POST SCRIPTS, MMP

"'HI,' TO THE FAMILY BACK HOME"
Having returned his attention to racing after on Wednesday helping culminate the process (well, one part of an ongoing process) which provided oldest-daughter Natalie a little sister, Savannah Reese, and again wearing his familiar black-on-red GAINSCO Auto Insurance driver's suit, now multi-child father Alex Gurney said at the front of a SPEEDtv interview that "I've got to pull a 'Scott Pruett' and say hello to my wife (Colleen) in the hospital ..."

Not to be outdone in an interview soon afterward, Scott Pruett said, "'Hi' to the family back home and also congratulations to Alex and his new little girl ..."

Pruett has for years been the butt of jokes and at least some derision for his famous hi-to-the-family line but one needs to remember that Pruett is a hellacious young racer in an old guy's skin. Along with his unworldly win count he's suffered broken legs, race-car fires, wall-hitting and shattered race cars - never mind the true danger of having all his life faced wannabe race-car drivers on California's byways. Enduring such tends to place high value on life's most important things.

Unlike most who go home after each day's work, Pruett, often flirting with death faraway, believes when all is said and done that his family ranks first and foremost in his thoughts and tells them such.

It's probable Alex Gurney is starting to realize the same. Who doesn't? Eventually.

For those attending the Rolex Series' final, championship-determining Grand Prix of Miami Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway: grab some paper, sheets, poster boards, midriffs or whatever and pen your own "Hi to the family" sign so that your special ones feel special each time a camera's eye lands on you.

BACKING IT UP
With NASCAR's various championships coming down to the wire, one can't help but notice at least one considerable contrast between its oldest and youngest siblings.

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Sunday's first-of-10 Sprint Cup Chase, an early race pit stop injured Casey Mear's right-rear tire changer, Clint Pittman, who was struck by the right front of Denny Hamlin's car. Rushed to the care center, Pittman was out of action. Quickly filling Pittman's spot in the all-important season-ending championship run was backup Shane Church.

Thus, so important is The Chase that Childress makes sure a ghost crew hovers in the background, ready to roll, just in case a frontline worker gets knocked out.

WHAT WAS HE THINKING?
From along pit road starting barely before the Utah 250's end, to a red-eye Delta overnighter, to between-plane transitions at New York City's JFK International and, even, to Loudon, NH, where the Sprint Cup's "Chase" got underway Sunday, people were asking, "What was he thinking!?"

The "he" was Acxiom GT championship driver points leader, German Dirk Werner (at right, pronounced "Deerk Veh-ner" who like Tomas Scheckter, will undoubtedly be "Americanizing" his name at any moment).

For the 2009 season Werner has co-driven the No. 87 FarnbacherLoles Racing Porsche GT3 with South Carolinian Leh Keen (who probably also needs to Americanize his name ((that's a joke, man)). Werner and Keen share the Acxiom points lead. Keen solely leads in the Bob Akin Trophy hunt, awarded to the best of the Acxiom GT non-professional driver (with all due respect, Mr. Keen, you're as good as or better than many professionals in the biz).

The pair came into the Utah 250 with a 35-point lead over Kelly Collins (whose usual co-driver, Paul Edwards, was eliminated from the same points position after dislocating his shoulder in a mountain bike wreck and sat out Watkins Glen's Crown Royal 250). The two FarnbacherLoles No. 87 Porsche (soon BMW) drivers could've mathematically locked up the 2009 GT driving title had they only finished one position better than the No. 07 Drinkin' Mate Pontiac GXP.R, which ultimately finished third and, possibly, would've otherwise had a fifth-place finish had Werner not tried his ill-fated push for the lead in the race's final stages.

Ironically, Werner on Lap 45 of the race's 56 laps passed the Drinkin' Mate car, driven by the still-healing Edwards, at that time sealing the championship had Werner merely stayed of the Pontiac. Instead, Werner headed straight for the race lead.

"The sun's glare made it all but impossible to see the turn," No. 57 Bryan Mark Financial Pontiac GXP.R driver Robin Liddell said.

