By Brian Bielanski
MILLVILLE, N.J. (RacingWire) – People get cranky when temperatures reach the triple digit mark and race car drivers are no exception to the rule.
Some teams dealt with the heat by adding a third driver to the lineup for the American Red Cross 250 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Many of the teams that used two drivers changed wheelmen twice putting the starting driver back in to finish.
Whatever strategy, the drivers exited the cars looking like they just climbed out of the pool... instead of climbing out of a race car.
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (#01 Ganassi Porsche/Riley) overcame an early race drive-through penalty to win the race. They staying out during a late race caution to gain track position. The gamble paid off as Pruett drove to a 3.806 second victory over Max Angelelli (#10 Sun Trust Chevrolet/Dallara).
Pruett came together early in the race with Angelelli's teammate Ricky Taylor spinning Taylor out and drawing a drive through from Grand-Am officials. On replay the incident appeared to have started when Taylor slowed up a little earlier than Pruett expected.
Angelelli confronted Pruett in the post race interview room about the incident “You say this is not the way you race,” said Angelelli. “Today, it is the way you race?”
“What did I say,” responded Pruett. “I stepped up and said good call right from the start..”
Angelelli shot back, “That's great after you did it … that's easy.”
A caution on lap 42 erased most of the penalty.
On lap 65, Charles Espenlaub (# 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda) made contact with Eric Curran (Marsh Racing Corvette). The damage from the contact ended Curran's day. Curran was so upset he threw a water bottle at the #40 car when it was in the pits for a pit stop.
One of the most impressive drives of the day was from GT class winning driver Jonathan Bomarito (#70 SpeedSoruce Mazda). Bomarito, feeling the affects of the heat on his first stint, had to go to the infield care center for IV fluids.
He came back to drive the last stint and took his car to victory lane.
Bomarito and teammate Sylvain Tremblay led a Mazda sweep of the podium. It was an impressive showing from the Mazdas considering they haven't one a race all season.
John Edwards and Wayne Nonnamaker (#42 Team Sahlen Mazda) and James Gue and Dane Cameron (#41 Dempsey Racing Mazda) rounded out the GT podium. The GT class margin of victory was .685 seconds.
In DP, Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney (Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet/Riley) finished third.
The next stop for the Grand-Am Rolex Series is the series' penultimate event at Watkins Glen International on August 13.
