And now, back to our story…The Bear’s still recovering from his trip to the World Center of Racing. Circumstances beyond his control kept him from his favorite places – Down the Hatch, Racing’s North Turn, and the Boondocks – to say nothing of Molly Brown’s, even though Molly’s was right around the corner from his Wednesday and Thursday night digs. He finally did get to Hooters on International Speedway Boulevard.

Story Lines

On a pure racing basis, if you came to the Rolex with no biases or favorites, there was a lot to like. But “cars racing close” isn’t really much of a story line. However, here are some possibilities:

Blundell and Brundle – the elderly Brit story. They gave it a good go, right down to a last lap challenge.

Ganassi – if you’re in the BMW CCA or a sadist.

Anti-Ganassi – everyone else. The sadists carried the day – again.

There was Flying Lizards to pull for if you’re a Porschephile or a wayward ALMS fan.

For the 3 NASCAR Jimmy Johnson admirers there was GAINSCO to cheer for.

Ferrari fans could have checked out early – there was only one Ferrari that was ever going to be competitive, and that was withdrawn without turning a wheel.

How about  Dempsey Racing for the McDreamy fan club and the Mazda Club of North America? Well, from what Murphy can tell, Patrick’s fans are on board (there’s even a “McDreamy Racing” fan site in France), while the Mazda bunch could give a damn, preferring stories in their magazine like “On the Track with the Mazda Speed 3,” and “Newest Member of the Family,” about a 1999 B3000. Grand Am – Whazzat? Dyson Racing – Whozzat?

Murphy at the Wing House

He only made it to Hooters after hanging out at the Wing House just outside the door of his Friday-Sunday room. What to say about this Hooters clone? Huge thinks it’s the greatest place on the planet. It’s not hard to see what attracts the snapper brigade. This place is the “gentleman’s club” of the restaurant world. Hooters’ girls are way overdressed compared to the Wing House babes. The service wasn’t great, even when the place wasn’t real busy. One kind of cool thing (pun intended,) there’s a chill core in the beer pitchers. The wings? Connoisseurs tell Murphy – and he agrees – a great wing has to have a crispy skin; these didn’t. Medium sauce shouldn’t be sweet, either. The Bear made a beeline to Hooters from the Turn 4 tunnel on Saturday night. Overdressed Hooters girls or not, he was happier there.

A Silly Season Story

Atlas eFX Team FS has done precious little racing (three entries, two finishes in last season’s LMS). Murphy thinks that’s fine as far as it goes – that abbreviated schedule even accounted for 25 points and a season runner-up in GT1, more a comment on GT1 than on Atlas eFX. Since then, however, these guys have embarked on a run of pure PR fantasy, getting their rather dubious press releases turned into articles by otherwise legitimate (but often fawning) racing news outlets and eliciting excitement amongst the most gullible of racing fans. First there was the “Official Abruzzi European team,” which was “set” and “likely” to contest the 2011 season in the ILMC at a time when an Abruzzi racing anywhere was – and remains – anything from certain. If that plan seemed at least marginally plausible, paired as it was with running a Creation in LMP1 in the same series put the whole thing out there with aliens in Roswell, since Creation Autosportif is moribund at best,  and more likely the racing version of Monty Pyton’s famous Norwegian Blue.

So the Bear ignored both stories and wasn’t surprised when those “plans” came to naught. Surprising was that the same media mavens – fans get a pass here, the word is, after all, a contraction of “fanatic” – published articles based on yet another specious announcement, this time that the team would campaign Lou Gigliotti’s ALMS Corvette in that same ILMC. That’s the series that now includes Le Mans, and which we already knew was unlikely to allow the entry of the car by the ACO, and in fact the car had been previously rejected for that very same event, even though the entry was requested by a far more viable team than this one. The Montenegrin (not German) Atlas eFX-Team FS illustrates again that you can’t believe everything you read – even when presented as “news.” This little bear’s rumor site filtered these stories out as improbable…is it too much to expect the same care from the biggest of the sport’s media outlets?

Murphy in the Infield

The Daytona Beach News-Journal put the “media consensus” attendance at 50,000 for the Saturday afternoon start. That probably nearly doubled the actual total, but never mind, the infield was full, and not with the redneck beer-swilling crowd that the Grand Am stereotype might suggest. In fact the whole thing was not only “Un-Daytona” (of a decade ago), but “Un-Sebring.” Families tended fires, played bean bag toss, watched Speed TV’s feed of the race from satellite.  All very suburban.

