Spirit of Daytona Racing Gets Right Back To Rolex Series Racing At NJMP

Looking to build on top-10 with Coyote-Porsche V8 in 2008

(Daytona Beach, FL) 28 April 09 – Fresh from a top ten Rolex Sports Car Series finish last weekend at Virginia International Raceway, Spirit of Daytona Racing will look for an even better result this weekend in the Verizon 250 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Guy Cosmo and Scott Russell will once again team in the AMA-liveried Spirit of Daytona Racing No. 09 Porsche V8-powered Coyote for Sunday’s 2 hour, 45-minute race.

While last weekend’s visit to VIR was a first not only for Scott Russell in Daytona Prototype machinery, it was also the first visit to the track for Spirit of Daytona Racing with the PorscheV8-Coyote combination. But despite a challenging start to the weekend, the team ran in the top three in the early stages of the race before emerging from the Virginia countryside with a 10th place finish to build on the 11th place DP result scored in the season-opening Rolex 24.

Now, heading into this weekend’s event, the team will have their visit to the Millville, New Jersey track from last August to build from.

“We had a solid car for the race in New Jersey last year and even though we just missed getting into the top ten, we want to make up for that this weekend,” said team owner Troy Flis. “The conditions will be different from what we experienced last year, but we know how we are going to roll off the truck and have a good baseline set-up for this track. Compared to VIR, we also have an extra day for Scott to get comfortable on this track and hopefully that’s going to pay dividends for us in the race. Even though it’s a lot of work to turn the car around to be ready to go this weekend, I can tell you that everyone on this team is excited about the chance to go racing again and hopefully we can come out of New Jersey with a good strong result.”

Even though the race weekend will see motorcycle legend Scott Russell adding to his four-wheeled track resume, the Georgia resident is fresh from the behind the wheel experience he got at VIR, and looking forward to getting right back at it again this weekend in New Jersey.

“It will be the same challenge for me this weekend as it was last in terms of getting seat time and getting a good feel for the track, but it seems like New Jersey is a little more straightforward than VIR was,” said Russell. “I’m also glad that this weekend is a little longer than the two-day race at VIR because that gives me more time to go home each night and think about everything I’ve picked up that day, and then come into the track each morning with a fresh view on what I’m going to be dong in the car and be ready to go. It was tough last weekend because it was such a compressed event and we lost the first session, and were just catching up the rest of the weekend. But every time I get into the car it just gets better and better. And having Guy as a my coach is a huge help. I just want to get as many laps in as I can.”

Last year’s event, which was the first major professional event for the track, saw Cosmo and his co-driver finish eleventh, as the car’s fastest lap was within one second of the fastest lap of the race set by the winning car.

“This is great—to have a race weekend, pack up, and then get to go racing the very next weekend, so I’m really excited about getting to New Jersey,” said Cosmo. “Scott did a great job at VIR even though he was so new to the track, and now that we’re heading to a place where we have in-car footage, data, and a set up to start from, hopefully we can get off to a quicker start to the weekend. We were in the ballpark with the car last year, and even though the competition in Rolex never stops improving, this team has also learned a lot more about this car since we were here last, so hopefully that pays off.”

The Verizon 250 will be carried LIVE on SPEED starting at 1:00 PM EST.

About Spirit of Daytona Racing:

Spirit of Daytona Racing is headquartered just down the road from the “World Center of Racing ” in the Daytona Beach, Florida area. Team principal Troy Flis has steered the team since its inception, and the organization has competed in Grand-Am since 1999, with sixteen class victories to its credit.

For additional information:

www.scouting.org
www.spiritofdaytona.com
www.sundaymanagement.com

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Contact:
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (mobile)

Spirit of Daytona Racing Takes 10th at VIR with Coyote-Porsche V8

Strong form as only Coyote in the field returns to Rolex action

(Alton, VA) 25 April 09 – Guy Cosmo and Scott Russell combined to bring the No. 09 Porsche V8-powered Coyote home 10th in the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway to take the first top ten of the Rolex Sports Car Series season for Spirit of Daytona Racing, which opened the season with a run to 11th in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Cosmo started the race from 10th on the grid, and was on the gas from the drop of the green, moving up to 7th in the early laps, into the top five and then up to 3rd by lap 25 of the two hour and forty-five minute race.

“The car was just as good in the race as it was in qualifying,” said Cosmo. “We got off to a solid start, and just went from there. It was really stable and predictable, so it was a great move forward from Daytona. We were hoping to still be in the top five at the finish, but the way the yellows fell just didn’t work out with our driver changes. But it was still a good weekend, Scott kept making progress every lap he was out there, and we just kept working on getting everything we could out of the car. And the great news is that we get to go racing again next weekend! So we can just keep at it. We were strong in New Jersey last year, so we’re going to head there to build on what we did here this weekend.”

