Ganassi Racing looks to make history in Rolex 24

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Chip Ganassi Racing will be looking to make history in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 24-25, seeking to win America's premier sports car race for the fourth consecutive time.

Ganassi has a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys entered in the 47th running of the classic, which takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET Jan. 24.

Rolex 24 on TV

SPEED and FOX have once again joined together to provide live coverage from the Rolex 24. FOX opens with 90 minutes of coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 24, then switching to SPEED at 4:30 p.m. for an additional five-and-a-half hours. SPEED again picks up the broadcast at 7 a.m. Jan. 25, taking the race to its conclusion.

Last year, Ganassi became the first team to win the Rolex 24 in three consecutive years. For 2009, Scott Pruett and Juan Montoya return in the No. 01 TELMEX/Target entry, seeking to win the event for the third year in a row. They will be joined by Memo Rojas, who joined Pruett in winning six races last year including the Rolex 24 -- en route to sharing the Daytona Prototype championship in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

Pruett is the leading class winner in the history of the Rolex 24; he's won his category eight times, including three overall victories.

"Last year was huge for Ganassi Racing, winning our third in a row," Pruett said. "Now, we're going for four, and that says a lot about the team and the commitment Ganassi has made. Even though we didn't test in October and November, we were fastest in the opening session at Daytona In January. To come here fast right out of the box is a great way to start the year."

Dario Franchitti also shared in the 2008 Rolex 24 victory. This year, he moves to the No. 02 Target/TELMEX entry, joining 2006 Rolex 24 winner Scott Dixon and Alex Lloyd. The potent combination pairs the two most recent Indianapolis 500 winners and IndyCar Series champions with the 2007 Indy Pro Series champ.

"Chip's going for four in a row, so it should be pretty exciting," said Franchitti, who joins Ganassi's IndyCar Series team in 2009. "That's an amazing statistic, and it speaks volumes for the job that this team does."

Practice for the Rolex 24 begins at 10 a.m. Jan. 22, with qualifying at 3:45 p.m. and night practice at 6:30.

For complete reports and live timing and scoring, visit www.grand-am.com.