A Milestone of Mileage for Action Express Racing

The allure of transcontinental competition has been enticing for speed-crazed thrill seekers for generations. Director Hal Needham even made a movie 'The Cannonball Run', starring Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore, in 1981 about a group of eccentric competitors participating in a cross-country car race. While the triumvirate of drivers in the Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype from Action Express Racing believe in keeping competition on the racetrack, what they've accomplished since the inaugural IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship event in 2014 is nothing short of a triple transcontinental spectacular. The Mustang Sampling Corvette DP has completed 9,441 consecutive miles of competition dating back to the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona. That equates to three transcontinental treks between New York and Los Angeles. "When you can complete every lap of a season it is truly a testament to the team around you," said João Barbosa. "Completing every mile of competition starts with crew chief Bill Keuler and the guys on the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette and it extends to the group who were on the No. 9 car last season and now the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette this year. Everyone at Action Express Racing had a hand in that achievement. Christian, Sébastien and I are fortunate to drive such a competitive and reliable Corvette prepared by the best team in sports car racing." The consecutive mile streak of the Mustang Sampling Corvette is something that gives team owner Bob Johnson a strong sense of pride in what his team has accomplished over the last year. "We did something last season that few teams have ever done in racing," said Johnson. "When you can complete every mile of every race for an entire season and then come back and beat adversity in the Rolex 24 the following year and complete every mile, another 2,634.4 miles, you know your team is one of the best. Personally, I think we've got the best team in racing and we plan to showcase that again this year." For team manager Gary Nelson and his 'Expect To Win' motto, the 2014 season was a success and 2015 has started off on the right foot. "Expecting to win doesn't mean that you win every race," said Nelson. "It means that you've done everything necessary in your preparation to put yourself in position to win. Our guys did that last year, and it is our objective everyday at the shop. There are thousands of milestones to achieve between Daytona and Sebring, and its those small milestones in the preparation that add up to expecting to win the big events like the Twelve Hours of Sebring." While the 9,441mile mark is a major accomplishment, the North Carolina based team looks to continue the streak by adding another 1,000 grueling-miles in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 21.

Media Contact: Kyle Zimmerman KZimmerman@hi-revracing.com

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