Turning the car over to Russell, who had only previously seen the track from aboard a motorcycle, saw the AMA-liveried Coyote return to the field deep in the pack. But despite one off-course excursion, Russell kept his rapidly accelerating Daytona Prototype learning curve going has he moved up from 24th up into the top 12 before turning the machine back over to Cosmo.

“I’m still feeling like I’m in the deep end a little bit here, but it was great to get more time behind the wheel today and hopefully I can get a good start at new Jersey next weekend,” said Russell. “I had a little off and I’m disappointed for the team that it set us back some, but I’m just working on getting a feel for what the car can and can’t do. I’m really hungry for more seat time, and hopefully I can have all the guys hard work pay off with a little bit better run here soon!”

About Spirit of Daytona Racing:

Spirit of Daytona Racing is headquartered just down the road from the “World Center of Racing ” in the Daytona Beach, Florida area. Team principal Troy Flis has steered the team since its inception, and the organization has competed in Grand-Am since 1999, with sixteen class victories to its credit.

For additional information:

www.scouting.org
www.spiritofdaytona.com
www.sundaymanagement.com

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Contact:
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (mobile)

Spirit of Daytona Racing 10th in Rolex Qualifying at VIR

(Alton, VA) 24 April 09 – Guy Cosmo will start Saturday’s Bosch Engineering 250 from 10th on the Rolex Sports Car Series grid after posting a fast lap time of 1:43.483-seconds in the No. 09 Porsche V8-powered Coyote. Cosmo will start the two hour, forty-five minute race before turning the controls over to co-driver Scott Russell, who got his first laps in 4-wheeled machinery on the 3.27-mile natural terrain circuit on Friday.

The day got off to a challenging start as the first practice saw Cosmo making an off-course excursion before the only V8-Porsche in the field was dispatched back to the garage for repairs. The Spirit of Daytona Racing squad had the Coyote ready to go in time for the afternoon practice session, as Cosmo worked on making up ground on the suspension set-up before Russell strapped in to get his first laps on the track from behind the wheel of a Daytona Prototype.

“This place is cool,” enthused Russell. “It’s great to get on to a real race track like this and even though it’s my first time and I’m only just inching up on it, I have a lot to think about tonight now that I’ve been out there. I’m really looking forward to getting more laps in tomorrow before we race.”

The top-ten qualifying came as a welcome return after Friday opened without the hoped for track time in the morning.

“I hated to start the day the way we did, but they guys worked hard to get the car ready to go and it was a lot more stable in qualifying than it’d been in the morning,” said Cosmo. “I feel badly that Scott didn’t get more time in the car today, but hopefully he can keep moving his learning curve up with this track tomorrow and that we can move up once the race gets going.”

“With the problem we had in the morning, I’m pretty happy to be where we are in our first time here with the Coyote,” said Team Owner Troy Flis. “Losing the first session set us back, but we rallied to get ready for the next session so now we’ll just see what we can do tomorrow. It’s going to be a lot warmer tomorrow afternoon and this car has shown really well in those conditions in the past, so we’re going to see what kind of advantage we can take from that.”

The Bosch Engineering 250 will air on SPEED TV at 2:30 PM ET on April 25.

About Spirit of Daytona Racing:

Spirit of Daytona Racing is headquartered just down the road from the “World Center of Racing ” in the Daytona Beach, Florida area. Team principal Troy Flis has steered the team since its inception, and the organization has competed in Grand-Am since 1999, with sixteen class victories to its credit.

Utilizing the unique Porsche V8-Coyote combination, the team is looking forward to getting a fast start to the 2009 Rolex Sports Car Series season with three motorcycle champions-Scott Russell, Jason Pridmore, and Jeff Ward as well as Guy Cosmo behind the wheel.

For additional information:

www.scouting.org
www.spiritofdaytona.com
www.sundaymanagement.com

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Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (mobile)

Cosmo Featured in Pirelli Motorsport News

DANVILLE, Va. - Pirelli Motorsport and The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 are primed and ready for a return to racing action at this Saturday's Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The race can be seen live on SPEED at 2:30 p.m. EST.
Grand-Am race teams had a long three month break between the first two scheduled races of the 2009 season - the opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in January and this weekend's Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR. A strong field of Daytona Prototypes and GT competitors - all on Pirelli P Zero racing tires - will take to VIR's challenging 3.27-mile road course for Saturday's race, which will kick off the balance of 2009's 12-race season.

Among the competitors hoping to build on recent momentum is the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona/Porsche V8 Coyote team of sports car racing stalwart Guy Cosmo and motorcycle road racing Hall of Fame member Scott Russell. The duo were joined by Russell's fellow motorcycle champions Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore for the Daytona opener in an AMA Pro Road Racing sponsored race car and managed to finish the grueling race despite encountering just about every type of endurance racing related problem imaginable.

"Daytona was a challenge and the Spirit of Daytona team did a great job," Cosmo said. "With the ever changing conditions of an endurance race, the one constant we had was the consistency and reliability of the Pirelli tires. We had no problems with the tires at all."

