Brumos Racing may be best known for its historic racing legacy, but a new chapter was written last weekend at the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.  In a performance that would have made Peter Gregg proud, Brumos returned to Victory Lane, its #58 car taking the top step of the podium in the closest finish in Daytona 24 Hour history.  Joining their teammates on the podium, the #59 car crossed the finish in third place to close out one of the most thrilling endurance races ever. 

The entire Brumos crew worked tirelessly in earlier testing sessions at Daytona, and that work paid off as both cars performed flawlessly throughout the week. Brumos made their intentions clear early on, as a Brumos car took first place in every practice session entered. David Donohue continued that streak, putting #58 on the pole.  The drivers and crew persevered throughout the long night and into the next day, as pit stops ran smoothly and the car remained consistently on the lead lap. As Darren Law explained, “We rolled off the trailer and never touched the car. Setup was spot on.  We did a lot of homework, Porsche gave us a great motor, and the team did a great job.”

David Donohue also praised the Brumos crew, saying, “We’ve been at the bottom for a while and these guys just never give up.  Today proves that point.  We came here ready to run hard and we ran hard the whole time. We had the right kit with the right ingredients, and it was organized and prepared properly. That’s how you win races. And while it is significant that we nailed this on the 40th anniversary of my dad winning, I feel more of an attachment to the effort my guys have put into this and to Brumos, Hurley, Bob Snodgrass and Bob Carlson.  We carry the flag but those guys really won it.” He also expressed gratitude for the contributions of Antonio Garcia, saying “Without Antonio we may not have had the result we did. We were all pretty worn out, so without his help we might not be here now.” Buddy Rice was happy to be a part of the Brumos effort as well, saying, “The last two years we have been really strong.  It all comes down to execution and avoiding mistakes, and Brumos did that the best this weekend.”

Likely no one is more thrilled by the Brumos performance than team owner Dan Davis. “The quality of the service and the race preparations were apparent. Thanks to the hard work of our crew, the cars ran a 24 hour race with only routine maintenance needed. From the standpoint of Brumos, it was a perfect race.”

Brumos racing has long been known not only for our success in racing, but for our reputation for adhering to the rules forged by race officials.  It is indeed a misfortune that the # 58 car was penalized for being 12 pounds under the required vehicle weight in the post race inspection following the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In the final laps of this 24 hour “sprint race”, the car was experiencing overheating and fluid loss.  The loss of coolant, an oil leak as evidenced by heavy residue on the car’s rear and being on fuel reserve for more than a lap, accounts for a weight reduction in excess of 12 pounds. 

On behalf of the Brumos organization, Davis stated, “We recognize that race officials have a very difficult job.  We respect their decision and understand the need to enforce this penalty.  Brumos Racing works very hard to produce the best racecars that we can while adhering to the rules, and we would never do anything to tarnish our reputation.  My continuing commitment to our Brumos family, Grand-Am, and our fans is that we will never knowingly violate the rules as we compete for the Championship in the Grand-Am Rolex series sponsored by Crown Royal Cask 16.”