O'ONNELL RACING RACE REPORT: MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK

Source: O'Connell Racing Media Relations
Date: 09/25/2008

ORANGE COUNTY, California -- O'Connell Racing (OConnellRacing.com), a southern California based Grand-Am Rolex Series and NASCAR road racing team announced today their string of four consecutive top ten finishes ended at Miller Motorsports Park in the Rolex Series season finale with an 18th place finish. Heading to Salt Lake City earlier in the week, it became evident that several of the Houston based crew members would miss the event due to the devastation of Hurricane Ike and the team would have just enough crew members there to execute a live pit stop.

Team driver Kevin Roush kicked off the weekend with a respectable 8th place qualifying effort (2.58.02) by taking advantage of an unexpected rain shower that required patience and diligence in certain parts of the circuit and by taking all of the time allotted for the session opting not to park the car early assuming that conditions on the track would not improve.

After the start of the race was waved off due to the collision of two Daytona Prototypes the race was re-started on the next lap. In the early laps of the race Roush complained of blocking by the #30 Mazda RX-8 with team principals on the radio. After moving into 7th position, and after team officials had been told that "blocking was acceptable" by Grand Am race control, it was decided that Roush would be given the go ahead by O'Connell and Montgomery to move the car over or off-line if the deliberate blocking persisted in using the "NASCAR" methodology if needed. On the final left hand turn onto the front straight Roush proceeded to drive under the blocking Mazda while pushing up into the rear bumper subsequently spinning the #30 out on the exit of the turn. Rolex officials quickly ruled on the #30 spin out and declared Roush and the team to have violated the "avoidable contact" rule requiring a drive-thru penalty and dropping the team back to 14th position. Kevin O'Connell commented, "We were too quick to give Kevin Roush the go ahead to move the Mazda out of the way and we should have remembered 2007 when Scott Pruett was penalized last year in a similar incident with the #99 that had an adverse effect on their race as well."

The team cycled through the field during stops running as high as 3rd position but handing the car off to O'Connell in 8th position. O'Connell moved the car into 7th position and was mid way through a double stint when rain showers soaked the track surface bringing out a full course caution.

Speeds slowed to below 10 MPH as drivers just tried to stay on course and teams waited for their chance to pit and switch to rain tires. Driver Kevin O'Connell commented, " The rain was a lucky break for us as we believed it would even out the playing field with the factory backed cars and give Roush a chance to move the car into the top five."

Team driver Kevin Roush was early to move back to dry tires once Montgomery and Kohlmeyer had decided that the change in the wind direction would move the rain off into the mountains and held the 7th position. Unexpectedly, with less than 90 minutes remaining in the race the car was brought into the pits with what was thought to be a flat right front tire, but what turned out to be a broken right front shock. Team engineers Caldwell and Parker, with crew chief Barry O'Brien resurrected the car and reentered the race 14th only to have the left rear wheel bearing fail two laps later ending the race for the team. Technical Director Roy Montgomery commented, "We had many things go right for us today with a fast car, quick pit stops by our gunners Eddie Bernabeo and Rick Toth and solid stints from our drivers. The

mechanical failures we had today are just part of racing."

About O'Connell Racing: O'Connell Racing is a professional California based road racing team that competes in North America in the Grand Am Rolex Series and in the NASCAR Nationwide series. The team races in select events in both of these respective series in a focused effort to bring the highest visibility, media and branding opportunities to its marketing partners and

sponsors: General Environmental Management, Inc., Taleo Grill, Mothers Polishes-Waxes-Cleaners, Rubb-n-Repair, Wrenchmints, MicroFiberStuff.com http://microfiberstuff.com/ , Neo Synthetics, Sparco USA, General Pacific Group, LLC. Xoodlz, Inc, PAOCO and Arnett Designs.

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