March 2, 2010
Michael Shank Racing Targets Homestead Podium
No. 6 of Brian Frisselle and Valiante was in podium position late in the Rolex 24 at Daytona before the effort was halted after 707 laps of running. After showing that kind of pace for over 22 hours, the duo are focused on putting everything out there this weekend to make up some lost ground in the championship.
The duo should be drivers to watch, as Valiante was a regular visitor to the top of the time sheets in 2009, and Brian Frisselle qualified on the front row for the 2009 running of the Miami Grand Prix.
“We had a very fast car at Homestead last October, but the race didn’t go our way (contact from another car),” said Valiante. “So I’m optimistic about this weekend and I think we’ll have a good set-up to start from and hopefully we can just get faster as the weekend goes on. It was a disappointing finish for us at the 24, so I’d like to make up for that a little bit with a good run this weekend and I think we’ll have the car to do that.”
“I’m excited about getting into the rhythm of the sprint races here at Homestead, Barber, and VIR,” said Frisselle. “The 24 is it’s own kind of race, and now everything goes up one level as far as these weekends, particularly as the schedule is pretty intense with practice and qualifying on Friday and then just one morning warm up before we race in the afternoon. I’m looking forward to having Michael as my co-driver, and just can’t wait to get down there and get to work.”
The race weekend marks the first Rolex Sports Car Series event that Mark Patterson has not driven for Michael Shank Racing since the two-time Trueman Award winner first made a partial season campaign in 2005. Patterson will return to Rolex Sports Car Series action in June at Watkins Glen.
Source:
Friday, March 5
| 7:00 AM | Garages Open | |
| 9:30 AM | 10:00 AM | Practice – Rolex Series GT |
| 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | Practice – Rolex Series Combined |
| 11:00 AM | 11:30 AM | Practice – Rolex Series DP |
| 12:15 PM | 1:15 PM | Lunch |
| 1:55 PM | 2:25 PM | Practice – Rolex Series Combined |
| 2:25 PM | 2:55 PM | Practice – Rolex Trueman/Akin Award Participants Only |
| 3:45 PM | 4:00 PM | Qualifying – Rolex Series DP |
| 7:00 PM | Garages Close |
Saturday, March 6
| 7:00 AM | Garages Open | |
| 10:30 AM | 11:30 AM | Rolex Driver Autograph Session, Location TBD |
| 12:00 PM | 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 4:00 PM | Rolex Series Pre-Race/Pit Walk/Recon Laps | |
| 5:00 PM | START – Rolex Series Race (2.75 hrs) | |
| 10:00 PM | Garages Close |
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About Michael Shank Racing:Based in Columbus, Ohio, Michael Shank Racing was formed in 1989 when Mike Shank first began driving racing cars professionally. Shank retired from the cockpit in 1997 to focus his efforts on running the team, which quickly found success in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship. With several race wins under his belt, Shank was named as Team Owner of the Year twice in four years. Michael Shank Racing joined the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004 as the team proved as quick in endurance racing as in the sprint formula car format. Michael Shank Racing scored a debut Rolex Series win in 2006 at Miller Motorsports Park, and fans selected the victory as the 2007 Rolex “Moment of the Year.” After opening the 2008 season with a front-row sweep of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the team closed out the year taking wins in the final two races of the year.
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