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Contact: Laz Denes 256-717-8014
For Immediate Release
July 5, 2007
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (July 5, 2007) - The driving duo of Jonathan Cochet and Max Angelelli took the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley of Wayne Taylor Racing from last in the 18-car Daytona Prototype field to second in Thursday night's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
A dead battery in qualifying forced the team to start in the back of the pack, but the SunTrust squad wasted no time working their way toward the front in the 70-lap race around the 3.56-mile, 11-turn road course.
When the first and only caution of the day waved on lap eight, engineer Travis Jacobson brought Cochet to pit road for a driver change. Angelelli jumped behind the wheel while the crew adding four fresh Hoosier tires and topped off the Pontiac Riley with fuel.
The fast pit stop and driver change moved the team up to 11th-place when the race restarted on lap 12.
Angelelli began slicing his way through the field, moving into the eighth position on lap 15, fifth on lap 18, and then third on lap 28.
When it came time for Jacobson to bring Angelelli to pit road one final time for fuel and tires on lap 40, the SunTrust team came out of the pits in second-place, just behind the leading No. 99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Pontiac Riley piloted by Alex Gurney and co-driven by Jon Fogarty.
Angelelli pushed as hard as he could to catch Gurney, even driving away from third-place Colin Braun, but Angelelli just couldn't overcome the strength of the No. 99 machine.
"I tried everything," said Angelelli of his attempt to catch Gurney. "I got a good shot when he went out the pits, but after that he just took off. I had nothing more for him. I was pushing very hard. And I don't think he was really pushing, and I almost felt like he had something else left in his pocket."
Cochet, who drove the first eight laps before turning the car over to Angelelli, was equally happy with the charge through the field.
"It was a hard-fought drive because we had the problem in qualifying, so we had to start as the last car on the grid," said Cochet, who made his third start with the SunTrust Racing Team since joining the outfit at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) in early June. "My job was to keep the car in good condition to give to Max, and have a good pit stop - which we did because we gained six places. The guys did a really good job on the pit stop and Max pushed a lot to get some more positions. I just have to thank the team for a great job."
Despite not winning, team owner Wayne Taylor was very proud of Angelelli's effort, which brought him to just four points behind Scott Pruett in the driver standings and 13 ahead of third-place Fogarty.
"The guys did a great job and Max, again, drove brilliantly," said Taylor. "He is, without question, the fastest guy out there. We just didn't have it for the 99 car. It's becoming very difficult to keep from being behind that car. They've figured something out. I don't know what it is."
But Taylor knows the team also gained seven points in the team standings on the first place No. 01 Lexus Riley of Chip Ganassi Racing, co-driven this year by Pruett and Memo Rojas.
"Overall, this was good for the championship. We started 18th tonight, but ended up second and finished four spots ahead of the 01 car. But always when you're at your home track, you want to win," added Taylor, who lives in nearby Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Next up for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series competitors is another one-day show July 13 at the all-new Iowa Speedway in Newton. The action culminates at 9 p.m. EDT with a 192-lap race under the lights. Rolex Series drivers will race around a 1.3-mile road circuit that involves the facility's 7/8-mile, high-banked tri-oval.
SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. As of March 31, 2007, SunTrust had total assets of $186.4 billion and total deposits of $123.4 billion. The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels. The Company also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services. Through various subsidiaries the Company provides credit cards, mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, equipment leasing and capital markets services. SunTrust’s Internet address is suntrust.com.
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