Wallace, Leitzinger Complete Pre-Season Testing for Rolex 24 At Daytona
#20 Howard Motorsports Team conducts two-day test

Denver, NC (January 8, 2007) … It’s all over but the shouting! Pre-season testing for the 45th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona that is. For three days last week, sixty-three Grand-Am Rolex Series teams tested at the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona later this month.

The #20 Howard Motorsports Team, with Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger co-driving their Pontiac Crawford DP03, participated in the first two days of the test, Thursday and Friday, January 4th and 5th.

The first session of the test on Thursday morning did not last long for the #20 team. After completing only seven laps, Andy Wallace brought his Pontiac Crawford to pit road with a mechanical problem. Upon further inspection, the Howard Motorsports Team pushed the car to the garage area. The work on the car was completed in time for Wallace and co-driver Butch Leitzinger to practice in the second of three first-day sessions. Since very few laps were made in the first session, this practice was literally a “shakedown” and served as a starting point in their overall goals for the test.

The third and final session on the first day of testing saw the #20 Pontiac Crawford post the seventh fastest speed during the hour time limit. The 1:45.606 / 121.357 mph lap would be the fastest lap turned in by the #20 car during the two days of testing.

With renewed enthusiasm, the Howard Motorsports Team began the second day of testing with Butch Leitzinger piloting their Pontiac Crawford the entire session. All systems went well, but major traffic issues kept Leitzinger from getting a “clean lap” and posting one of the top speeds. However, the team worked on handling issues and felt as though progress was being made as testing reached mid-day on day two.

However, the second session on day two presented more engine issues to the team and Andy Wallace was able to complete only a few laps before the mechanical problem reared its ugly head. The crew spent the majority of the session diagnosing the problem and working to eliminate the bothersome issue.

With all systems working well again, Andy Wallace began the third and final session in the #20 Pontiac Crawford. However, another mechanical issue resurfaced early in the session, sending the Howard Motorsports entry to the garage for the duration of the time allotted. Day two was complete, and so was the preseason test for Howard Motorsports.

“I have mixed reviews about our two days here (at Daytona),” Wallace commented. “We had some issues that kept us from achieving all of the things that we wanted to test during lots of these sessions. But, when the car was working well, it performed great. Both Butch and I got laps to try several things and work on our setup for the Rolex 24. The mechanical issues were frustrating, but we did make some gains with the time we had on the course. Our Howard Motorsports Team will go back to the shop and work hard to prepare our Pontiac Crawford for the race. When we return, we’ll be just fine and be a contender.”

The season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona is set for January 27-28 at Daytona International Speedway. Practice and qualifying for the Rolex 24 will be held on Thursday and Friday, January 25th and 26th. The 45th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona is set for a 1:30 PM start on Saturday, January 27th. This year, FOX and SPEED will partner to televise the Rolex 24 At Daytona. FOX will begin their 90-minute coverage at 1 p.m. ET on the 27th, with SPEED beginning their 13.5 hours of live coverage at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Howard Motorsports, LLC is a car racing entity of the Crawford Group based in Denver, North Carolina. Howard Motorsports competes in the Grand-Am Rolex Series in their Pontiac Crawford DP03 cars. For more information on Howard Motorsports, visit www.howardmotorsports.com. For information on Andy Wallace, visit www.andywallace.com.
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