photographic needs-

www.rileytech.com

Mooresville, NC (28 July 2011)—From the Salt Flats in Utah to the high banks at Daytona, products from Riley Technologies have become synonymous with success with wins in a wide variety of motorsports pursuits.

That impressive roster of wins was joined by a very special victory this weekend as the Riley Track Day Car returned to the Grassroots Motorsports “Ultimate Track Day Challenge” to once again claim victory in the event.

Setting a time over six seconds clear of the competition at the twisty Virginia track, the TDC bested an impressive collection of specialty machines that had assembled from around the country to officially determine the fastest track day car in the land. The TDC triumph at VIR was another notch on Riley Technologies winning ways in 2011, with the firm celebrating an 81st victory in its 100th Daytona Prototype event while the Riley-designed Chevrolet Camaro also recently broke through for two consecutive victories in GRAND-AM Continental TIre Sports Car Challenge competition.

The Riley TDC was created to meet the growing demand for high performance vehicles for use at private track facilities like VIR. The machine, which is capable of carrying two people, delivers an unparalleled driving experience while keeping costs at reasonable levels. Read more of this post

Kenny Francis to join Hendrick Motorsports for 2012

Veteran crew chief Kenny Francis will lead the #5 Sprint Cup Series team when driver Kasey Kahne moves to Hendrick Motorsports for the 2012 season. Francis will join the organization after the conclusion of the 2011 NASCAR schedule. The 41-year-old Francis has 11 Sprint Cup victories as a crew chief, with all but one coming with Kahne behind the wheel. Since being teamed for the first time in the final race of the 2005 campaign, the pair has posted 10 wins, 13 pole positions, 34 top-five finishes and 71 top-10s at NASCAR’s elite level.

“Our people have a lot of respect for Kenny and what he’s accomplished,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.

“We know the chemistry is already there with Kasey, and there’s no doubt Kenny will communicate very well with our folks. He’s a character guy who brings an awful lot to the table as a crew chief. When we look at ‘fit factor,’ it’s a great situation.”

Francis, who holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Florida, debuted as a Sprint Cup crew chief in 2003. Throughout his career, the Jacksonville, Fla., native has worked in various capacities with multiple drivers, including NASCAR champions Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett.
“Joining Hendrick Motorsports and continuing to work with Kasey next year is an opportunity I’m excited about,” Francis said.

“He’s a championship-caliber driver and good friend, and I’m looking forward to building on our relationship. Mr. Hendrick has built an impressive team and culture, and it’s going to be fun to be a part of that when the time comes. I’m very optimistic about the rest of this season and focused on getting to Victory Lane with the #4 team. I want to thank Jay Frye and everyone with the organization for the chance to be part of such a great group of people. We still have goals to achieve there, and those are foremost on my mind right now.”

Lance McGrew, 43, will complete the 2011 Sprint Cup campaign as crew chief of the #5 Chevy team. After the season, he will remain in a key role with Hendrick Motorsports focusing on research and development and special projects, including work on the new Chevrolet Sprint Cup car scheduled to debut in 2013. Hendrick Motorsports

Marsal Returns to ROLEX Series GT Competition with Turner

Marsal Returns to ROLEX Series GT Competition with Turner

Millville, N.J. (27 July 2011) – Michael Marsal scored his fifth top-10 result of the season when he and Turner Motorsport co-driver Sam Schultz drove to a 10th place finish in the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Saturday.

Marsal, who usually opens each GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race behind the wheel of the No. 97 BMW, had the new experience of running the final stint of the 2.5-hour event and taking the checkered flag as he crossed the finish line. The New Jersey weather played a major factor at the 2.25-mile road course with temperatures rising over the 100 degree mark. As the team battled the intense conditions, the change in the driver line-up provided extra relief options if needed.

Schultz opened the race from the 15th position and steadily worked his way to sit just outside the top-10 in 11th. Marsal took control of the BMW about half-way through the race and re-entered the field in the 12th position. The Turner Motorsport driver would run consistent laps to climb as high as ninth but would drop to 10th just as the final full course caution was displayed and the race finished under yellow.

“It was definitely different to be out there at the finish, but it was a really good experience,” related Marsal. “The guys are a lot more decisive with their moves, so you have to be that much more committed, that much faster. I felt like I was probably overdriving the car at the end and that might have cost me with tire wear, but that is part of getting that experience and now I’ll have a little bit better idea of what I need to do in the future to close out with a strong pace.”

The weekend wasn’t over just yet for Marsal, though, has he was drafted in to share the driving duties in the No. 93 Turner Motorsport Rolex Series GT Class machine with Memo Gidley and Peter Bassett. Brought in on stand-by incase the long hot race called for a third driver, Marsal in fact got to see his second checkered flag of the weekend as he drove the final stint of the race to bring the No. 93 home in the M3 GT-class machine’s debut run in GRAND-AM competition.

