Grand Am Rolex (DP + GT) put on wild show (with a FIRE!) at Laguna Seca 5/17. If I hadn't seen it on the tube; I wouldn't have believed the top 3 positions could invert exiting the uphill turn 5. The #2 SAMAX BMW (DINAN) Riley of Dalziel/Zogaib took the checker. A year or so ago there was no pass for the lead under green in a DP only race.

ALMS put on a good show at Miller/Utah 5/18 on the outer course with 6 (count 'em; SIX) P2 cars (4 of them +1 lap) ahead of a "one make" P1 class Smoker Audi! I'm lovin' it!

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#10 SunTrust Racing had their transporter, car, spares, and tools burn up 18 days ago. With help from lots of other teams; Max (The AXE) Angelelli put their old Pontiac Riley on the pole for today's Rolex Grand Am 6-Hour at Watkins Glen. He broke his 4-year old DP track record. (Lucky they didn't have a spare Dallara...)

The next 9 spots are a mishmash of engines/chassis:

Ford Riley
Ford Dallara
Porsche Riley
Ford Riley
Porsche Crawford
Porsche Coyote
Pontiac Lola
Pontiac Riley
Lexus Riley

I don't know if abbreviated qual was weather induced; but solid pts leaders Pruett/Rojas are starting 32nd in their #01 Ganassi/Sabates Lexus Riley. They will probably use a finishing strategy. Maybe enough others will screw up...

The race goes green at 11:15 AM EDT(1515 GMT?) on SPEED (11-1/2:30-5:30). Live timing @ http://www.grand-am.com/livetiming/

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I know heaps of you couldn't care less about "circle-jerk" Nascar racing; but something really different goes on/off? this Sunday.

Nascar Cup races 500 miles/200 laps on the 2.5 mile triangle track at Pocono PA. 3 different turn radii, 3 different turn bankings, and 3 different length straights all randomly "rough as a cob" make for a crew chief's nightmare. There is no single setup that works best everywhere. Road Race Aces should do well here; but kickazz Kyle Busch didn't bother to take names at the Mexico Nationwide(Busch) RR he won. [THAT one cost me a pile of crow to eat at work!]

I try to catch all the racing they show on TV and luckily I saw the last two Rolex races and the ALMS at Miller. Go Jon Field, that's all I have to say about ALMS. Seeing a privateer team up against the Audi's was awesome.

Laguna was a GREAT race for Rolex, what an exciting race, and the fire was spectacular. The Glen was good as well, lots of good racing between Pruett, who is a man on a mission, and Angelelli. Gidley had a good run, but he just couldn't open it up at the end, although with the near-crashes at the end, I can see why he would back off.

Pruett is nuts, though, that's all I can say.

Also, way to go Ryan Hunter-Reay for plowing into Marco Andretti with 6 laps left in Texas. Why RHR felt the need to push the issue is beyond me, these guys should work towards the front (a la NASCAR) and they might be able to take a win themselves. It always seems like Dixon has incredible luck, but he is just such a boring personality.

The Rolex 6 hour @ the Glen Sat was jammin'! Relentless ironman 48-yr old Scott Pruett started 30-something in the #01 Telmex Ganassi Lexus Riley and won. Co-pilot Memo Rojas couldn't take the 94 degree air temp and wimped. Pruett drove the last 2.75 hours. He always raves about their Lexus motors and great handling (obvious); but he admitted the 5.0L Lexus wouldn't pull the hills at Laguna Seca.

Thanks again for the heads up, Steve. I can't believe I miss all of this down here!

Timbit; the Rolex GA site usually puts up highlights videos a day or 2 after each race. I would have given a "heads up"; but they didn't do so for the LSeca race. Maybe they hope to sell them.

I have followed races with online timing/scoring w/o any other media. It can be interesting.

BTW; the 01 car has no driver cooling equipment...

I watched all aforementioned races. I must say that after the Glen race, they all looked BEAT! This is why I am not a race car driver. The ambient temp was probably around 100, I can just imagine what the cockpit was like!