Rodriguez Jr, RS1 Thrill In Series Debuts

Subtitle:Notes And Quotes From The BMW Performance 200 At Daytona

Luis Rodriguez Jr. made his Continental Tire Challenge debut in spectacular fashion, winning the ST race with Spencer Pumpelly for Rennsport One – also making its debut.

“It was a blast,” said Rodriguez, a Miami resident. “It’s amazing to be with a good group of guys that they have at RS1.”“How about the job this kid did?” asked Pumpelly. “First qualifying effort, he puts the car P4. First race, first time out in traffic going against guys who want to beat him and he gives me the car in P6. Phenomenal job. It’s also the first time for a new team. There are a lot of experienced guys here, but they really came together as a team for the first time and gave us real good cars.” 

RS1 teammates were battling for the lead, with Adam Isman passing Pumpelly with two laps remaining in the No. 18 Cayman started by Jon Miller. Unfortunately for the 2014 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park winner, Isman ran out of fuel on the next lap.“The car showed we still had lots of fuel, so it must have been a pickup issue,” said Isman. “Spencer is a well-respected driver and it’s great to have him on our side. It was great battling with him, I learn something every time.”Rennsport One added a third car for the race, borrowing the Autometrics Motorsports No. 04 Cayman and renumbering it No. 19 for Connor Bloum and Greg Strelzoff. … With the new No. 89 TLSS Motorsports BMW M3 missing the race due to a power issue, crew chief John Vincent got a call 90 minutes before the event to crew the No. 19, which became a join effort among RS1, Autometrics and TLSS. A bold gamble near the finish failed to work out, with the team running out of gas two laps before the checkered flag.Team TGM had its career best race, with team owner Ted Giovanis and David Murry placing third in the No. 64 BMW 328i. It was Giovanis’ best showing at Daytona, bettering his ninth-place finish in 2014, and many fellow competitors were happy to see him on the podium.“It’s nice to be able to do this for Ted,” Murry said. “He wanted it, he hired me to help him do it, and it’s nice to see it happen. Ted qualified 11th and gave me the car in the top 10. That’s what you need to have a chance to be up at the front.”“It was a great run,” Giovanis said. “Everything went flawlessly. The pit stop went very well. We’re very happy and pleased to be here (in Gatorade Victory Lane).Lawson Aschenbach was all smiles following his first run in the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R he co-drives with Matt Bell. He finished third, one position behind teammates Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell in the No. 6 Camaro.“To be able to get two podium finishes – with team cars second and third – is a huge win for us here at Daytona,” Aschenbach said.. This is not the easiest track for us. We lose a lot of straightline speed to the other cars. It’s great to be back in a Bow-Tie at Daytona.”Erik Valdez might have had some doubts during practice and qualifying, as Rebel Rock Racing struggled with the setup for the No. 88 Porsche Cayman he co-drove with team owner Jim Jonsin. But once the green flag waved, the Californian was all smiles as he drove in his first race since setting aside his helmet to concentrate on acting back in 2005.“It was a blast,” Valdez said. “I have missed racing so much. We struggled with the car in practice and qualifying, and because of that we didn’t qualify well and I had to start back in the pack. I started in P24 and brought it back in P9. Talk about fun times.  If we had the car for qualifying that we did in the race we would have started in the top 10, and that would have made our job easier. But it was fun coming up through the pack, running in traffic and making passes. It brought back memories of why I love this sport so much It was great to know I still had it after all these years. And it’s Daytona – unreal!”USMC Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer made his first start as full-time driver of the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5, co-driving to a ninth-place finish with Andrew Carbonell – who gained two positions on the final lap.“I fell out of the draft early, but I was able to maintain pace and stay on the lead lap,” Dwyer said. “We caught a caution at the perfect time for me to turn the car over to Andrew. Then Andrew had a phenomenal stint. A ninth-place finish for a Mazda at Daytona is like a win. I can’t be any happier about it.”Pit Notes: The competitive race featured 12 lead changes among four teams. The Plumb brothers both led, for a total of five times for 43 laps. Mike McGovern was second, leading three times for 14 laps. … The last victory driving together for the Plumb brothers was at the Six Hours of VIR in 2008, when they co-drove a Mustang for Bill Fenton Motorsports in GS.. In 2006, they co-drove to two victories and finished second in the ST championship for Bill Fenton Motorsports. … Running his first race at Daytona, Ethan Low managed to run third throughout his opening stint in the No. 31 Bodymotion Racing Delaware Investments/Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. He finished 11th, co-driving with Jason Rabe. A Millville, N. J. resident, Rabe finished fourth in a Spec Racer Ford event that he nearly won in his lone Daytona club race. … A competitive race for Rebel Rock’s No. 08 Porsche 911 came to an abrupt end when the team had wheel nut problems on a pit stop. … A year ago, David Baum had a career-best third-place finish in the No. 24 Autometrics Porsche Cayman. Friday, his chances for another top showing were ended when he was hit from behind, breaking linkage in the suspension that led to an early retirement. … Mark Pombo made his debut with Rebel Rock Racing, co-driving with Dr. Ramin Abdolvahabi. Mark will switch off with his brother Mat Pombo in the car throughout the season.