Class A motor homes were much in evidence, side-by-side from the International Turn through the Kink, and on around the Rodriguez Turn. They lined Lake Lloyd (except for the carnival), they filled the area behind the garages. FYI, for those used to the American Le Man Series easy access, a garage pass (called a paddock outside NASCAR) cost extra – $25 extra, Saturday afternoon and Sunday, when the garages were empty.

fútbol de Colombia

Montoya had a great time punting folks off the track. Should there have been rough driving or careless driving tickets? Not in Florida, where they’re picky about jurisdiction and we’re pretty sure that the Tri-oval is outside everyone’s except the Daytona Brown Shirts. Speaking of J.C., he was back on track after his little layoff.

Paddy’s in Daytona

Murphy was at the Daytona Ale House Friday night. So were Gill, and George, and other North American racing officials, representing tracks, teams, and other parts of the vast racing infrastructure. At the end of the bar was a scene eerily like that at Paddy’s last October.

They’ve all got interests here, and having good business sense, know they have to cultivate those interests. George had tended that garden well, bringing NASCAR on board at the Wisconsin track to replace the departed open wheel series. Gil’s Laguna Seca keeps its ties to Grand Am and to ALMS while building its bike business. And club weekends at the California track? Get in line –literally – they’re drawing numbers to assign priority for the available weekends.

Looking Ahead to Sebring

The Bear gets that Sebring will be a great show – 2 Audis, 2 new Peugeots, 1 old, maybe one faux Aston Martin (old vintage or new), one for-sure old faux Aston Martin – yadda, yadda. By all means spring for the ticket and party your brains out in Green Park, because after that, until Petit in October, they’re nearly all gone. In LMP1 you can only be sure of seeing Dyson and Cytosport. Only Tucker’s pair of Lolas are likely to “race” in LMP2. It’s another easy championship for Tucker. Reg and Matt Tarleton (Signature Motorsports) could add a P2 during the season, but they’ve not made it official yet…so the Bear won’t, either.

There’s a real show in GT, though, as long as that sorry LMP entry can stay out of its way. One perspective the Bear heard today: Other than the Audi-Peugeot head-to-head, the best thing happening at Sebring will be repeated at every ALMS stop – that GT battle. In that sense, you’ll do as well attending any other ALMS stop.

Murphy’s Rolex Punting Rools

1. Riley only. The first non-Riley in 2008 was 15th. In 2009, a Dallara snuck into 4th, a Crawford into 8th. Last year, the oil maggot got his Lola into 4th and Wayne, Ricky, Max and Pedro dragged a Dallara into 6th for NASCAR’s favorite bankers. That’s marginal improvement, but not enough to change the rool.

2. Teams you’ve heard of. Ganassi won its third in a row in 2008, another of Murphy’s teams,  Brumos, won in 2009 – and took third, too. Action Express won last year, and you might be scratching your head, but even the barely sentient knew that was the Brumos gang with the Godfather’s money.

3. No oil (or Silicon Valley venture capital) billionaire drivers, no scrawny girls. The scrawny girl’s a no-show; the capitalist is slower than the oil maggot, but stays on the track.  No drivers with the same name as the team. The Bear’s rule has been no brain doctors or heart doctors, but this year the Murphy’s going with Starworks anyway, because he likes Peter, and Peter invited him to lunch. Hey, you didn’t really think there was no graft in this stuff, did you? Still, you better be a pro – or close to the pace – to win this thing. Yes, the oil billionaire was 4th last year, but that’s still not the podium. The Bear didn’t say anything about racing empire trust fund boys, though.

Rolex Picks for Punters

So, here are Murphy’s picks. Both Ganassi entries – the Bear hasn’t taken leave of his senses (stuffing or not). Starworks fields four pretty good drivers, you’d think  they’d be able to carry one neurosurgeon, especially one that styles himself as “the world’s fastest” (see also reference to graft, above). Action Express won the last one of these, and well, J.C. is no brain surgeon, is he? GAINSCO? The Bear picks them every year and it seems they bag it about half way. Someday, they’re going to figure this race out, like the two-time champions have long since figured out the rest of the schedule.

