| The Blackforest Motorsports team and | | | | |
| co-drivers Tom Nastasi and Ian James | | | | "It hasn't been easy," Nastasi said of the |
| maintained their perfect record in the | | | | race. "Last week, having to start 30th and |
| first-ever Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series | | | | work my way up to the front and then today |
| visit to Iowa Speedway. The team is proud to | | | | spinning on the second lap, and I had to do |
| take home another victory in Saturday's Grand | | | | it all over again. I told everybody, 'I'm |
| Sport (GS) race. The Blackforest No. 5 team | | | | giving up qualifying. I'm just starting dead |
| has won all three of the season's races. | | | | last.' That seems to be the only way I can do |
| | | | it." |
| Going into the weekend's Grand Am event, | | | | |
| Nastasi and James were uncertain that it | | | | He added, "I drove the car hard, and I really |
| would be a race dominated by the Mustang - a | | | | put my head down and drove the wheels off it. |
| powerful race car equipped with reliable and | | | | We did not change tires, and the car just |
| the best racing parts that are far better | | | | kept getting better and better and better. We |
| than the Hummer cold air intake and other | | | | won our first race together without changing |
| traditional car parts. The assumption | | | | tires. We learned fast this weekend and we |
| banished as the car occupied five of the top | | | | figured, 'Let's keep the same tires on it, |
| ten spots. The victory is the third straight | | | | and see what happens.' It worked. Thumbs up |
| for Nastasi and the Blackforest team, and it | | | | to Hoosier Tires for lasting as long as they |
| is the second in a row for James. | | | | did, and to be able to go to the front. My |
| | | | partner here did the rest. He did the hard |
| Co-driving the No. 5 USG Sheetrock/Ramset | | | | part. I just saved myself." |
| Tools Mustang FR500C with Nastasi, James took | | | | |
| the lead from Charles Espenlaub on the oval | | | | Joe Foster started 11th in the No. 55 machine |
| portion of the 1.3-mile road course with 13 | | | | and drove the first stint in the race before |
| laps remaining and held off late challenges | | | | turning the car over to Espenlaub. The latter |
| from both Espenlaub and Jeff Segal to win by | | | | led 38 laps before James' late pass. It was |
| 2.551 seconds over Espenlaub in the No. 55 | | | | Foster's second runner-up result in three |
| Supercuts/Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT. The | | | | races. It can be recalled that foster also |
| victory was James' second consecutive KONI | | | | finished second in the Fresh From Florida 200 |
| Challenge win and the third straight for | | | | season opener at Daytona while co-driving |
| Nastasi, the Blackforest team and the Ford | | | | with Scott Maxwell. |
| Mustang. | | | | |
| | | | Foster said, "It was obviously a great run |
| "Obviously, when we first came here in the | | | | for Hyper Sport and the Supercuts No. 55. To |
| first session, we didn't think it would | | | | be honest, we struggled at the beginning of |
| potentially be a Mustang track," said James. | | | | the weekend, setup-wise, and it was a bit of |
| "But a lot of times, the actual time sheet is | | | | a comeback for us to get the car fast for the |
| misleading. Although we may not be the | | | | race. It took us a couple days to figure out |
| fastest car at the start, it's a very good | | | | in this case that the older the tires got, |
| race car. It's very good in traffic. You | | | | the better the car was for us. Also, the |
| don't have to be quite as precise in some of | | | | (No.) 5 car figured that out as well. It was |
| the other cars like the BMWs and the | | | | a great race. Certainly, up front, it was |
| Porsches. They can get really fast laps, but | | | | clean. It was hard racing with these guys and |
| as soon as they have a little hiccup or the | | | | I enjoyed watching it." |
| tires start to go away, they can't really use | | | | |
| that great potential so much. We just worked | | | | "It makes me realize why I do this, because |
| on our setup. That was our strategy." | | | | it was a lot of fun," intimated Espenlaub. |
| | | | "I've got to thank Joe Foster for bringing me |
| James, who led twice for 21 laps, said, "We | | | | in to do this. Joe left me with a great car, |
| decided to go and practice on old tires, and | | | | and we ran as hard as we could. We were a |
| we did the whole race on one set of tires. | | | | little bit conservative the setup. It was an |
| The car was good at the end. We had a few | | | | interesting last couple of laps. These guys |
| minor problems, but no more than anybody | | | | are professionals, and we had a good battle |
| else. The battle at the end with Jeff and | | | | out there. I really respect them for that. |
| Charles was fun. It was a lot of fun. These | | | | You don't want to see a BMW going into a hard |
| guys were clean and we managed to get by. I'm | | | | braking zone on the last lap, and I made it a |
| just really happy for Tom and his | | | | little wide for him. |
| three-in-a-row, and two-in-a-row for me." | | | | |