Heading north to Virginia International Raceway for the fourth race of 2010, the Spirit of Daytona team was confident of their abilities and optimistic about their chances for a long overdue podium. Their two previous races had produced consecutive top ten finishes and had proven their Porsche V-8 powered Coyote capable of running up front with the leaders. With two of the top drivers in the series added to the formula, everything looked good for Spirit of Daytona to see a breakthrough race at VIR.

It was evident early on that the crew had once again delivered a good car for Antonio Garcia and Buddy Rice, as the #90 was ranked 4th fastest in the combined pre-race practice sessions. Buddy Rice qualified Spirit of Daytona in 6th place and was the starting driver. Although it was Rice’s first race at VIR, he had no difficulties adapting to the track and turned in a strong performance in his opening stint. The race proceeded without yellow flags so the mandatory 45 minute pit stop took place under green. The decision was made to leave Rice in the car at that stop, in hopes of taking advantage of a full course caution later to hand the car over to Antonio Garcia. Delaying the driver change would also give the #90 the advantage of a fresher driver for the critical closing laps of the race.

Everything appeared to be going according to plan, as a later full course caution worked out perfectly to turn the car over to Garcia for the final stint. However, the outcome of the race was altered dramatically when a controversial restart cost the Spirit of Daytona their position and a chance for a top five finish. As the green flag came out and the field took off, braking in the front caused a chain reaction and several cars made contact behind the leader. The Spirit of Daytona car was hit in the rear, causing damage to the back spoiler and costing Garcia his position. He held on to finish the race in the damaged car, dropping back to take the checkered flag in 10th place. The result allowed Spirit of Daytona to hold on to 9th place in Team Points, only nine points away from the top five in a tightly bunched DP field.

Spirit of Daytona team owner and manager Troy Flis was understandably frustrated by the disappointing end to a strong run by the #90 car. “It was really just a matter of us being in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ he said. “Our guys did a great job getting the car ready and we had a really good shot at this being our best race of the season. All of the elements were in place, but luck just wasn’t with us this time. We’ll keep working and be ready for Lime Rock, and count on having better luck there.” The Rolex Series DP cars will be making their first visit to Lime Rock for the next race of the season. That 2.5 hour race will be held on Memorial Day, May 31st, with a scheduled start time of 2:00 PM ET.