Action Express Leading the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup Into Watkins Glen

Entering the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen with a six-point lead in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (NAEC) standings, João Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, drivers of the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette DP, are far from satisfied. The duo is seeking to repeat as NAEC champions as they enter race three of the four-race championship.

After a second-place finish in the season opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, and a near perfect showing in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, scoring 14 of 15 available points, Barbosa, Fittipaldi and Sébastien Bourdais have positioned the team for a run at a second consecutive NAEC championship.

While Bourdais will be unable to compete in Watkins Glen due to a schedule conflict with his full-time IndyCar effort, his impact in Action Express Racing's NAEC effort is undeniable as it was in the 2014 championship.

"Sébastien is a great driver and we always look forward to having him in our car," said teammate Christian Fittipaldi. "It's great for João and me to have a guy like Sébastien to race with us in our three longest events of the season and he's a major part of both the NAEC and IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship efforts."

While the Mustang Sampling Cider Tree Corvette DP will be sans Bourdais for the Sahlen's Six Hours, both Fittipaldi and Barbosa are previous winners of the event. The duo scored victory in 2013 together and Barbosa claimed the 2012 victory with then co-driver Darren Law.

"We certainly want to score maximum points in the six hours," said Barbosa. "We were able to win the NAEC last year and after winning Sebring we were able to put ourselves in a great position to defend this year. With a maximum of 10 points available by leading at halfway and winning, we can put ourselves in a comfortable position for Petit Le Mans at the end of the year."

While leading at halfway and winning the race is certainly easier said than done, the performance of both Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototypes in the Belle Isle Grand Prix have illustrated the team has regained their momentum as the second half of the season begins.

For team owner Bob Johnson winning the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup is just as important as capturing the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, something he would like to see his team accomplish for a second consecutive year.

"The NAEC is a unique championship," said Johnson. "You only have four races to beat some of the best race teams in our series and you have to capitalize on every opportunity to score points. The four NAEC races are the toughest in our sport, but fortunately we've got drivers who are in excellent physical condition and crew guys that prepare what we believe are the best cars in the series."

While the Mustang Sampling Cider Tree Corvette DP is focused on accumulating maximum points, they also want their teammates in the Whelen/Team Fox Corvette to be in the front of the pack with them.

"We always want to run first and second," said team manager Gary Nelson. "We have two equally prepared cars and we maintain our 'Expect to Win' mentality for both teams each weekend.

"For our NAEC efforts, it's beneficial for us to have our cars first and second at halfway and at the end of the race, in either order. If both of the cars score the maximum amount of points at halfway and the end of the race, that's points away from our competition and helps improve our position for the last race of the season."

In addition to their title defense efforts, Barbosa and Fittipaldi will look to continue building on their impressive streak of 11,256 consecutive miles of competition, dating back to the inception of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

The Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen gets underway on Sunday, June 28 at 10:10 am ET.

Contact:

kzimmerman@hi-revracing.com