For Immediate Release
Contact Laz Denes with True Speed Communication
(704) 875-3388 ext. 806 or Laz.Denes@TrueSpeedCommunication.com
www.TrueSpeedCommunication.com
Online Media Kit Available at www.TrueSpeedMedia.com

Date: Sept. 8, 2012
Event: Continental Tire Sports Car Festival (Round 12 of 13)
Series: Daytona Prototype division of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series
Location: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (2.238-mile, 11-turn road course)
Pole Winner: Richard Westbrook of Spirit of Daytona Racing (1:21.042 at 99.42 mph)
SunTrust Racing: 4th by Ricky Taylor (1:21.540 at 98.81 mph)

The No. 10 SunTrust Corvette Dallara DP of Wayne Taylor Racing will start Sunday’s GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Continental Tire Sports Car Festival from the outside of the second row after qualifying Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, Calif.

Ricky Taylor, who co-drives the SunTrust Racing Corvette DP with veteran Italian Max Angelelli, turned a fast lap of 1 minute, 21.540 seconds (98.81 mph) around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn hillside road circuit, good for fourth among 27 car-and-driver combinations that will take the green flag for Sunday’s 2-hour, 45-minute penultimate round of the 2012 Rolex Series schedule.

“Qualifying is going to be very different than the race,” said Taylor, who co-drove with Angelelli to a third-place finish at Laguna Seca last season after starting from the pole and leading a race-high 52 laps. “To be honest, we haven’t had the greatest of weekends, so far. We’ve been struggling a little bit. It would’ve been nice to get that third place in qualifying. Maybe I could’ve squeaked out a little bit better of a lap. In the race, you never know how the strategy is going to go. It’s a long race. We’ve got a lot of tires to go through, a lot of pit stops. It can go any way, I think. The 90 and the 99 are really strong. We’re going to try and work the strategy since we’re not in the championship, so we can take some risks in traffic and with our strategy. We won at New Jersey and Homestead without having the best car. I have confidence in these SunTrust guys. We’ve won a race every way possible so, tomorrow, we’ll have to see what we come up with.”

The top-five in qualifying for Sunday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are:

1. Spirit of Daytona Racing (No. 90 Corvette DP) with Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia (1:21.042 at 99.42 mph).

2. Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing (No. 99 Corvette DP) with Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney (1:21.213 at 99.21 mph).

3. Starworks Motorsport (No. 2 Ford Riley) with Alex Popow, Ryan Dalziel and Alex Tagliani (1:21.535 at 98.81 mph).

4. SunTrust Racing (No. 10 Corvette DP) with Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (1:21.540 at 98.81 mph).

5. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (No. 01 BMW Riley) with Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett (1:21.927 at 98.34 mph).

Race time Sunday is 3 p.m. EDT with live television coverage provided by SPEED and live radio coverage provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius/XM Channel 117 beginning with pre-race activities at 2:45 p.m. Live timing and scoring during all on-track sessions can be found at www.grand-am.com, and on mobile devices at m.grand-am.com/laptrax.

- SunTrust: The Official Bank of Motorsports –

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 June 30, 2012, SunTrust had total assets of $178.3 billion and total deposits of $128.4 billion.  Through its flagship subsidiary, SunTrust Bank, 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 clients in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services.  Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing and investment banking services. SunTrust's Internet address is suntrust.com.