DAYTONA BEACH, FL (26 January 2010)-Michael Shank Racing will make his fifth consecutive two-car assault in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to kick off the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season this weekend. The race marks the Columbus, Ohio-based organization’s seventh campaign in the endurance classic. With an established record of strong showings in the race, the team has good reason for confidence ahead of the event, which will be carried live on SPEED Channel starting at 3:00 PM ET. Michael Shank Racing scored 2nd in the 2006 running of the Rolex 24, and after sweeping both spots on the front row with a record-setting run in qualifying for the 2008 event, was in position to win the race as Sunday dawned, only to suffer a mechanical set back late in the day. The Michael Shank Racing driver line-up for the Rolex 24 is a strong combination of speed, experience, and possibly most importantly in a race of this nature, familiarity, as seven of the eight racers have previous Rolex Sports Car Series starts with Michael Shank Racing. Three drivers in each of the two team Daytona Prototype entires also bring Rolex Sports Car Series race-winning experience to bear as well. Thursday will see the grid set in qualifying (3:45 PM) as the team pursues another pole position, with the 24-hour event set to go green at 3:30 PM ET following the 3:00 PM ET start time for live SPEED Channel coverage. Mike Shank: Team Owner, No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford/Riley and No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley “They are in my opinion the best Daytona Prototype drivers I can put in the car. Every single person in both these cars has a lot of Daytona Prototype experience in this race, and can wheel them hard, but smartly, and get this race won. Our pre-race preparation has to be spot on and that’s a big focus for us. Some things happened last year that were out of our control and kept us from making it to the finish. We know our cars will be quick, that we have the right guys driving them, and we just need to set our pace and stay out of trouble for 23 hours to be in position to win this thing in the last hour.” AJ Allmendinger No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley “I love coming back and racing for Mike-he’s one of those real racers and his team is great. You can see the passion he has for it in how his team executes. I am excited for him and this team, and the line up that he has for the full season I think they are going to be really strong all year long. We finished second in this race the first year, and we’ve had the opportunity to win it every year since. I see both cars contending for victory, and hopefully the six car can do that. It’s exciting for me to be with Ford here in the Daytona Prototypes because now I’m with them in Cup so I hope to start the year off well for them and score well here in the 24.” No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley Brian Frisselle Aspen, CO 4 Rolex wins-(Montreal, Watkins Glen, DIS, Montreal) Michael Valiante Full Season Driver 1 Rolex win-(Infineon/2008) Mark Patterson Rolex 24/Daytona 2 Rolex wins-(MMP/2006, NJMP/2008) AJ Allmendinger Rolex 24/Daytona Best Rolex Finish-2nd/Rolex 24 2006 Additional information: ?www.michaelshankracing.com www.sundaymanagement.com About Michael Shank Racing: Based in Columbus, Ohio, Michael Shank Racing was formed in 1989 when Mike Shank first began driving racing cars professionally. Shank retired from the cockpit in 1997 to focus his efforts on running the team, which quickly found success in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship. With several race wins under his belt, Shank was named as Team Owner of the Year twice in four years. Michael Shank Racing joined the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004 as the team proved as quick in endurance racing as in the sprint formula car format. Michael Shank Racing scored a debut Rolex Series win in 2006 at Miller Motorsports Park, and fans selected the victory as the 2007 Rolex “Moment of the Year.” After opening the 2008 season with a front-row sweep of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the team closed out the year taking wins in the final two races of the year. ?