July 13, 2007
Valiante charges to Second in Iowa
NEWTON, IA (July 13, 2007) - Michael Valiante followed Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammate Scott Pruett under the checkered flag tonight with a margin of just .325 seconds for a one-two CGR finish at Iowa Speedway. It was CGR’s first ever 1-2 finish in the Rolex Series and was nearly reversed in order.
Pruett and Valiante, who co-drove with Rob Finlay to the pair’s best career finish, battled through traffic for the final 10 laps, trying desperately to garner breathing room for a clean shootout. However, lapped traffic didn’t budge, and Valiante had a last-ditch passing opportunity when Pruett’s car hiccupped in the final corner. But Valiante also checked up and didn’t force an attempt, giving Pruett just enough to secure the victory.
“We had rules not to take each other out,” Pruett said of him and his teammates. “It was good and bad. Everything was good until the last lap when we started running out of fuel and coughing. Luckily, the car picked it up and we didn’t miss coming onto the straightaway. It is a strong finish for Ganassi. Michael and Rob have been a strong addition to the team, and all in all, we just try to do what we know how to do - go out and win races. Tonight was a lot better than I expected. I hope we put on a strong race for the fans.”
Finlay posted a career-best starting position of fifth and kept the car in the top-five much of his stint before Valiante took over during the first round of pit stops. Valiante set the race’s fastest lap on Lap 173 (41.624 seconds; 112.435 mph) and quickly shortened a three-second advantage to about six tenths of a second soon after. Valiante closed in as the lead duo approached slower traffic, and decided against possible contact with Pruett to improve his position on the final lap.
“When Scott bobbled, I checked up, and if it was anyone else I would have tried to make that winning move,” Valiante said.
“It was going to be our best finishing position anyway, so it just wouldn’t have been a smart move to make and maybe take both of us out. Second was good for us. We all do a good job sharing information (within Ganassi), and this relationship has just grown very well. We are extremely happy with this result.”
Finlay was equally excited about finishing second and said it was to the team’s benefit to join forces with Ganassi in April at Virginia International Raceway. The pair has finished in the top eight in four straight Daytona Prototype races.
“It was a great day,” said Finlay, who was also awarded the race’s Jim Trueman Award. “It was the best qualifying effort I’ve ever had, especially in Daytona Prototypes. The race was going well for me until I hit a backmarker. Fortunately, we kept the car going and put together a solid effort. Michael went out there and gave us the best result we’ve ever had, so an awesome night for the team.”
Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney in the No. 99 car had their three-race winning streak snapped after hanging strong all evening. But Gurney, while running second, couldn’t overcome pressure from Valiante, and slid wide on Lap 170 coming out of Turn 9. Valiante passed him crossing the start/finish line.