01 Ganassi  Hand, Rahal, Pruett, Rojas – BMW / Riley
02 Ganassi  Dixon, Franchitti, Montoya, McMurray  – BMW / Riley
  8 Starworks  Braun, Dalziel, Enge, Forest, Lowe – Ford / Riley
  9 Action Express  Barbosa, Borcheller, Fittipaldi, Papis, France – Porsche / Riley
99 GAINSCO  Fogarty, Gurney, Johnson  – Chevrolet / Riley

Murphy’s “dark horse” is Michael Shank Racing. They’ve been ignored by the Bear, but last year flirted with the podium. If they were a Riley again, they’d have made the “Bear’s Five,” but their real “pro car” is a Dallara. The No. 6 could be the first non-Riley to crack the podium in many years. And the other Shank car, No. 23? Martin and Mark are heavy lifters, but Zak’s too heavy even for them.

GT with the Bear

Last year, for the first time, the Bear decided it was time to pay some attention to the GT field. So, what are Murphy’s GT rools?

The Rools

1. At least 3 pros to carry a weekender. If so, doctors and CEOs are O.K. here.

2. Teams with experience and talent. Some of these are easy to pick out: TRG and Turner Motorsports, for instance. Others aren’t so obvious.

3. Current or former ‘factory’ drivers. They don’t go – or aren’t sent – where they have no chance.

In 2010, the Bear’s picks were all German – four Porsches and a BMW. This time the colonies are represented with a pair of Camaros to go with two Porsches and that same Bimmer. (Ok, the Bimmer is an “M3” this time – just like the last one was an “M6.”)

48 Paul Miller Bell, Miller, Sellers, Sugden – Porsche GT3
57 Stevenson Bremer, Liddell, Magnussen  – Camaro GT.R
59 Brumos Davis, Haywood, Keen, Lieb – Porsche GT3
88 Autohaus Lester, Marsh, O’Connell, Taylor – Camaro GT.R
94 Turner Auberlen, Dalla Lana, Plumb, Said – BMW M6

Three TRG entries, 54, 66, and 67 look good and nicely fit Murphy’s rool about factory drivers with Pilet, Luhr, and Henzler, but the Bear’s concerned the pros (who also include Bleekemolen, Farnbacher, Lally, and Pumpelly) are diluted too far with those weekenders. With more teams fielding more drivers, there are more and more unknowns and many more bankers, surgeons, actors, and trust fund kids in the GT field. It’s getting to be more of a crap shoot than ever to pick a winner. Is the stuffed one foolish to stay away from the Mazdas? Who knows. Crap shoot.

00 Aten Motorsports Ferrari is the Bear’s GT dark horse. Collard and Pompidou are quality pros, as good as anyone on the grid, Davy Jones isn’t quite his former self (who is?), but he’ll keep it in the hunt. Abergel and McCutchen are good as weekenders go. If the race can be won on smarts by a car the factory would like to see go away, this is your long shot.

Tommy Gets the Gig

Murphy was the only one back in December, and today Team Corvette made it official, Tommy Milner will be the full-schedule replacement for Johnny O’Connell. Nice work, Turbo Tom.

Where are They?

Back in July, Grand Am’s Dave Spitzer (not the Bear) wrote in a memorandum to teams:

Audi R8
We are in advanced discussions with Audi surrounding the possible introduction of the R8 in Rolex GT.

Ferrari 458
Discussions are underway to introduce a version of this car for Rolex GT competition.

Other GT3 cars – Mercedes, BMW, etc.
We are in early discussions with these brands to include versions of their GT3 cars in Rolex GT also.

Snag Somewhere? Smokin’ sumpin’? Whatever, the Bear is wondering if an opportunity has been lost, given Grand Am has exclusive rights to sports car endurance channel surfers in the 2011 season. Build them sumpin’ and they’ll come. Zoom, Zoom aside, Mazdas don’t qualify as sumpin’ – Ferraris and Audi R8’s do.

The big trick in business is to find something exciting before someone else does, then promote the hell out of it. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the cute little phone biz or the sportycar racin’ biz. The Braselburgers haven’t figured that out, so the Bear was hoping the World Center had. Not so sure now.

