tool name
closeVasser to join series leaders Fogarty and Gurney for season-ender
Wednesday, Sep. 05, 2007
When series leaders John Fogarty and Alex Gurney go into the Rolex Sports Cars Series Daytona Prototype finale Sept. 15 at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, they’ll have some help from a guy who knows how to win a championship.
Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 CART champion and a 15-year open-wheel veteran, will again team with Fogarty and Gurney in the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Pontiac-powered Riley for the Sunchaser 1000k.
Fogarty and Gurney, the son of longtime racing star Dan Gurney, have won seven races, including six of the last eight, and go into the marathon finale with a one-point lead over the Lexus Riley of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas and a three-point margin over the Pontiac Riley of Max Angelelli.
Vasser has been a part-time member of the GAINSCO team since last year’s season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona as team owner Stallings’ hand-picked “go-to guy” for the series’ endurance events.
“I’m really stoked about Jimmy’s return to the driver’s seat of the 99 car,” Stallings said.
“He has been a leading member of the team since he first got in. At last year’s Salt Lake City race, he was really quick as usual and, just as importantly, a steadying influence on the whole operation. Jimmy’s done it all, and the entire team enjoys having him around.”
Gurney agreed, adding, “To me, Jimmy is the ideal addition for our last race. He’s experienced, quick, smart, doesn’t make mistakes and can handle all the pressure that will surely be on his shoulders as we make a run for the Rolex Series championship,”
As an interested observer to the team’s success this year, Vasser said he couldn’t be happier for the second-year outfit.
“Watching Bob’s team grow to this level has been extremely satisfying for me, and I’ll be showing up at Salt Lake prepared to do the job of winning the Sunchaser and the championship,” Vasser said.