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Turbo II
09-05-2008, 10:46 PM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 4, 2008) - NASCAR Holdings, the operating entity that includes the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, announced today the plans to acquire Grand-Am, North America's premier road racing series.

The sports car sanctioning body will work closely with NASCAR in the new relationship which brings together two of the biggest auto racing entities in the country.

While both organizations will continue to operate independently, resources such as communications, marketing, research and public relations will be shared. One example of the benefits of the relationship is Grand-Am having a presence on the NASCAR media site at www.nascarmedia.com.

"This combination of resources will benefit Grand-Am and NASCAR, their competitors and fans as the two companies work together to enhance the two sports," said Jim France, Grand-Am founder and Vice Chairman of NASCAR.

Founded in 1999, Grand-Am operates several racing divisions headlined by the premier Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The 15-event schedule, which is anchored by the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, includes two divisions - the Daytona Prototypes and GT class.

"I think this is great news," said Wayne Taylor, owner of the 2005 championship winning No. 10 SunTrust Racing team and two-time winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. "All of the teams have been waiting for this for a long time. Finally, we can now move to the next level."

Since its inception, Grand-Am has helped stabilize the American sports car scene. Its rise has included a rebirth of the successful Rolex 24 event, which has seen tremendous growth since coming under the Grand-Am umbrella in 2000. A variety of drivers from other racing disciplines, including NASCAR stars such as Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon, have helped in the growth of Grand-Am's popularity. Prominent NASCAR team owners Chip Ganassi and Richard Childress also field Grand-Am operations.

blwnrtr93
09-06-2008, 06:43 AM
I'm not entirely sure this is a good thing.

bwaits
09-06-2008, 06:58 AM
"North America's premier road racing series."

Yea.....whatever.....



-billy

alnielsen
09-06-2008, 10:13 AM
I'm not entirely sure this is a good thing.I would agree. What works to create "compelling" racing on an oval won't translate well to a road course.

j_tso
09-08-2008, 03:15 AM
20B stock cars!!

SPICcnmFD
09-08-2008, 06:48 AM
All this means is that they will be more of a spec car then they already are and we will have a caution every 5 or so laps because the will have to sweep the grass off the track. Or even better we will just give them 10-20 laps just to see how the car feels then we will have a caution so everyone can come in and fix whatever is wrong with the handling because we couldn't do it in the previous 6 days of practice we had prior to the race.

blwnrtr93
09-08-2008, 09:21 AM
I would agree. What works to create "compelling" racing on an oval won't translate well to a road course.

Agreed. The only NASCAR events that I watch are the "road course" events and usually only to laugh at how well the guys drive in a more sporting event. Those right-hand turns give the drivers fits. :lol:

I8U
09-09-2008, 09:27 PM
You all are missing the point...NASCAR does not want to change the series. It's more for a marketing standpoint. NASCAR does want to make this just another spec class, they want to get Grand-Am's name out there...seriously though it would be nice to see Grand-Am races talked about on my local news channel, along side NASCAR. Now I haven't been with Grand-Am for very long but a little change can go a long way.

Herblenny
09-11-2008, 07:26 AM
All this means is that they will be more of a spec car then they already are and we will have a caution every 5 or so laps because the will have to sweep the grass off the track. Or even better we will just give them 10-20 laps just to see how the car feels then we will have a caution so everyone can come in and fix whatever is wrong with the handling because we couldn't do it in the previous 6 days of practice we had prior to the race.

LOL! I agree:)

NeuroSpeed
09-13-2008, 11:31 PM
My take?

Two thumbs up.

The France family already had a large stake in Grand-Am, as did a few other big NASCAR names. I don't think the changes will be as doomsday-ish as some of you guys think. If they manage to get more T.V. time for the series (especially Koni as Rolex already has live showings for many races) sponsorship will be MUCH more attractive to various companies. Especially national companies that don't necessarily have the disposable income to be the major sponsor on a Cup car.

I see more and more cars at HPDE's and club racing every time I go. The sport is growing at an incredible rate, even despite the less-than-optimum economy. I wouldn't discount the minds at NASCAR so much to think that they don't see this. My bet is not much changes for a few years besides TV time.

-- Adam

PortedRotorTuner
10-25-2008, 06:03 PM
I traveled as a crew member for one of these teams. I don't think you'll
see any changes either. And it could help with t.v. time. Which we all can
watch more of the racing that we like instead of only having oval racing
on all the time. Maybe even get more coverage of these races on Speed
channel, and maybe not Nascar all the time.

RXtreme8
10-29-2008, 10:21 PM
If anyone wants to see these guys close up...

I've been working with Rotary4Life for an event up your alley. They are hosting an event December 6th at Racers Edge Motorsports in Deland, FL (just out side of Daytona). Racers Edge runs a tube framed, 3-rotor, carbon fiber bodied car in the Rolex GT class right along side of Speedsource. They are giving us a full tour of the shop, tech insight on suspension and performance settings. Diagnostic information and FOOD. If you're interested.... post up on the thread below!!

http://www.rotarycarclub.com/showthread.php?t=4934

http://www.rotary4life.com/forum/images/rem-event-2008-r4l.jpg (http://www.rotary4life.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3544)