 With the problems behind them, the team set their sights on the Grand Am Cup 200. Rob Finlay started the day off by qualifying the No. 15 Playboy/Palms entry in the eighth position, marking another impressive qualifying effort. Starting from row four, Finlay knew the importance of staying up front and kept his Playboy/Palms – sponsored Mustang within the top-10 his entire stint.
"The Playboy/Palms Ford Mustang was phenomenal today," said Rob Finlay. "The race itself was good but it was crazy with all those cars out there. I was able to stay out of trouble during my stint and get the car to Michael in good position. We’re happy that we got the win and are looking forward to the next Cup race next weekend."
Finlay’s teammate Michael McDowell climbed behind the wheel for his stint and began to work his way back up through the field, running back in the top-10 in a matter of laps. Unfortunately a mix up on the restart forced McDowell to serve a stop and go penalty forcing him to fall back several positions.
With his work cut out for him McDowell powered down his Ford Mustang and headed towards the front. The team knew that the leaders had to stop for fuel and that weather was moving in quickly, so they decided to keep McDowell out on the race track where he was leading the race when Grand Am black flagged the event. The cars moved on to pit lane where they stayed until the race was finally red flagged allowing for Finlay and McDowell to pick up their first ever Grand Am Cup victory.
"Rob’s opening stint was great," said Michael McDowell. "He qualified the car well so we were able to start the race up front and kept it there the entire time. We saw that the weather was coming so we just stuck to the strategy and it paid off. We had a great car today, I had to serve a stop and go penalty early on but we managed to get our positions back and finish first."
The Finlay Motorsports Grand Am Cup team will next compete on the Le Circuit Trois - Rivieres in Quebec, Canada next weekend. |
 The personable Californian, guided the No. 19 machine to the front of the pack leading the race before finally turning his ride over to his teammate with less than 30 minutes remaining in the 2 ¾-hour time limit event.
"The Playboy/Uniden/Palms car was running great today," said Memo Gidley. "It was a good weekend; we ran in the top-five every session and were able to get a good result today. I really enjoy driving the Barber track and look forward to coming back next year."
With Gidley out of the car, the young aggressive Michael McDowell slid behind the wheel and began his quest to get the No. 19 machine back up front. McDowell started his short stint in the 10th place and managed to maneuver his machine into the sixth position in only six green flag laps.
Gidley and McDowell’s 6th –place finish kept the Mooresville, NC team in the Championship hunt picking up a few points on the 01 car.
 "I wish that I had a few more green flag laps," said Michael McDowell. "I’m pleased with the car’s performance and think we definitely had a podium finishing car today but we just came up a little short. Our strategy was to wait on the weather but it never came so than we were waiting on a caution that never came. We were finally forced to make a green flag stop and that didn’t quite go as planned but we hung in there and scored some valuable points."
The Finlay Motorsports team will next compete in the Crown Royal 200 at the Glen on August 10th and 11th. |
PREVIOUSLY:
GIDLEY AND MCDOWELL LOOK FOR PODIUM FINISH AT BARBER
MOORESVILLE, NC (July 25, 2006) – So far during the 2006 Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve season Gidley, McDowell and company have scored an impressive eight top-10 finishes. Falling just short of the podium three times, scoring fourth place finishes at Homestead, Virginia International Raceway and Laguna Seca Raceway. |
The Finlay Motorsports team hopes to climb back atop the podium at this weekend’s contest at Barber Motorsports Park.
The Mooresville, NC – based team had a great finish last year on the 2.38-mile, 16-turn world class Barber Motorsport Park facility, finishing second and would like nothing more than to repeat that effort on Sunday.
"Barber is where the team got its first podium last year," said Michael McDowell. "We finished second and we hope to get back on the podium again this weekend. The car and the team are prepared and I know that we have what it takes to accomplish this goal."
The No.19 Playboy/Uniden/Palms – sponsored team currently sitting fourth in the Rolex Series Team Point Standings with 310 points a mere 22 points out of first place hope to gain some ground on the 76 Krohn entry this weekend. |
"I can’t wait to rip the Playboy/Uniden/Palms race car around the barber Motorsports Park," said Memo Gidley. "That track is so much fun with all the elevation changes and chicanes. I also think the Ford power plant will be suited for the track with its great drivability. We know it’s going to be hot and humid but I’ve been training in the North Carolina heat and humidity all summer so I’m ready. It’s going to be a challenging and exciting race."
Practice for the Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant begins on Friday, July 28 with qualifying taking place on Saturday afternoon. The start of the 250- mile/109-lap/ 2 ¾ -hour time limit event is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and will be aired on the Speed Channel at 3:00 p.m. ET, be sure to check your local listings! |
