But for a late race gearbox issue, the peerless Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing team might have won the race outright. (Photo: GrandAm) » More Photos

Qualifying day was the first day of running for the race weekend and it came upon us quickly and we really hadn’t gotten to the bottom of our brake issue just yet. We did not put a huge focus on qualifying, electing to keep a lot of the endurance parts on the car as we were still trying to figure out a good race car. I always take qualifying very seriously though and I certainly hoped to be up there. I only qualified in three races last year (the three long races) and managed two poles and a second, so I was still anticipating a good showing. To come out 11th shows just how much we were struggling. Kyle Brannan, our engineer, then made some big but very positive changes overnight and we ended up second and third in the Friday practice sessions. We were back on track for the race.
Our main goal for the race as a whole was just to stay out of trouble. We took a very conservative approach at the start when the weather gave us the option of starting on wet or dry tires. We started on wets but realized on the parade lap that it was too dry for wets. Along with a good portion of the field, including both Ganassi cars, we headed to the pits for dry tires. That meant we had to wait at the end of the pit lane until the race went green and then start at the back of the pack. I was in the car the first three hours or so. No real issues, everything ran smoothly, we led some of the race, and everything was going according to plan. All my teammates – Jimmie Johnson, Jimmy Vasser and Jon Fogarty – really focused on being smart and in the end did a fantastic job. We were doing double and triple stints with each stint being about an hour. I know Vasser got some dismal heavy rain conditions again during at least one of his stints and Fogarty as well. I was lucky to miss almost all of that. I really got along well with all these guys, they are all a bunch of “cool dudes” I have to say. They were all very professional and focused and they all understood what this race requires. Jimmie Johnson, being such a star, was amazingly down to earth. I was very impressed with him. He was not only quick but very friendly and open. He even let me do a stint in his hyperbaric chamber!

I ended up driving almost nine hours total and apart from a Krohn car crashing in front of me once, it was surprisingly trouble free. We just tried to log miles and keep up a reasonable pace. If we had not had the gearbox problem late in the race, I think we might have had something for Ganassi in the last hour, but I guess we’ll never know.
Second place was a nice reward for all the hard work put in by everyone on our team and I want to thank them all for that. It was a special moment to collect the trophy from my dad after the long haul of a 24 hour race although I know he wanted to present the next bigger one. Maybe next year…
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