"We've got this little TV screen for our rearview and I couldn't even see it because of the sun's glare. As I started turning in I could see he (Werner) was no longer behind me so I assumed he was coming alongside and I went wide through the turn, thinking I'd given him enough room to pass to the inside."

There wasn't enough room or, perhaps, Werner's partial use of the corner's rumble strips - which do little to mimic the track's regular surface, much less improve traction - unsettled the Porsche. Whatever the case, the two cars kissed right to left fronts and subsequently caused flat tires on each.

"My car was really good at the end," Werner said. "I saw Robin sliding around and he braked early in one turn and we went into the (next) turn side by side. I was already up on the curb and I think I do not have enough room to avoid contact. It was a little tap, but I got a flat, front-left tire" and "It took me a long, long time" to get to the finish line.

Sinking like a couple of stones thrown into water as each tried to make the checkered flag on flats, Werner finished sixth and Liddell - earlier having set the race's fastest Acxiom GT lap - finished seventh, leaving Werner and Keen to wrap the championship Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Though lagging by 30-points and needing everything to work for him and the opposite happening to the FarnbacherLoles duo, it remains possible for Collins to capture the championship.

"It would be nicer to come to Miami with everything already done," Werner said. "It was in my hands to win the race or clinch the championship and I did not do (either)."

LEAVING, ON AN AIRPLANE
(In memory of the recently deceased Mary Travers, of the Grammy winning Peter, Paul and Mary, with whom many disagreed politically but nonetheless in whom was found a beautiful voice)

Taking a circuitous route to his South Florida home base after the Utah 250, Sylvain Tremblay settled into his first-class seat aboard Delta Red-Eye No. 1002 to New York's JFK International. He didn't look to be a happy camper and vented a tad after a certain scribe approached.

Noting a late-race, gravel-trap visit that caused a full-course yellow and offering a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Tremblay might need a Skip Barber Racing School refresher course, the scribe during the race, at the time in the pits, wasn't aware that Tremblay had found himself sliding into that gravel trap (loved by none) only after a punt from Patrick Dempsey Racing's No. 40 Mazda RX-8 driver Charles Espenlaub (subbing for a still-filming Patrick Dempsey).

Though in sixth place at the time of the shunt, accumulated between first-shift driver Nick Ham and Tremblay the No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 completed 19 lead laps of the race's 56-lap total - a single-team race high.

"Charles said over the radio 'Oh, God, I definitely didn't mean for that ...' so I know he didn't mean to do that on purpose," Dempsey Racing co-driver Joe Foster said, "Though there is no doubt the 40 (right) hit the 70."

Following Espenlaub, who qualified and started the Mazda, Foster would later complain of light-headedness, thought to be caused by carbon monoxide leaking into the car's cabin. Espenlaub hopped in for a second stint and sent Tremblay into the gravel.

The No. 30 3-Dimensional.com Mazda RX-8, also in the lead hunt at one point, became the third of four Mazda RX-8's to somehow fall short of the goal when its throttle cable snapped while in third place with under 40-minutes remaining in the race. Dane Cameron, seemingly star-crossed since the season's opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, was at the wheel shared earlier with Jade Buford and Jordan Taylor.

Down to the sole remaining Mazda having any chance, Jeff Segal shot into the lead in his (and co-driver Emil Assentato) SpeedSource-built and managed No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 (above), which shortly thereafter won its second race of the season after starting last on the grid.

"We don't want our customers to think they've got second-best equipment," Tremblay said the night before as the SpeedSource crew labored to replace the No. 69 Mazda's engine. "All the data indicates it's okay," Tremblay said of the engine being replaced, "But Jeff (Segal) said he felt something odd in it during the last practice. I want them to get in the car with complete confidence that they have a chance to win, even if up against Nick and me."

TRG’s Scott Schroeder and Andy Lally, in their No. 66 First Service Commercial RE/AXA/Cohen Financial Porsche GT3, took second after qualifying eighth.