Atlas, Panoz, Autocon, and Lou

It’s kind of like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Atlas eFX can’t do an Abruzzi deal (Murphy thinks no one, no where, no how, no time will), so buys Lou’s ALMS Corvette for the ILMC, and Tomy Drisi signs on to drive, materially reducing the chance that we’ll see very much of Autocon in the ALMS.

The top two at the Rolex once again came from Murphy’s top 5. After putting both Ganassi cars on the list (a bit of a no-brainer, even if your head is stuffed like a mattress), plus Brumos and two-time Grand Am Champion GAINSCO, the Bear mused in Paddock Poop 152 about the fifth, finally settling on the No. 9 Action Express because it fit all three Bear rools. Including the one about established teams, since in crew, staff, and owner, it was largely the “other” Brumos entry, the one vacated by the accused Daytona Beach druggie.

One Ganassi car blew an engine, a rarity in recent years; it had 8 hours on it at race’s start. Is it a measure of the economy that Ganassi’s ran a well-used motor? Even if his race engine was replaced because of an oil leak, no fresh engine was available?

Readers wondered about the Bear’s bullishness on the BMW M6 entries, but they’re thinking like ALMS fans, where ‘new cars’ are new cars. In Grand Am, tubers shed their skins like snakes, yesterday’s Pontiac becoming today’s Chebby, and tomorrow’s Bimmer. Finishing 8th and 11th, they didn’t have any more trouble than any other make in the field – less, in fact.

Two of Murphy’s five favorites finished in the top five, one on the podium; among the 30 GT entries, the Bear’s Five were 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 12th.

Saab-Spyker Saga

So Spyker’s ‘buying Saab?’ Everyone knows that the one-time Dutch F1 team masquerading as an automaker doesn’t have a guilder to its name, so how does this happen? The devil’s in the details. The Dutch want their pet car company, as do the Swedes, so the Dutch arrange a $562 million loan for Spyker and get the Swedes to guarantee it. GM will ‘sell’ Saab to Spyker for $74 million in cash and $326 million in Spyker-Saab preferred stock (what’s that worth, given neither has made a guilder or krona in living memory?).  Spyker pockets $488 million in cash (perhaps some of that will buy out the 30% Spyker holdings of Vladimir Antonov, suspected (by Swedish Intelligence) of money laundering and links to organized crime.

Rolex Rumor

Northeastern Florida isn’t exactly populated by ALMS well-wishers at this time of the year, so Murphy has learned to anticipate one or more pretty nasty rumors. Some have a kernel of truth, some are just off-the-wall. The 2010 annual ‘Daytona ALMS Rumor?’ Widely circulated in the paddock on International Speedway Boulevard was the story that ALMS has not yet paid 2009 prize money, so teams, in a kind of “strike,” are sending in their 2010 entries with no money. Of course the Bear is more than a little suspicious of the whole thing, but the “fact of the rumor” is surprise – just a measure of the ‘bad blood’ between these two competing sports car racing series.

Murphy’s sources indicated that at least the ‘strike’ part of that is untrue. If any team was withholding entry funds it wasn’t in concert with any other teams, and likely wasn’t in any ‘retaliation’ for nonpayment. Prize payments have dragged in a bit late – sometimes in installments – in recent seasons, and apparently this one is no different. The Series has suggested that prize money be credited against the new season’s entry fee, which seems perfectly reasonable to the Bear.

Defecting

Expect more than one Grand-Am team to “defect to LMPC” after Daytona. Alex Job is said to be one of them (interest by AJR was expressed early) along with Level 5, and at least one other. The LMPC count for Sebring will be 4 or 5, with 2 or 3 to join the series after that – consistent with ALMS Supremo Scott Atherton’s recent pronouncements.

From one quarter Murphy is told, “the Grand-Am fields will be horrific after Daytona,” and that “NASCAR upper management is fed up with Grand-Am.” If that’s true it didn’t keep Jim-Bob from winning the Rolex with his own entry. Close connections to Action Express’ owner Bob Johnson – along with other information – would suggest so. Mr. Johnson is Jim-Bob’s personal CPA; the company funding Action Express is something called High Rev Racing. Entering your own race series isn’t exactly revolutionary (Don Panoz being another example); the Bear takes it as a vote of confidence rather than something nefarious.

