Grant Am Series Champion Scott Pruett of Auburn
DAYTONA, FL - Auburn's Scott Pruett and Joey Hand of Sacramento will have to start from the rear of the field when the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona takes the green flag Saturday afternoon at the Daytona International Speedway.
Pruett was behind the wheel of his Telmex BMW 01 when he felt something was wrong with the car.
"It just didn't feel like the engine was pulling like it should," Pruett told News10 in an exclusive interview via phone from the garage area of the Daytona Speedway.
"We brought it in and the guys started looking at it. It was pretty obvious we had an issue with one of the cylinders. As it turned out we had a broken valve spring," Pruett said.
Because of the mechanical problem the 01 was forced to miss Thursday's qualifying session, meaning they will start from the rear of the Daytona Prototype field.
"This is just a little bump in the road," Pruett said. "If you are going to have a problem it's always best to have that before the race begins. Nobody's jacked up about it. Nobody's concerned about it. We just take it in stride."
This year marks the 50th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona, a race that is just as the name implies, 24 straight hours of racing. Teams use a combination of three or four drivers to get through the round the clock race. Joining Pruett for the 2nd year in-a-row in the Ganassi Telmex BMW, Sacramento's Joey Hand will join Memo Rojas and Graham Rahal.
For Pruett this is not only a shot at winning the 50th 24 Hours of Daytona, but also a chance to add his name yet again in racing history. A win this weekend would tie Hurley Haywood's record five victories in this grueling race.
News10 will have exclusive interviews with Pruett and Hand after Sunday's finish to the 24 Hours of Daytona. Watch the Toyota Sports Extra Sunday night at 11:30pm for results and interviews.
By Bryan May, BMay@News10.net
Twitter: @BMayNews10
News10/KXTV
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