Seth Neiman (No. 44 Porsche) grew up in Dayton, Ohio and just down the road from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
A week after kicking off the second half of the American Le Mans Series season at Lime Rock Park, teams and drivers get right back to work at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend for the Acura Sports Car Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio.
It's the Series' seventh visit to Mid-Ohio and second of three races this season where the American Le Mans Series will race alongside the Indy Racing League. The contrasts, some say, will be obvious.
Seth Neiman, Flying Lizard Motorsports
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2)
"Mid-Ohio is a great, storied track and not far from my hometown of Dayton...hi Mom! It offers great racing and a great history. You'll see the comparison between multi-class racing like we do and single-class racing, and you'll get to see how open-wheel cars compete with each other and how they fight through the corners versus how sports cars fight.
You don't see the cars leaning on each other in the IRL like you do in the American Le Mans Series."
Johnny O'Connell, Corvette Racing
Corvette C6.R (GT1)
"Right now the American Le Mans Series is in the strongest position since I've been involved in sports car racing with the amount of manufacturer involvement. Going to Mid-Ohio and seeing the coolest sports cars in the world is great. When you look at the prototypes, they are as fast as the open-wheel cars.
The technology in the Series is awesome. When you take what we're doing with the Corvette by running cellulosic E85 and trying to show our greener face for the future of racing, it's important to Chevrolet. To get an opportunity to see that up close is a win-win deal."
Jim Tafel, Tafel Racing
Ferrari F430 GT (GT2)
"The race fans will enjoy seeing all kinds of racing, not just GTs or prototypes but also open-wheel. It's great to be able to relate and build off their fan base and to be able to take advantage of that.
It's a win-win situation for the fans. And Mid-Ohio is just a phenomenal track to race on. It has everything."
Butch Leitzinger, Dyson Racing
Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2)
"Mid-Ohio is a fan's dream. You have two A-list series racing on the same weekend and it's a fabulous course to go to. The viewing is second-to-none. There are some wonderful places to watch from and there really isn't a bad seat in the house.
"You never have a moment to rest. It feels like you're either in the middle of a turn or setting up for another turn. You're always in the thick of traffic, which makes for really tight racing. It jumbles up the racing too.
You can be someone with a little slower car but use traffic to your advantage to get ahead. It's not a track where the fastest car wins every time so that makes for exciting racing."
The Acura Sports Car Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 19 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. NBC Sports will televise the race from noon to 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20.
XM Satellite Radio will air the race from 5 to 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20. American Le Mans Radio will have live coverage on www.americanlemans.com , which also will feature IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring.
- Bob Dickinson-
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