CITGO RACING'S #2 OUT OF ROLEX 24 WITH SIX HOURS
REMAINING
Daytona Beach, FL (February 6, 2005) CITGO Racing's #2 Pontiac Crawford
Daytona Prototype, driven by Milka Duno, Dario Franchitti, Marino Franchitti
and Dan Wheldon, was retired six hours shy of finishing the 43rd Rolex at
Daytona.
Milka, Dario, Marino and Dan were able to keep the car in the top-ten for
virtually all of the eighteen hours it was on the track - even leading the
race at times - but the team's hopes for a podium ended at 6:18am EST with
just under six hours remaining.
Milka was driving the car and was just three laps short of finishing her
double-stint when contact caused by a Porsche GT in NASCAR Turn Three spun
her around and into the wall, causing severe damage to the car which was
then taken directly to the garage. Milka, though shaken, was unhurt.
"Just past the chicane I started to pass the GT car and had almost cleared
it when it drifted up and clipped me on the left rear and spun me around,"
said Milka. "At that place on the track you're really going very fast and
that, combined with the high banking, made it very difficult to try and
control the car after being hit. I was in fourth place overall at the time
and had reduced the lead of the car in third to only about five seconds and
was scheduled to pit and get out of the car in three laps. It's such a
disappointment not only for me, but my co-drivers, the team and CITGO. It
was such an incredible experience driving with Dario, Marino and Dan. The #2
CITGO Pontiac Crawford was running very well - had it not been for the
unfortunate contact by the GT car - I really think we had a good chance for
a top-five - maybe even a podium. I would really like to compliment the
crew. They worked so hard preparing the car for the test sessions and worked
even harder while here at Daytona. They did a truly amazing job."
CITGO, based in Houston, Texas, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of
transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and
other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc.,
an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.,
the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more
information on CITGO visit www.citgo.com .
For additional information on Duno and her full season teammate Andy Wallace
please visit www.milkaduno.com or www.andywallace.com ,
respectively. For
more information on the Rolex Sports Car Series log on towww.grandamerican.com .
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