Fighting tooth and nail for most of the race and much as was the case in 2010, a Ford Mustang would doggedly fight with a BMW for first place for much of Friday’s Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge’s Grand-Am 200.

Unfortunately, the BMW prevailed much as it had in 2010, though this time the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports’ Ford Mustang Boss 302R of Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell disallowed a BMW podium sweep.

Placing second to pole-sitters Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb’s No. 13 Rum Bum car, but ahead of Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana’s No. 96 Turner Motorsports’ BMW, the Boss 302R of Foster and Maxwell suffered an early race self-inflicted slow pit stop that would drop the Mustang from first-place to 11th following the driver exchange that put Maxwell into the car’s seat.

Plumb, who took over for Longhi on lap 10, would reenter the fray in fifth place.

However, long before the pit stop exchanges were undertaken, a chief player, Jack Roush Jr., and Billy Johnson, would have their race ended on lap six when a hard-charging Roush lost his brakes in one of the least desirable places found on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway layout.

Roush, who in the final pre-race practice earlier Friday had bettered the BMW’s record pole time set during Thursday’s qualifying, was at the wheel and on a mission as he drove his Boss 302R from his fifth-place starting spot to third during the sixth lap.

Emerging from the backstretch chicane and into the Speedway’s East Bank with a strong run, Roush quickly dispatched two competitors and, at first, appeared as though he may have gotten a little too greedy when he barreled into the first turn and went well off the racing line.

Roush clearly was in trouble, though, as he continued his off-course path, barreling into a protective cushion of tires bordering the course.

With a crushed front, Roush’s No. 61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang 302R was clearly done for the day and finished 70th of the 71 race starters.

“I don’t know what happened,’ Roush said after doctors examined him and proclaimed him fit in the DIS Infield Medical Center.

“I had no brakes going into [Turn] 1. I tried to pump them up but they were just not there,” said a clearly disappointed Roush, who in 2010 claimed a third place in the Continental Challenge GS driver’s points.

When the caution caused by Roush came to an end, Foster soon charged into the lead and held it for 16 laps before undertaking the slower-than-usual pit stop on lap 27.

Remarkably, Foster had only gotten 12 laps of practice in his Multimatic Mustang Boss 302R before Thursday’s qualifying.

Though Shelby Blackstock, who co-drove the No. 51 Roush Performance Ford Mustang Boss 302R with Roly Falgueras, would take the lead on laps 35 and 36, it was one born more of pit-stop happenstance than staying power, the entry fading to an eventual 18th-place finish.

The Blackstock and Falgueras Boss 302R would be the only other Mustang to lead the Grand-Am 200.

After taking over from Longhi at roughly the 30-minute mark of the 2.5-hour race, Plumb would emerge from the pits in fifth place and steadily worked his way back into the lead on Lap 46.

In his rearview mirrors, Plumb said he could see Maxwell charging through the field.

“I could see Scotty in my mirrors,” Plumb said. “It was starting to get pretty stressful because I’d make a move and he’d do the same.”

The pair ran 1-2 by lap 55, where they stayed and, according to Plumb, a penultimate-lap yellow flag on lap 61 then assured his finish out front.

“I would’ve tried to pass him on the final lap, for sure,” a clearly exhausted Maxwell said.

“Even though I had better tires than he did at the end, I just don’t think I would’ve been able to get around Matt. But I sure would’ve tried.” Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance for that last charge.”

 

Thanks for posting ... nice to see the Canadians doing well to start the season.


cheers
Ed N.

 

What the hell no first lol

 

No worries Fast Ed. I follow the series quite closely. Can't wait till Mosport.

 

What is a ticket to the race on Sunday and do they have a weekend ticket package?

 

They actually have very good rates. Day rates, weekend rates, even camping rates....

http://www.mosport.com/tickets.htm