WE'LL TRY HARDER ... NEXT YEAR
Flying in to Salt Lake City International from the IRL's Twin Motegi race in Japan (where Target Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon retook the IndyCar Series championship points lead after Penske Racing's Ryan Briscoe first hit a safety cone and then a wall), Roger Penske, Tim Cindric, Briscoe and 2009 Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves drove over to Miller Motorsports Park, arrived in the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Porsche-Riley’s about 10-minutes before the Utah 250 race start. 

Asked during the race by SPEEDtv's Chris Neville as to what will happen should Penske Racing's No. 12 Verizon Wireless Porsche-Riley end the 2009 season without a win (almost unheard of by a Penske team), Penske said:

"I don't think anything's going to happen other than we're going to have to try harder next year. I think that's the key thing. You know, we've learned a lot. We've had more rules changes on our car probably than anybody in the last three years so, now that we've got maybe a good baseline, we can work on being more competitive."

Though the team, Castroneves and Briscoe have publicly stated their being unsure of any 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona plans - other than a desire to run the race - out-of-the-spotlight discussions have cast a slightly different light on the subject. Look for Penske Racing to field two Rolex 24 entries, each having three drivers. You can do the rest of the math.

Oh, and speaking of Danica Patrick ... she'll stay in the IndyCar Series but will start honing "stock car" skills in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series along with a few ARCA rides, as she prepares for the possibility of moving over full time. Between this season and next, though, Ms. Patrick will squeeze in another Rolex 24. Tony Stewart will continue helping her along on the stock car side of the fence. You can connect the rest of the dots.

OH, YES, THEN THERE'S EL DIABLO ROSA
Bob Stallings' No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac-Riley qualified on its fourth pole - in Jon Fogarty's hands - and took the checkered flag - in Alex Gurney's hands - for Saturday's Utah 250 at Miller Motorsports Park.

In dominating form the pair led 43 of the race's 56 laps compiled on the 4.486-mile circuit to win the two-hour, 45-minute race.

"We got the pole, fastest lap and the win - we had the whole shebang this weekend," Gurney (pictured left of Fogarty at right) said after scoring the team's fourth victory of the season, leading all others in the "wins" column.

Also on top of the championship standings since the team's third-place Montreal podium, with 309 points Gurney and Fogarty take a bare eight-point lead in the Daytona Prototype standings heading into the season-ending  Oct. 10 Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Having 301 points, Maxwell Angelelli (well, heck,  might as well, after "Americanizing" Sheckter and Verner) and Brian Frisselle, drivers of the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara, separated themselves from a third-place Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, No. 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley, by one point. Ten points cover the top-three DP driving teams with one race and no "pole" or "lap leader" points to be awarded.

"You can trust me, all three of us were pushing like crazy," Maxwell Angelelli said. "We absolutely, for two hours, were running like qualifying. It was the best I could do and I'm sure it was the same for the 99 and the 01. They all gave 100 percent, I have no doubts. I could see it."

And through what rearview mirror would that be, Maxwell?

Just about everyone else in the paddock and on pit road finishing short of first place were certain "The Red Devil" wasn't trying as hard as it could, the benefit of something other than human having picked up the slack.

"The only thing they can't do is win seven races like they did in 2007. They've managed a way to modify the Bosch electronics, I'm sure of it," one longtime sportscar team head said off the record. "They're a crafty bunch over there; doing it just enough and in such a way that (Rolex) series' officials aren't catching on."

PROTO-AUTO, LOLA ON THE VERGE?
According to a well-connected soul, antagonists Proto-Auto and Lola Cars (no, The Kinks had nothing to do with the name) will find a way to soon end the acrimony that has caused each to take up legal counsel in opposing the other - perhaps with enough time for Krohn Racing to load the transporters and head for Homestead-Miami Speedway and the season-ending Oct. 10 Miami Grand Prix.

After winning two races (above, at NJMP) and looking to keep its knowledge curve, um, curving (?) the team has tested at least once since Tracy Krohn absented his team from Rolex Series racing just before the August event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Later,

DC