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: Aug. 10, 2012
Event: Continental Tire 200 at The Glen (Round 10 of 13)
Series: Daytona Prototype division of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile, 11-turn road course)
Pole Winner: Ricky Taylor of SunTrust Racing (1:06.039 at 133.557 mph)

The No. 10 SunTrust Corvette Dallara DP of Wayne Taylor Racing will start Saturday’s GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Continental Tire 200 at The Glen from the pole after qualifying Friday afternoon at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Ricky Taylor, the newly turned 23-year-old who with SunTrust Racing co-driver Max Angelelli swept last year’s Sahlen’s six-hour event and the August sprint race at Watkins Glen, both from the pole, turned a fast lap of 1 minute, 6.039 seconds (133.557 mph) around the 2.45-mile, 11-turn NASCAR short course, fastest among 25 car-and-driver combinations that will take the green flag for Saturday’s annual August sprint race.

“I think we have good cars here every time – every race we feel like we have a winning car,” said Taylor, who qualified on the pole at both Watkins Glen races in 2011 while Angelelli qualified the SunTrust car fourth at this year’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in June. “At this year’s six-hour, we had a little misfortune in the race. But we’ve had such good cars here on a regular basis, and the car once again in qualifying today was really good. We came here off a good Continental Tire test a few weeks ago that kind of set the stage for us coming here and unloading well. That was important for today because we ended up having no dry practice before qualifying. For me, as a driver, it was nice to have that confidence about brake zones and everything. I thank the team for giving me such a good car.”

It was Taylor’s second pole of the season to go with his fast qualifying effort in May at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, and it was the 10th Rolex Series pole of his career. Last year’s victory here by Taylor and Angelelli was the fastest race in Rolex Series history at an average speed of 122.308 mph from start to finish. Taylor and Angelelli combined to lead 77 of the 100 race laps.

The top-five in qualifying for Saturday’s Continental Tire 200 at The Glen are:

1. SunTrust Racing (No. 10 Corvette DP) with Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (1:06.039 at 133.557 mph).

2. Spirit of Daytona Racing (No. 90 Corvette DP) with Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook (1:06.192 at 133.249 mph).

3. Starworks Motorsport (No. 2 Ford Riley) with Alex Popow and Sebastien Bourdais (1:06.303 at 133.026 mph).

4. Starworks Motorsport (No. 8 Ford Riley) with Lucas Luhr and Ryan Dalziel (1:06.447 at 132.737 mph).

5. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (No. 01 BMW Riley) with Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett (1:06.454 at 132.723 mph).

Race time Saturday is 6 p.m. EDT with live television coverage provided by SPEED. Live radio coverage will be provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius/XM Channel 117 beginning with pre-race activities at 5:45 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.