Gidley started 10th but drove the car to the inside at the start picking up three positions by the end of the second lap. As the first stint came to a close for Gidley, the No.19 machine was shown in the fifth position.
Gidley brought the Playboy/Uniden/Palms - sponsored machine down the pit lane for the first of several scheduled pit stops. As the team quickly serviced the orange and black Daytona Prototype, Gidley climbed from behind the wheel and his teammate Michael McDowell climbed into the cockpit. McDowell entered the battle in excellent track position due to the awesome pit stop performed by the Finlay Motorsports crew. He continued to run up towards the front his entire stint putting down some excellent lap times until bringing the car into the pits for the team's second scheduled stop. During the second stop Guy Cosmo slid behind the wheel and waited for the crew to send him on his way. Cosmo returned to the competition and managed to hold his line but radioed into the crew that there was a problem with the power steering. As Cosmo continued to lap the 4.486-mile Miller Motorsports Park circuit, the crew carefully evaluated the situation. When Cosmo's stint came to a close he brought the No.19 machine down pit lane once again and Memo Gidley prepared to return to the cockpit. Gidley wasted little time getting the No.19 machine back up front, running in second position at the close of his second stint of the day. As the power steering problem continued to plague the car, Gidley brought the car into the pits for another scheduled pit stop/driver change. The team once again had an awesome pit stop, returning Michael McDowell back to the battle in no time flat.
McDowell returned to the track in 6th position, continuing to battle the power steering problem or lack of. As his stint continued the young aggressive driver moved the car back into the top-3 before the yellow flag flew and he handed the car back over to Memo Gidley. Gidley climbed behind the wheel as the team serviced the car but the team experienced a problem with the door not latching correctly and a broken drink bottle. With no drink bottle, Gidley mentally prepared for his final stint as he waited for the green flag to drop.
At the drop of the green flag Gidley powered down his Ford engine, continuing to run third. Not far into his stint Gidley moved around the 01 car driven by Scott Dixon for the lead. Gidley continued to lead for several laps until Dixon got back around him. Dixon continued to lead until their scheduled pit stop a little under 8 hours remaining in the race. Gidley picked up the lead and drove a few more laps until his crew called him into the pits for their last scheduled stop. |
L-R: McDowell, Gidley, Cosmo
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The Finlay Motorsports crew had an unbelievable stop getting Michael McDowell out of the pits right behind the 60 car driven by Oswaldo Negri. The power steering continued to worsen as the laps began to trickle down, McDowell had his hands full with the No.19 Playboy/Uniden/Palms machine but he had his eyes set on the 60 car just waiting for the right opportunity to make a move for the lead.
Unfortunately that opportunity fell short but McDowell muscled his way around the track and brought the No.19 Playboy/Uniden/Palms Ford-Powered Crawford home to a second place finish.
The Finlay Motorsports team scored a total of eleven top-10 finishes, including four top-fives on their way to finishing fourth in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve.
MEMO GIDLEY "This was a great weekend for the Playboy/Uniden/Palms car. I really want to thank our teammates Rob Finlay, Michael Valiante and Mike Wright the engineer of the 5 car for sharing their set-up with us this weekend. It was a great result for us this weekend, the guys have worked so hard all year and they deserved this finish tonight. The 9-hour races are tough but our Ford-powered Daytona Prototype kicked butt."
MICHAEL MCDOWELL "Those were the hardest hours that I've ever done. Memo and Guy did a great job all day keeping the car up front and made my job a little easier. I had a great battle going on with OS (Oswaldo) and I thought I had him but we got caught up in some traffic. The Playboy/Uniden car was awesome besides the problem with the power steering; those last few laps were really hard. I really want to thank Rob Finlay for everything he has done for me and for giving me this opportunity to race for a great team."
