Performance Tech Motorsports Watkins Glen Pre-Race Report

Performance Tech was disappointed with a fourth-place finish last year in the Prototype Challenge class during the Sahlen's Six Hours Of The Glen, just missing its second podium finish of the season.

How times have changed.Performance Tech Motorsports earned two podium appearances in the Prototype Challenge (PC) class of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. This year, podium appearances are becoming the norm.Performance Tech has produced three consecutive third-place finishes heading into the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on June 26-28 at Watkins Glen International. However, the team is getting a little tired of being on the last step of the podium.Team Principal Brent O'Neill and Performance Tech are determined to finish higher than third this weekend at the historic, hilltop circuit in the scenic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York."We're all shooting for the top," O'Neill said. "It's like Jerry (driver Jerome Mee) said, 'We need to get that third step out of the way.' The last few races we've made no mistakes, and we've capitalized on the fact that other teams have."Daly during a pit stop at SebringThe team's plan to climb to the top steps of the podium received a boost with the addition of Indianapolis 500 and Verizon IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly to the cockpit for this event. Daly will reunite with drivers James French and Jerome Mee in the No. 38 ORECA FLM09.Daly kicked off Performance Tech's podium streak in March at Sebring International Raceway with a third-place finish in the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.This will be his second time with the team and first time racing in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.(Left to Right) French and Vance on podium at DetroitFrench is running the full season of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship while Mee joins the team for the four races that comprise the Tequila Patròn North American Endurance Cup.French is coming off a third-place finish May 30 at the Grand Prix of Detroit. He also tested with the team at Watkins Glen. Mee joined the team for the test session but has not seen race action with Performance Tech since the 12 Hours of Sebring."I really believe next year James could contend with the pros," O'Neill said. "If you watch his in-car footage, you can see how confident he drives and how much confidence he has in the car. He's become so great in traffic, which is important in the multi-class format.Mee poses in No. 38 after a third place finish at Sebring"Jerry's also much better around traffic. He did an awesome job at the test; you can tell he's gained a ton of confidence in the car. He wants to win. We have to give him a big thanks because he's really the reason why we could bring Conor in for the weekend."The three of them get along, just like the (Prototype) Lites guys. They just jell. Jerry and James have a lot of respect for Conor. I think Conor has respect for what James and Jerry are capable of in the car. The entire team really enjoys working with Conor; he fits in perfectly."Performance Tech Motorsports qualifies for the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen at 3:40 p.m. (ET) Saturday, June 27. The Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen race starts at 10:10 p.m. Sunday, June 28. Watch the race live on FOX Sports 1 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (ET), with the finish on FOX Sports 2 from 2-4:30 p.m.