TOYOTA GRAND PRIX NOTEBOOK: A VICTORIOUS HOMECOMING FOR PRUETT.Byline: Daily News LONG BEACH - Scott Pruett  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. and actor Josh Brolin put on quite a show Saturday during the Toyota Grand Prix Grand Prix n. pl. Grand Prix Any of several competitive international road races for sports cars of specific engine size over an exacting, usually risky course. of Long Beach Pro/Celebrity Races. Pruett and Brolin, two the four professional drivers, maneuvered through the field and repeatedly passed one another on the inside and outside in a dazzling demonstration. Despite starting 30 seconds behind the celebrity field, Pruett and Brolin finished 1-2 in Saturday's 25th Pro/Celebrity Race. In the celebrity section of the race, Tom Rudnai became the first Toyota dealer to win by edging pole-sitter and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967, in Los Angeles, California) is an American swimmer. She was the second swimmer from her country (after Jill Sterkel) to compete in four Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, and 2000. . Pruett started his racing career in Long Beach in 1976 and said his victory was a sort of homecoming. But the victory wasn't a complete surprise, considering his experience and renowned place in the racing world. On the contrary, Brolin's finish was impressive and a bit baffling baf·fle tr.v. baf·fled, baf·fling, baf·fles 1. To frustrate or check (a person) as by confusing or perplexing; stymie. 2. To impede the force or movement of. n. 1. . The actor claimed that this was just his second race. His first was last year, when he won the Pro/Celebrity Race as a celebrity driver. Even the winner, Pruett, couldn't believe his strong driving. ``I was amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. at how competitive the race was,'' Pruett said. ``Josh is a true race-car driver. If he wants a career doing this, he can have one. No problem.'' When Brolin exited his car, he immediately kissed fiancee Minnie Driver. ``I'm shaking,'' Brolin said. ``Look at this. I'm still shaking. When we got up to Tom and Dara around the seventh or eighth lap, I couldn't believe it.'' --Rain clouds: The dark gray cloudy sky that had race fans taking cover under umbrellas, rain coats and hats opened up a bit in time to pour a little more sunshine on David Rutledge's perfect weekend. Rutledge won the pole Friday, and after losing his lead before the first turn on the first lap, he later regained his position and stayed on course the rest of the way for a season-opening victory in the Toyota Atlantic series Saturday. ``We maximized our points here,'' said Rutledge, 22, from Vancouver. ``Basically a perfect weekend. It's just the start of the year. It's a good start, but it's going to be a tough season. A lot of other teams showed strong as well. We will be working hard to fight to keep this lead.'' Certainly the season opener showed that the series will be a competitive one with Rutledge in contention for the championship. He finished 4.383 seconds ahead of Hoover Orsi, who started out in the third spot. Joey Hand, who began in the No. 2 spot, was third. Rutledge got off to what seemed to be a quick start on the straightaway straight·a·way adj. 1. Extending in a straight line or course without a curve or turn. 2. Unhesitating; immediate: a straightaway denial. n. , but Hand and Orsi handled the first corner fairly well and passed Rutledge and then there was the yellow caution flag for three laps. ``I was able to get a good jump on Joey right away, but having such a long straightaway Hoover and Joey were able to take advantage down the latter part of the straightaway and get by me. I wasn't too worried after that because the car was really strong,'' Rutledge said. Hand, who was looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. the points sweep, first had his car set up for the rain. But the rain subsided during the CHAMP qualifying round and the course was perfect for a fast race using slick tires A slick tire (also known as a "racing slick") is a type of tire that has no tread pattern, used mostly in auto racing. By eliminating any grooves cut into the tread, such tires provide the largest possible contact patch to the road, and maximize traction for any given tire . --A homecoming: Long Beach holds a special place in the heart of two- time Trams-Am Series driver Paul Gentilozzi Paul Gentilozzi (born February 6, 1950) is a race car driver and businessman born in Lansing, Michigan. His non racing business interests are real estate development, principally developing store sites for big box retailers. . In 1988, Gentilozzi won the first race of his career here. He had back-to-back victories in 1998 and 1999, making him the only driver to win three times at Long Beach - in three different marques Marques may refer to:
``I love this track,'' he said. ``The circuit is top-notch and challenging and the fans are great. This is a big-time opportunity to show what the Trans-Am Series The Trans-Am Series was created in 1966 by the SCCA as the Trans-American Sedan Championship. Originally derived from the SCCA's A Sedan (A/S) class, it later featured purpose-built tube-frame race cars competing on road courses. is all about.'' Even though this year's Trans-Am field is tougher than ever, it was little surprise to see Gentilozzi taking the pole for the Johnson Controls Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI) is a United States company, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, specializing in the design, manufacturing, and installation of automotive systems, automotive batteries (Optima[1] based in Denver, Colorado) and climate control systems. 100. But his best lap of 1:22.871 at 85.579 mph in his Jaguar XKR during Saturday's 15-minute qualifying run hardly compensates for last year's setback in Long Beach, which literally cost him a third consecutive series championship. --Dominguez on pole: Mario Dominguez can thank Mother Nature, in part, for his first pole in the Dayton Indy Lights The Indy Lights was an open-wheeled racing series that acted as a developmental circuit for CART from 1986 to 2001. Founded in 1986 as the American Racing Series (ARS), the series was renamed Indy Lights in 1991. Series since 1999. Intermittent rain made the track too slick for any of the 13 racers to surpass their times from Friday's qualifying. As a result, those provisional qualifying results became official Saturday. ``A pole is a pole,'' said Dominguez, who posted a speed of 93.260 mph. ``It's the second-best feeling in racing.'' The 38-lap race is scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m. A.J. Perez, Dave Werstine, Joe Stevens and Pamela Lewis contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): map Map: 2001 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Circuit Map |
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