GAINSCO Gone?

The Bear’s been told that the Rolex was GAINSCO’s last race. Miami hotel reservations have been cancelled.

Audi In, Peugeot Overboard?

The Bear hears that Braselburg is considering allowing Audi to enter Sebring, pending the outcome of the new car’s testing, now underway. If the entry accepted is the “transitional” car, and not the “new rules” R15, then there’s little doubt the effect will be to toss Peugeot overboard. Peugeot may jump anyway, of course. The new Audi just might be ready for Sebring, anyway, since Audi Sport Joest has turned up as a “full season” LMS entry. That would mean the car is now believed to be ready by April…March 20th isn’t all that much earlier, is it?

There’s Cars and…

…then there’s cars. Ferrari can’t be happy about the two street-car based (barely more than that) Ferrari 430 Challenge cars entered at Daytona. One was turned away (‘not ready to race’ is a kind description) the Bear hears. The other muddled around, thoroughly uncompetitive. Look for entries from Tony Dowe later in the Grand Am season to be much more representative of the iconic marque.

Inlimbo Racing League

Izod is the IRL’s new title sponsor; you’ve probably seen the ads. Other noises from the surviving – for now – North American open wheel series aren’t so good. Ganassi is just the latest to join the ‘new car’ discussion, having produced a mock-up – a sign, according to one source, that the series is “just blundering around.”

The addition of Lanigan to Newman Haas was the work of the late Paul Newman; Carl’s family’s not on speaking terms with the new partner. Are we seeing the unraveling of Newman-Haas-Lanigan? That’s one opinion Murphy’s heard.

Unemployment Line

Here’s a measure of the weakness of the racing industry world-wide: Butch Leitzinger, Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller, Sascha Maassen, Emanuele Collard, Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, all ‘available and looking.’ And that’s just a few.

USF1

What the Bear is hearing is pretty grim. The chassis hasn’t been ‘crunch tested’ yet. There’s no motor on hand, payments to Cosworth reportedly now in arrears. The team has applied to the World Motorsports Council for dispensation to miss the first three races without penalty – more a courtesy than a rule, since guaranteed participation is not a part of the new concorde, as it was in the old.

It’s  not over yet. USF1 owner Chad Hurley (one of Youtube’s three original founders) could rescue the operation – with new management – if he so chooses. Meanwhile, Bernie is in his element, the eminance gris trying to arrange an interim chassis, but that’s wrapped up in a ride for Bruno Senna. If Bernie can’t get USF1 onto the grid, he might be stuck with the Russians, who’ve grabbed the rights to the ex-Toyota chassis (someone will have to check the accelerator pedal).

Lou News

Murphy’s friend Lou Gigliotti is running for Congress – here’s his web site. Meanwhile, he’s charging ahead with his Grand Am Corvette entries. 

Unlike others in Grand Am GT, Lou tells the Bear that, “Our Corvettes are ‘Prep 1’ using stock frames like ALMS cars. We learned a lot from that car and we are moving the technology over to Grand Am.” It makes particular sense for Lou to stick with ‘the real thing’ because Lou’s business is selling Corvette performance parts. Lou says a result of the new program will be   ‘really nice Corvette parts’ that will one day make their way into LG Motorsports’ catalog.
 
Eric Lux and Kelly Collins are set for the season in the first Corvette, with a hoped-for second car possible as early as Birmingham, depending on finding a good driving partner for the Boss.

Pssssssst…anyone interested in a nice ALMS Corvette? Murphy knows where to find one.

Follow the Bear on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Murphythebear

For the third year, the Bear’s picking five entries likely to contend for the win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In 2008, his list of five captured 1, 2, and 3. Last year, they grabbed the top two steps.

Before he picked, Murphy gave away the five rools that will let his friends pick the Daytona Prototype winners, too. Not much has changed, so here they are again:

1. Riley only. The first non-Riley in 2008 was 15th. Last year, a Dallara snuck into 4th, a Crawford into 8th. That’s not enough to change the rool.
2. Teams you’ve heard of. Ganassi won its third in a row in 2008, another of Murphy’s teams,  Brumos won in 2009 – and took third, too. Ganassi was second and fifth, Penske sixth, GAINSCO seventh. The Bear didn’t mention SunTrust, which was fourth; they’ll replace the departed Penske among our picks. Murphy thinks “nicely turned out” counts for a lot. It’s a team that does that.
3. No oil billionaire drivers, no scrawny girls. No drivers with the same name as the team. No brain doctors or heart doctors. In other words, absent an LMS-type ‘gentleman driver rool’ DP is a “pro only need apply” class.

