GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing drivers Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Darren Law and Memo Gidley join together for a second consecutive year in hopes of driving the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance® Corvette Daytona Prototype into victory lane during this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 25-26. The green flag drops at 2:10 p.m. EST with coverage beginning on FOX Sports at 2 p.m., and continuing on sister stations FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports 1 throughout Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Marking the inaugural event since the merger of GRAND-AM and ALMS, this will be the first time that the combined car classes will race together on-track during an IMSA-sanctioned event. There are several variables that will make this race different than normal, particularly as the various classes get comfortable with sharing the track with one another.
“This is a new era for the sport, so I think we’re all excited to finally get this thing underway,” Gurney said. “There are a lot of unknowns going into this race, and it will be very interesting to see how all the classes behave together. All the varying speeds will definitely make it more difficult to keep your nose clean.”
While the rules and procedures may be somewhat different under the new sanctioning body, the competitive nature of the drivers remains consistent from previous years.
“My anticipation for this year’s race with IMSA is born out of curiosity of how it is all going to work with the rules, the procedures and things of that nature,” Fogarty said. “The racing and driving side of things comes down the competitors out on track, and that more or less always stays the same, so I feel that aspect is not new.”
Gurney and Fogarty begin their ninth straight season sharing driving responsibilities for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing while Law and Gidley return for their second and third Rolex 24 events driving the No. 99 “Red Dragon.” With the team chemistry well in place from driving together previously, the drivers have been able to focus their energies on fine-tuning the car, as opposed to learning how to work together.
“Having raced together as a team is an advantage,” Law said. “There are no egos. We are all on the same page from a setup standpoint. We all get along great, so it’s comfortable. All we have to worry about is crossing the finish line first.”
Law is the only member of the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings racing team that has won the Rolex 24, winning in the 2009 edition of the race. While the team won’t be competing in the full season, the team will compete for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Championship in 2014, making their desire to win in the Rolex 24 even greater.
“It’s hard to imagine being more hungry for victory than in the past,” Gurney said. “Daytona is very much our Super Bowl so we always push to win. It is different this year though. A poor finish at Daytona can really make for a difficult climb the rest of the year, but that’s not the case for us. If in the closing minutes of the race there is any opportunity to go for the win we are going to take it, not matter how slim. We do not have much to lose, but we do have a whole lot to gain.”
While the team captured GRAND-AM Championships in 2007 and 2009, the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings team has never won the 24-hour event, with the team’s best finish of second in the 2008 Rolex 24.
“I would love to win here at Daytona with GAINSCO,” Gidley said. “It would be a fantastic victory and definitely well deserved. I know how hard all the people at GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing work, and I know how hard I have worked over the last two months, and really over the course of my career to win this race. I am not a very emotional person, but I am sure I would be overcome with emotion winning this race because I know the amount of work that everybody on team GAINSCO has put in over the years. Somebody has to win this race, and we have a fantastic shot at this.”
The 52nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona begins with practice and qualifying on Thursday, followed by practice on Friday, with the day-long race beginning at 2:10 p.m. EST on Saturday.
About GAINSCO Auto Insurance®
The primary sponsor of the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Daytona Prototype is GAINSCO Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based auto insurer that distributes policies through a network of thousands of independent agents across Sunbelt states. GAINSCO Auto Insurance® uses its “Are You Driven?®” motorsports sponsorship and marketing campaign to build brand awareness and advance its distribution strategies. For more information, visit www.GAINSCO.com
About GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing has been committed to excellence in road racing since its formation in 2001. The team, lead drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, and the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance® Daytona Prototype won the 2007 and 2009 Championships in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, finishing second in the same championships in 2008, and third in 2010, 2011 and 2013. The team is supported by GAINSCO Inc.,www.BobStallingsCars.com, powered by Chevrolet, and partnered with GM Racing, ECR Engines and Riley Technologies. For more information, visitwww.GAINSCOracing.com.