Cosmo and the team have also tested extensively during the three-month break between the opening Rolex Series races.

"We did a lot of testing since Daytona and put a lot of miles on tracks like Roebling Road (Georgia) and at Homestead-Miami," Cosmo said. "Roebling Road is particularly tough on tires but we had no issues with the Pirellis. With the progress we have made with this whole package so far, we think we are going to be running strong at VIR, and the Pirellis are all part of that mix. We are looking at running in the top 10 and maybe even challenging for a podium."

Spirit of Daytona Racing Enters Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR

(Daytona Beach, FL) 14 April 09 – The Spirit of Daytona Racing No. 09 Porsche V8-powered Coyote will be back in action this month, as the team has entered the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway with drivers Guy Cosmo and Scott Russell slated to share the driving duties on April 23-25 for round 2 of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series championship.

After rebounding from a brief pit fire and making it to the finish with a roster of champions in Jason Pridmore, Jeff Ward, Russell, and Cosmo in the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, Spirit of Daytona is now ready for the “second half” of the Rolex Sports Car Series Season. Spirit of Daytona Racing has been working non-stop since the checkered flag of the 24 to be fully prepared for the select schedule the team will run in 2009. The team has continued to develop the Coyote chassis, and is hoping to put the lessons learned on the high banks of the home track in Daytona to good use as the Rolex Sports Car Series hits the natural terrain circuit in Virginia.

The Coyote, teamed with the Porsche V8 powerplant, hasn’t been sitting still since the 24, as the team also took part in the late-March Rolex Series open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The track was one where the Coyote-Porsche V8 showed well in 2008, as Cosmo qualified and ran in the lead pack for much of the race. The March test provided some encouraging results, and almost more importantly, some great new data to work with as the team readies for the season-finale championship event at Homestead as well as the upcoming rounds at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen.

While the Homestead outing was encouraging, team owner Troy Flis knows that there are still a lot of lessons to be learned for the Coyote.

“We were really happy with how quick we were at Homestead and with how well the car managed tire wear, but we aren’t kidding ourselves at all, because we know we are up against cars with thousands of miles of testing and racing behind them,” said Flis. “But it was very encouraging for us to be setting times that were as competitive as they were. Everyone on the team has been working non-stop, so it was great to not only have a lot of test time thanks to good reliability, but to come out of there with some good ideas for the next time out so we are really looking forward to VIR.”

Another challenge the team will be targeting is the fact that one half of the driver line up, Scott Russell, has only seen half of the track, on a machine that had only half the wheel count as the Coyote in his championship days on motorcycles.

“I’ve run half of VIR in a test session with Ducati the year I got hurt – I’ve not run the second half of that course,” said Russell. “I’m trying to find a way to get over there and get to run a few laps before we get there. Thank God for Guy Cosmo. He’s a development driver as well as a mentor for me. He’s the man, and he’s helped me a lot. It’s a great opportunity just to be out here, and to be involved in something that’s a development is kind of cool, really. They’ve made the car a lot more comfortable to drive. We’re not expected to win the championship, that kind of thing. But I think we can get on the podium this year, for sure.”

Cosmo, who has started from pole at VIR in Daytona Prototype competition, knows that the twisty Virginia circuit is a tough one for first-timers to take on, but is confident not only in his co-driver Russell, but also in the progress the team has already made with the new Coyote.

“I couldn’t believe how well it went for us at Homestead and I just want us to be able to keep making that kind of progress once we get back to the track at VIR,” said Cosmo. “I know Scott will have to learn his way around the track but he’s picked it up quickly everywhere else we’ve run, hitting his marks like a champion and just getting more and more comfortable with what he can do in the car. I just can’t wait to get back to it at VIR and keep improving because we all feel like there is some real potential in this package.”

The Bosch Engineering 250 will air on SPEED TV at 2:30 PM ET on April 25.

About the Boy Scouts of America

Serving nearly 4.7 million young people between 7 and 20 years of age with more than 300 councils throughout the United States and its territories, the Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training.

Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts of America kicked off a multi-year 100th Anniversary celebration. Over the next two years, BSA will reintroduce to America the contributions Scouting makes in communities across the country and the positive impact Scouting has on millions of young lives. The 100th Anniversary celebration will include major national events, activities, and initiatives to engage nearly 3 million youth and 1.2 million volunteers; an estimated 50 million Scouting alumni; and the general public.

About Spirit of Daytona Racing:

Spirit of Daytona Racing is headquartered just down the road from the “World Center of Racing ” in the Daytona Beach, Florida area. Team principal Troy Flis has steered the team since its inception, and the organization has competed in Grand-Am since 1999, with sixteen class victories to its credit.

For additional information:

www.scouting.org
www.spiritofdaytona.com
www.sundaymanagement.com

###

Contact:
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (mobile)