BGB Motorsports Take Victory at KONI Challenge Fresh From Florida 200

January 25, 2008 — Daytona Beach, FL — DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 25, 2008) - Making the most of his opportunities, Craig Stanton moved from fourth to first late in Friday's Fresh From Florida 200, the season-opener for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series. Stanton, with co-driver Tim Traver, handed the BGB Motorsports team and the No. 83 Performance Drink/Toro Viejo Motorsports Porsche 997 a home track victory in the Grand Sport (GS) division.

Stanton - who was running fourth on the race's final restart with just under 30 minutes to go in the three-hour race - watched as race leaders Doug Goad and Spencer Pumpelly suffered problems within a three-lap period, then whistled past Tom Milner for his seventh career KONI Challenge overall win. The victory was Traver's second in KONI Challenge competition.

Overall, Stanton led the final nine laps of the 76-lap affair. While running third on Lap 68, Stanton watched as Pumpelly took the point from Milner in the first of 14 turns on the 3.56-mile track. Moments later, however, Pumpelly slowed, smoke bellowing out of his No. 39 TRG The DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes Porsche 997.

Stanton made what would become the winning pass moments after that, driving past Milner on the backstretch. Milner later pulled his car off the track, handing second place to Scott Maxwell. But Stanton was too far ahead for Maxwell to mount a serious challenge, and with the final of five cautions waving five minutes from the scheduled checkered flag, Maxwell had to settle for the race's runner-up position for the second straight season.

Stanton, who will compete in the GT class in Saturday's Rolex 24 At Daytona, found the three-hour enduro to be a nice tune-up and momentum booster for the 24-hour race.

"There was a lot of stuff going on late in the race," Stanton said. "I didn't see but about a third of it, but I heard a lot of chatter on my radio. Basically, I put my head down and worked really hard.

"This has been an accumulation of about a four-month project," Stanton continued. "At the end of last year, we were right on the podium. We gained some momentum, so we felt a win was overdue. We worked real hard here at a number of driving events. Being local, we worked hard to get some data and put our best foot forward."

Traver won 2006 season finale at Virginia International Raceway, also with BGB, which is located in nearby Ormond Beach, Fla. He put Stanton in prime position for the victory, stopping within the first hour-and-a-half for fuel, tires and a driver change. The team also pitted a second time just after the two-hour mark.

"The team was awesome today," Traver said. "What can I say about Craig Stanton as a co-driver? It was amazing. Flawless pit stops, flawless strategy. It was just perfect."

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