“It was cool that Will (Turner) invited me to run the GT, and even though I only had a handful of laps in the car before the race, I felt pretty comfortable,” said Marsal, who made his Rolex Series debut earlier this year with a run in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. “The tires were pretty old and I didn’t really get the chance to make any adjustments with the car so I know there was a lot more speed left. But the main thing was to just keep it out of trouble and have a good pace to the finish.

“I was used to the speed having run the GT at Daytona, but the BMW is completely different from the Mazda. Now that I’ve done this, I know that just getting some more time behind the wheel is what I need to get more comfortable and generate more speed. All in all, though it was a good weekend and I learned a lot that I hope to put to use down the road.”

The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will hold the final round of the 10-race championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 16-17.

The B+ Foundation Heroes 200 will broadcast July 30 at 3:00 PM (ET) on SPEED.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, http://sundaygroupblog.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Star Mazda Champion Adam Christodoulou to Race McLaren GT at 24 Hours of Spa

Confirming yet again that the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is both a major step on the Mazda Road to Indy and a gateway to many forms of world-class motorsports, Adam Christodoulou, who won the 2009 Star Mazda Championship driving for JDC Motorsports, has been one of the first drivers to be selected to compete in the brand new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 race car, taking part in the Total 24 Hours at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend in Belgium.

The 12C GT3 is the first race car converted from a McLaren road car to make a 24 hour race debut since the McLaren F1 GTR at Le Mans sixteen years ago, and the welcome return has been long anticipated. Over seventy cars and dozens of manufacturers will be battling out on track to claim the crown at this prestigious 24 hour endurance race. Read more of this post

Riley Goes 1-2-3 in GT as Ganassi Wins Again

Riley Goes 1-2-3 in GT as Ganassi Wins Again

Media Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management

Millville, NJ (26 July 2011)—For the second consecutive year, Riley Technologies-based Mazda RX-8 machines built by SpeedSource Engineering finished a dominating 1-2-3 in GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT class competition at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Leading the GT pack across the line was the No. 70 Castrol Edge Mazda RX-8 of Jonathan Bomarito and Sylvain Tremblay after two hours and forty-five minutes of racing in record heat and humidity.

Bomarito opened the race from third on the grid and after turning the car over to Tremblay, reported to the medical center for a respite from the heat as he took on fluids before returning to pit lane to assume the controls from Tremblay. The surging Team Sahlen’s No. 42 machine of John Edwards gave chase in the final laps, finishing just .7 seconds behind as Edwards and co-driver Wayne Nonnamaker celebrated their second podium finish in the last three races. The Mazda RX-8 triumph is the third GT Class victory of the season for the Riley Technologies chassis with Turner Motorsport having scored two wins so far in 2011.

The 101st race for the Riley Technologies Daytona Prototype also brought a familiar result as Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas scored their fifth win of the 2011 season. The championship-leading squad didn’t show its full form in qualifying as Pruett took fourth on the grid, but the team showed its colors once the race took the green flag, fighting back from a penalty to cross the line nearly four seconds ahead of the field.

“The car came to us, actually,” said Pruett. “It kept getting faster and faster. It was a little difficult trying to make a decision but we were still running high-17s on the old tires, so we opted to stay out. We just had a great car and just drove away there at the end.”

“The conditions were pretty incredible and everyone on both sides of the pit wall was really put to the test today,” said Riley Technologies VP Bill Riley. “Congratulations to Sylvain and Jonathan, they’ve been knocking on the door all year long and it all came together for them this weekend. Given how competitive the GT class is, to finish 1-2-3 with three different teams is really remarkable so congratulations to the guys on a hard-fought day. The fact that Memo and Scott don’t use a cool suit on a day like today I think says a lot about the work that went into keeping the cockpit temperatures bearable in conditions like this. Hats off to Ganassi on what is already an incredible season.”

Notes:
++ 82nd Rolex Series race victory for Riley Technologies
++ Riley Technologies has 7 GRAND-AM Rolex Series race wins in 2011 overall, with three GT Class victories
++ Riley Technologies currently holds a 42 point advantage in the GRAND-AM Manufacturer Championship standings with three rounds of racing to go as the group pursues an eighth consecutive championship in the category.

For more information or questions, please contact: Bill Riley, (704) 663-6319 *302

For additional information:
www.rileytech.com

About Riley Technologies:
Riley Technologies has an extended legacy of success, developing competitive on-track products for the Rolex Sports Car Series, the American LeMans Series, the USAC Gold Crown Series, and the Japanese GT Championship Series.

