NASCAR stars near top after Rolex practice ends

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 completed a successful January Test Days on Sunday, setting the stage for the 46th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona Jan. 25-27 with three days of on-track testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Johnny O'Connell topped the Sunday afternoon time charts on the third and final day of the test, circulating the 12-turn, 3.56-mile infield road course in 1:42.396 (125.194 mph) behind the wheel of the No. 91 Riley-Mathews Motorsports Pontiac Riley. O'Connell will be joined for the Rolex 24 by series regulars Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews and IndyCar rookie of the year Ryan Hunter-Reay.

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"I drove the car first [Sunday night for the night practice], and I loved it," said O'Connell, who had driven a Daytona Prototype only once prior to this weekend. "When I was in the car, I think we were third quick. Then [Sunday] morning they made some changes, and I didn't like the car as much so to be able to get the car back to where it was very comfortable and easy to drive is a good thing."

Overall, defending Rolex 24 at Daytona co-champion Scott Pruett turned the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:41.232 (126.6 mph) in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing Lexus Riley. Pruett, Rolex Series co-driver Memo Rojas and NASCAR Sprint Cup stars Juan Montoya and Dario Franchitti showed the form all weekend long that has allowed Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing to capture the last two Rolex 24 victories.

Penske-Taylor Racing's Ryan Briscoe turned the second-quickest lap of the weekend with a 1:41.277 (126.544 mph) in the No. 9 Pontiac Riley, a collaboration of Wayne Taylor Racing and Penske Racing. Briscoe will drive with 2004 Sprint Cup champ Kurt Busch and IndyCar teammate Helio Castroneves during the Rolex 24.

Red Bull Racing's A.J. Allmendinger turned the third-fastest lap of the weekend in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley, posting a time of 1:41.555 (126.198 mph) in the Saturday midday session. Allmendinger, who has joined Michael Shank Racing for the two previous Rolex 24 events, will be joined by Rolex Series regulars Ian James, John Pew and Burt Frisselle.

Sylvain Tremblay turned the GT class fastest lap on Sunday in the No. 70 Mazda RX-8, posting a time of 1:51.462 (114.981 mph). Tremblay, also the team principal, will drive the No. 70 machine with David Haskell, Nick Ham and Raphael Matos.

Lester to run Grand-Am Rolex series full time in 2008
Craftsman Truck Series racer Bill Lester will join Shane Lewis in the No. 3 Southard Motorsports Lexus Riley for the full 2008 Rolex Series season, team owner Steve Southard announced Sunday.

"Bill is on for the season and we are very pleased," Southard said. "It's going to work for us this year. Bill is a very talented driver, and believe me, I've seen a him on the track this weekend and his talents are considerable."

Lester, who got his start in sports cars before making a move to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and a variety of Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series rides, will join Lewis beginning with the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

"I am excited to be back here in essentially my roots," Lester said. "I started racing sports cars at the amateur level in the mid 1980s. I've had a lot of great experiences and opportunities, but I've always felt comfortable in racing a sports car. It's like riding a bike. I now have the good fortune of joining this team with Shane. One of the things I've realized this weekend was that Shane and I are very similar in what we want out of the car. Our driving abilities tend to complement each other."

Johnson 'here strictly to win' Rolex 24
Two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson isn't just competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 26-27 to unwind and relax before the start of the new Sprint Cup Series season.

In what will be his fourth career Rolex 24 start, Johnson is hungry to win the prestigious sports car race co-driving the No. 99 Pontiac Riley with teammates Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty and Jimmy Vasser.

"I'm here strictly to win," Johnson said. "I will have fun during the event and all that but this team is a championship-winning team, a race-winning team, and we're here to win the race."

Johnson is co-driving for one of the pre-race favorites to win the Rolex 24. The No. 99 car won the 2007 Daytona Prototype title with Gurney and Fogarty, sat on the pole for last year's Rolex 24 and captured the Brumos Porsche 250 last July at DIS.

"The first two years, it was more for fun," Johnson said of his first two Rolex 24 starts in 2004 and 2005. "Then I took a year off and I watched Casey Mears, a great friend of mine, win and I watched the event on television. I said, 'You know I finished second in this thing and I've got to work hard to find a ride that I can go down there and have a chance of winning with.'

"Being in a lineup with guys like this, it's really a dream come true to come down here and compete and be a favorite for this event."

Like father, like son
At least six drivers competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona have fathers who have won the famous endurance race during their careers. Graham Rahal (son of Bobby Rahal), David Donohue (the late Mark Donohue) and defending Rolex Series co-champion Alex Gurney (whose father, Dan Gurney, will be the race's grand marshal) are all veterans chasing their initial Rolex 24 win.

Jordan Taylor, a 16-year-old, will see older brother Ricky race with dad Wayne Taylor, a former Rolex champion, while it is yet to be determined if three-time race winner Derek Bell will race with son Justin.

The 66-year-old Derek Bell tested the No. 12 Daytona Prototype this weekend with an eye on making a return to the twice-around-the-clock race. The elder Bell has captured the Rolex 24 on three separate occasions.