Race Report: Brumos Victory in Homestead Season Finale
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Heading into the final race of 2009, many Grand-Am fans were focused on the tight battle for the championship. Brumos Racing, however, remained focused on only one thing - winning races. That strategy paid off as our #59 car ended the season the same way we started it, scoring an unforgettable Brumos victory. Following a series of disappointing finishes after the Rolex 24, our cars were in 7th and 8th place in Team Points standings.  Our team faced an additional challenge upon learning that J.C. France would be unavailable to drive in the finale event.  Hurley Haywood was called upon to step back into the #59 car he made famous, and he delivered, flying in from a Porsche event in Wisconsin just in time for Friday morning’s practice and qualifying sessions.

Haywood qualified the #59 car in 13th and started the race, holding his position throughout his stint.  As points were not a factor for Haywood, he was one of the only drivers to pit for a driver change under the first yellow. That strategy set things up perfectly for Joao Barbosa, as during the next yellow, he gained several positions as the leaders faced longer stops for their driver changes. Barbosa delivered a flawless stint in some of the season’s most thrilling race action. Picking off the leaders one by one, Barbosa passed the #01 Ganassi car for the lead with just under a half hour left in the race.  A multi-car crash minutes before the end of the race locked in the front running position for him as the race ended under a yellow flag, bringing the Brumos crew over the wall for a long overdue celebration in Victory Lane.

Haywood had praise for his co-driver, saying,” I am lucky to have a teammate like Joao, he is just an Iron Man!  We started the year with the #59 on the podium and a win for the #58, so this is a nice way for us to go into the off season and for the start of our season in 2010.” Barbosa was understandably pleased to be on the top step of the podium for his first Rolex DP win, saying, “The #59 started this season off really good and finished it even better.  This win motivates the whole team, and I am really happy for the Brumos guys. They gave me a really good car and I just did what I had to do. The team did incredible work this race and the whole season. I am really proud for them, and proud just to be part of Brumos.”

Darren Law qualified and started the race in 6th place for the #58 car, ending qualifying early to conserve tires, as the extreme heat made tire wear a major concern.  When the first full course caution was called, David Donohue suited up for a driver change, but as the stop came just short of the required thirty minutes for driver points, Law stayed in the car.  A quick pit stop allowed #58 to get back on track quickly and gain position. The heat and build up on the track late in the race made for a difficult stint for Donohue.  Despite the challenging conditions, he was in strong contention, running as high as third before a lock-up of the brakes and flat spotting of the tires cost position and affected handling, but Donohue hung on to cross the line for a 5th place finish

The day’s results boosted the #59 car up three spots to take 5th place in the final Team Championship Standings for 2009, with #58 following them in 7th, separated by only one point. This year saw each of our cars take a memorable victory, and each captured an additional podium, two goals that proved elusive the previous season.  The #59’s performance throughout the season also once again earned the 2009 ‘Improve Your Position’ award.  The Brumos Rolex 24 Victory was also voted by fans as the 2009 Rolex Moment of the Year, and recognized at the annual Grand-Am Awards Banquet.

Posted on 10/14 at 03:14 PM