About Siemens:
Riley Tech has long relied on Siemens PLM Software to help design and develop their race-winning machines. NX software, Siemens PLM Software’s digital product development solution which includes computer-aided design, -manufacturing and -engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE) applications, is the preferred development software. NX Software was cited as a driving force behind Riley taking a sixth straight Daytona Prototype Manufacturers championship in 2009 before kicking the 2010 season off with a win at Daytona International.

For more information or questions, please contact: Bill Riley, (704) 663-6319 *302

For additional information: www.rileytech.com

Riley-2011-NJMP-GT+DPwin-pdf.pdf

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, http://sundaygroupblog.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or twitter.com/Sundaygroup

IZOD IndyCar Series

IZOD IndyCar Series
Edmonton Indy
EDMONTON, Alberta – Results Sunday of the Edmonton Indy IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.224 mile Edmonton Airport Circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (2) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
2. (9) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
3. (4) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
4. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
5. (15) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
6. (12) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
7. (7) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
8. (20) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
9. (22) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
10. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
11. (24) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
12. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
13. (23) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
14. (19) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
15. (10) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
16. (26) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
17. (17) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
18. (18) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
19. (21) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
20. (5) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
21. (1) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
22. (8) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 76, Running
23. (3) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 74, Running
24. (16) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 54, Mechanical
25. (13) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact
26. (25) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 90.949
Time of Race: 01:57:22.5177
Margin of victory: .8089 of a second.
Cautions: 2 for 8 laps
Lead changes: 6 among 5 drivers
Lap Leaders: Sato 1-18, Power 19-26, Conway 27-28, Power 29-53, Castroneves 54, Franchitti 55-56, Power 57-80
Point Standings: Franchitti 388, Power 350, Dixon 282, Kanaan 253, Servia 244, Briscoe 239, Andretti 232, Rahal 218, Castroneves 212, Hildebrand 212.

Burt and Brian Frisselle Reunion Doesn’t Go as Planned in New Jersey

Burt and Brian Frisselle Reunion Doesn’t Go as Planned in New Jersey

Equipment failure spells a challenge as Burt and Brian share a DP for the first time since 2007

Millville, NJ (24 July 2011) – Burt and Brian Frisselle, who have for the last few seasons raced against each other in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, got the chance to once again share a Daytona Prototype as Burt joined Doran Racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park. With the region experiencing an oppressive heat wave, Burt was drafted to join his brother Brian and Henri Richard to share the driving controls in the No .77 Office Depot Ford-Dallara.

Unfortunately, a promising race outing saw the effort thwarted after some crucial cooling equipment didn’t work properly and cost the Doran squad time in the pits for repairs.

From the high-density metals surrounding the engine bay to insulation that seals the radiators, it takes a lot of things to make a race car work right in the high heat. The same is true of what it takes to allow the drivers to do their jobs inside the cockpit of a Daytona Prototype, which can climb past the 160 degree mark.

Richard opened the race and despite scoring a strong spot on the grid in qualifying, was sent off track following contact from behind from a GT Class machine. This ultimately put the No. 77 car one lap down 30 laps into the race. Burt Frisselle took over the controls and was looking to make the most of a fresh round of Continental Tires. But his sojourn in competition was a short one as none of the driver cooling elements were working properly.

“I want to thank Doran Racing for drafting me here in the last minute to help out. I wish it would have worked out better. That was the worst environment that I’ve ever been in,” said Burt about the extreme temperatures in his SPEED interview. “Brian and I train really hard, in the heat and at altitude. But despite that, even we just couldn’t stay out for any real time with the heat inside the car. It’s incredible. The temperatures can be hard even when those things are working perfectly. But when it is not, it was simply unbearable. It is a shame, but now I’ll look forward to getting back into the GAMMA88 machine at the Glen with AIM Autosport.”

The Doran Racing crew worked to effect repairs on pit lane, but unfortunately were forced to take the car back behind the wall, costing several laps as the car was ultimately classified ninth at the finish.

“It was great to race with Burt again,” said Brian. “It was just not our day today. We had some incidents with some other cars early on which put us a few laps down. Then we had issues with our cool box so it was just one of those days but I think we showed potential at times this weekend and I think we had a decent car, not a top-three but a decently quick car so hopefully we’ll come back and be better at the next one.”

Round 10 of the 2011 championship will be staged at Watkins Glen International as part of the traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup event in the classic New York track. The No. 77 finished sixth at the track earlier this year in the 6 Hour event, and will look to go even better as the No. 61 GAMMA88 machine will also be in action when Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins look to add to AIM’s win tally at the track.

www.frisselleracing.com

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, http://sundaygroupblog.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or twitter.com/Sundaygroup