Rolex Favorites

The Bear had no trouble picking four, but his fifth turn out to be ‘a bear,’ so to speak. After Ganassi (2), GAINSCO, and Brumos, it came down to SunTrust Racing, a familiar (and successful) team (see rool 2.) but with a Dallara (rool 1.). It was the SunTrust Dallara that snuck into 4th last year, too. On the other hand, there’s Action Express Racing, a “rookie” team (that runs afoul of rool 2.), while meeting rool 3. (drivers), and rool 1. What to do? The elves told the Bear it was time to do a little research.

A little digging uncovered that Action Express is the ‘second Brumos entry,’ owned by long-time Brumos associate Bob Johnson, with a number Brumos staff and crew, and with drivers Barbosa and Borcheller. So, with good leadership, it might meet rool 2. after all. SunTrust’s 4th was a break-through for the non-Riley Dallara, three of four drivers return – Ricky Taylor (son of team owner Wayne) replaces veteran gentleman Brian Frisselle. Is that an improvement? Was last season’s Dallara break-through a trend or an aberration?

Here are Murphy’s by-the-rools five favorites for the 2010 Rolex. Last year we asked if this ‘Looked familiar?’ This year, it’s ‘Look familiar – again?’

01 Ganassi  Papis, Wilson, Pruett, Rojas – BMW / Riley
02 Ganassi  Dixon, Franchitti, Montoya, McMurray  – BMW / Riley
  9 Action Express Barbosa, Borcheller, Dalziel, Rockenfeller – Porsche / Riley
59 Brumos Donohue, Haywood, Law, Leitzinger, Matos – Porsche / Riley
99 GAINSCO   Fogarty, Gurney, Johnson, Vasser – Chevrolet / Riley

If anything, Ganassi is fielding even better driver lineups. Brumos returns without the drug felon, and with Leitzinger and Matos – a huge upgrade in talent (and sense) if a Bear ever saw one. Two-time Grand Am champion GAINSCO returns with drivers as good as anyone – intent on capturing the prize that’s eluded them. Action Express – as we’ve explained – is ‘Brumos Lite’ with a better roster of pilots.

Murphy makes SunTrust his “dark horse.” Level 5 having morphed into NPN Racing might have made the Bear’s favorites list, until Tucker, the designated rich guy, listed himself in both cars, diluting otherwise stellar driving lineups. If you can figure out which car will not get Tucker’s driving help, pick the other one.

Taking a Flyer on GT with the Bear

The Bear decided it’s time to pay some attention to the GT field. Just in time for the faux Mazdas to drop from contention, now having fallen to second tier teams and too many otherwise-employed drivers out for a weekend fling. That doesn’t rule out other bodies on the tubers – the odd BMW and Corvette look-alike.

So, what are Murphy’s GT rools?

1. At least 3 pros to carry a weekender. If so, doctors and CEOs are O.K. here.
2. Teams with experience and talent. Some of these are easy to pick out: TRG and Turner Motorsports, for instance. Others aren’t so obvious.
3. Current or former ‘factory’ drivers. They don’t go – or aren’t sent – where they have no chance.

23 Alex Job Baldwin, Burtis, Farnbacher, Pagerey, Ragginger – Porsche GT3
44 Magnus Bleekemolen, Lietz, Potter, Stanton  – Porsche GT3
67 TRG Bergmeister, Long, Neiman, van Overbeek – Porsche GT3
71 TRG Bernhard, Dumas, George, Labonte, Pumpelly – Porsche GT3
94 Turner Auberlen, Dalla Lana, Hand, Said – BMW M6

07 Godstone Ranch Corvette is the Bear’s GT dark horse. Young up-and-comer to watch is Thomas Merrill, Salinas California, Corsa Team PR1 BMW.

Murphy’s Predictions

A smaller field gets less opportunities to hit the favorites, so the good ones will mostly be there at the end. If it rains – and it seems it might – all such bets are off.