GUY COSMO "What a great race. Unfortunately I think I was in the car when the power steering began to let go and that was definitely a bit challenging. It was a great honor filling in for these guys (Michael McDowell and Memo Gidley) throughout the season and I'm glad that Rob Finlay and Steve Cameron gave me this opportunity to race with them both this weekend." |
UTAH QUALIFYING
GIDLEY, MCDOWELL AND COSMO SECURE TOP-10 STARTING POSITION FOR DISCOUNT TIRE SUNCHASER 9-HOUR
TOOELE, UTAH (September 1, 2006) - Qualifying for the Grand American Rolex Series season ending event, the Discount Tire Sunchaser 9-Hour race, took place earlier today and Memo Gidley behind the wheel of the No.19 Playboy/Uniden/Palms - sponsored machine secured a top-10 starting position. |
The 9-hour race, scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow, will be challenge for the Daytona Prototype machines. The race will begin around noon with temperatures in the low 80's and as the race progresses the temperatures could reach well into the 90's. The temperatures will not be the only challenge; the race will begin in daylight and end in darkness. The Miller Motorsports Park's desert like setting and the fact the facility doesn't have lights will be a real challenge come tomorrow evening as the drivers use their skills to feel their way around the 24-turn, 4.486-mile track in search of the checkered flag.
Gidley |
Memo Gidley will start tomorrow's contest from row five and will be given the challenge of staying out of trouble during the first stint as the race begins to sort itself out.
"I'm happy with the way the car has been working in practice," said Memo Gidley. "The Playboy/Uniden/Palms car has been consistent and fast all week but I thought we would get a better qualifying result. It's a long race and I know that Michael (McDowell), Guy (Cosmo) and myself will do whatever it takes to get the car up front at the end."
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Michael McDowell returns to the seat of the No.19 machine after sitting out the last Grand American event at Infineon Raceway because of an opportunity to race in one of NASCAR's feeder series, ARCA.
McDowell |
"It's good to be back behind the wheel of the No.19 car," said Michael McDowell. "Memo did a great job qualifying the car; we just need to figure out where the speed is. We've had a few electronic issues this week and I just don't think the car is running at its full potential."
Guy Cosmo, who competed for Finlay Motorsports last weekend, will be the third driver sharing the car with Gidley and McDowell during the season ending 9-hour race.
Cosmo |
"We've made a lot of strides from last weekend," said Guy Cosmo. "We've gotten the 19 car back to the pace where it's accustomed to running. I think we've got a great combination of drivers behind the wheel so we're just going to keep it clean and fast."
The Discount Tire Sunchaser 9-hour race can be seen on the Speed Channel at 12:00 p.m. |
UTAH PRE-RACE ADVANCE
MEMO GIDLEY, MICHAEL MCDOWELL AND GUY COSMO TEAM-UP FOR ROLEX SERIES SEASON FINALE
MOORESVILLE, NC (August 30, 2006) - The 2006 Grand American Rolex Series season is coming to a close and Memo Gidley, Michael McDowell and Guy Cosmo would like to finish on a positive note. |
All three drivers have driven with one another at some point this season but this weekend will mark the first time they've all three competed in the No.19 Playboy/Uniden/Palms Ford-Powered Daytona Prototype machine on the same weekend.
Memo Gidley and Michael McDowell started off the season strong, scoring three top-10 finishes in-a-row at Daytona, Mexico City and Homestead. Long Beach looked to produce more of the same results until an incident during the morning warm-up found Memo Gidley in the hospital with a compression fracture to his lower back.
As Gidley began the recovery process, the Finlay Motorsports team enlisted the assistance of Guy Cosmo. Cosmo competed in the next four races with Michael McDowell, helping the team score three top-five finishes and a top-10.
Gidley climbed back behind the wheel of the popular orange and black machine at Watkins Glen. The next few races found the team experiencing a few high points (Watkins Glen, 6th, Daytona, 8th and Barber, 6th ) and low points (Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen). |
With the season coming to a close, Michael McDowell was unable to compete in the Infineon Raceway event so Guy Cosmo was given the opportunity to once again climb behind the wheel of the No.19 machine. Gidley and Cosmo fought an ill-handling race car but managed to score the team's tenth top-10 finish of the season.
It's hard to believe, given the results and consistency of the No.19 Playboy/Uniden/Palms -sponsored machine that it has not found its way to victory circle but Gidley, McDowell and Cosmo hope to change that this weekend.
The 4.5-mile, 24-turn road course will definitely put the drivers of the Rolex Series to the test but the Finlay Motorsports team is prepared and ready for the Discount Tire SunChaser 9-hour season finale.
The final round of the Grand American Rolex Series from Miller Motorsports Park will take place on Saturday, September 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Speed Channel will televise the start of the race live; the second segment of the telecast will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to check your local listings! |
