2015 News

Podium Finish for CGRFS at Watkins Glen International

From ChipGanassiRacing.com

WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 29, 2015) – Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) with drivers Scott Pruett and Joey Hand finished second in the Prototype class in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

The starting lineup up for the iconic six-hour race was determined by driver championship points after inclement weather conditions forced the cancellation of qualifying. Hand started the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost Riley in the fifth position as rain began to fall steadily on the 3.4-mile road course. The first full-course caution came out shortly after the race started. Hand took advantage of the caution to pit for fuel. The No. 01 made its way into the third position before Pruett took over the wheel.

After cycling through pit stops, Pruett gained the lead as he opened his first and only stint of the race. The No. 01 continued to lead until pitting during the fourth full-course caution where Pruett restarted in the third position just before the halfway mark. The team continued to run slick tires until Hand took over the wheel for his second and final stint. Hand restarted in the second position, but red flag conditions took over as the rain began to pick up.

The race resumed with just over an hour remaining; however, a slick track caused the No. 10 to spin from the lead and make contact with the No. 01. Hand continued to run despite the contact and took over the lead. A late-race pit stop resulted in misfortune as the last full-course caution for multiple cars stopped on track came out with the No. 01 on pit road and six minutes on the clock. Officials determined the track would not be clear before the allotted time ran out resulting in a second-place overall finish.

The next TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race will be the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance in Bowmanville, ON at Canadian Tire Motorsport on July 12.

NOTES OF INTEREST
 Qualifying for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen was cancelled due to inclement weather conditions and starting positions were based on driver championship points.
 It was a tire strategy race as team’s battled between rain or slick tires due to the on and off rain conditions.
 The finish marked the No. 01’s second podium finish of the year.

CGRFS QUOTEBOARD
Scott Pruett: “It was great for us, as a team, for Ganassi and Ford and EcoBoost. We unloaded off the trailer strong. We were coming off some bad races, so more than anything else, we wanted to have a strong run here. The car was good off the trailer, and it just stayed there. Joey started (the race) and did a solid job. I jumped in and it was pretty dry until the end of my stint. But even in the dry, the car was just clicking off some really strong laps. It was nice to drive. I was just out there having a lot of fun. I turned it back over to Joey when the rain really started coming down and just couldn’t be happier for the team. It would be nice to be one position higher. We were certainly capable of that. But with the changing conditions and the way things unfolded and all the yellows and everything else, it was just almost anybody’s race at the end. I’m excited for (the winners), they ran strong. It’s good to see them in victory lane as well.”

Joey Hand: “I woke up on race day and I thought ‘today’s the day.’ Scott and I both felt really good about it. We knew we had the chance to win this race. That’s saying something, because we’ve had a couple tough races. We struggled at Detroit. The Ganassi guys and Ford really worked hard to get the car off the trailer better than we’ve ever been, and it’s the best car I’ve driven since I’ve been on the team. I’m really proud of the guys for that, for having it sorted out for us so we could race. For us, like Scott said, it was fun to drive. It was hectic. You couldn’t see stuff. Things were going crazy, but that’s what I live for. That’s why I race. I like that kind of stuff.”

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