Matt Connolly Motorsports will be relevant in Matt Connolly’s mind and among the cogs.

We’ll see more of McDreamy than we do on Grey’s Anatomy.

No one will mention that Krohn Racing is in a dust-up with Lola. Krohn, who shouldn’t want to bend the Lola with few spares (and none in the pipeline) will drive anyway, and bend the Lola.

Sebring and Le Mans will disappear into a parallel universe for the duration of the coverage.

Jack Baldwin and Hurley Haywood, separated at birth in May 1948, will insist senior discounts at Hooters on International Speedway Boulevard. Well, Jack will, anyway.

With only six NASCAR drivers on hand, that story line should be a bit more subdued in this year’s telecast. Those seats are filled by current and former German factory pilots.

Kia Goes Grand Am Racing

When it came time to pick a ‘platform,’ the fast-growing manufacturer ‘passed’ on the Global Leader Green Racing to field a new factory team. It’s particularly interesting that a manufacturer intent on building a new ‘luxury’ image would consider, then reject, the American Le Mans Series.  Wouldn’t it’s market strategy have fit ALMS’ ‘World Class’ image?  Too bad it was abandoned to chase a green strategy.

Perhaps the Braselburger boss has been too busy with alternative energy mucky-mucks to waste time with automobile manufacturers. After leaving Phoenix, he went hobnobbing in Toronto chatting up “alternative fuels” this past weekend.

Follow Murphy’s tweets at http://twitter.com/Murphythebear

As soon as the Bear posted his expectations for the Sebring grid, a chorus of “wait-a-minutes” came in.
As a result, he’s going to downgrade the Salt Lake City prototype from “probable” to “possible,” and upgrade the “No Name Team” Ferrari from “possible” to “possible plus.” (Ok, that’s a new rating – live with it.)
Regardless of his reduced confidence, he hopes that the Zytek makes it to the grid, since he’ll win a Jameson (and his assistant will treated to some fine Dutch brew) at Chicanes if it does. For now, those changes will cut his likely P1 starters to seven. Murphy’s going to keep his expected GT starters at 17, making Sebring’s total grid 29.

Murphy’s Rolex Punting Rools

Last year, the Bear picked five favorites for the Daytona win, and went 1-2-3. Suddenly all the punters are clamoring to know how Murphy does it. Well here’s the Poop, five rules for picking the Rolex (the other two are Bear secrets):

1. Riley only. Are you kidding? The first non-Riley was 15th, eight in class. Domination, baby.
2. Teams you’ve heard of, even if you’ve been in a cave. Ganassi (that’s three in a row), Penske, GAINSCO, Brumos. They have guys who know how to screw down lug nuts.
3. No oil billionaire drivers, no scrawny girls. No drivers with the same name as the team.

Rolex Favorites

Here are Murphy’s by-the-rools five favorites for the 2009 Rolex. Look familiar?
01 Ganassi  Dixon, Montoya, Pruett, Rojas – Lexus / Riley
02 Ganassi  Dixon, Franchitti, Lloyd, Pruett – Lexus / Riley
16 Penske Racing Bernhard,Brisco, Dumas – Porsche / Riley
58 Brumos Racing Donohue, Garcia, Law, Rice – Porsche / Riley
99 GAINSCO   Fogarty, Gurney, Johnson, Vasser – Pontiac / Riley

Murphy’s Predictions

The Bear enjoyed AC’s and Katrina’s so much he made some of his own.

Baring unfixable practice disasters (or rubber checks) four classes will take the green flag: Riley Class – 13; ODP Class – 6; TF Class – 13; Porsche GT3 Cup Class – 17. (ODP = Other Daytona Prototypes; TF = Tube Frame)

With great fanfare, the infield will be closed on race morning after the 5,000 fans and 500 cars for which there is still room have been waved through the tunnel.

The NASCAR-driver storylines will disappear with the near-disappearance of NASCAR drivers. No longer singing “NASCAR über alles,” Grand Am will tout the “international flavor” of the driver field.

No entry with a “gentleman driver” will win overall.

Matt Connolly will win a close contest for the “Most Annoying Team Owner Award.”

The hot paddock rumor will be about JCF’s missing $12 million.

The only mentions of ALMS will be in Boris Said interviews.