Rockford Fosgate and Miracle Back on Top Again

Lakeville, CT --- Miracle Motorsports decisively returned to the podium's top spot by leading every lap in the P2 class of the New England Grand Prix on Independence Day, and in the process, also jumped to the front of the pack in championship points. "We came into this race thinking it was ours to lose, and the team performed nearly flawlessly from start to finish," said team owner John Macaluso. "We really feel like we should be 4-0 this season, but we gave two races away. I'm glad we're back on top." Driver Jeff Bucknum qualified the #10 Courage C65 on the pole Saturday with a time of 49.507, setting a P2 class lap record at Lime Rock Park, and eclipsing the record he had established last season. The time placed Miracle first in class and in 5th position overall to start the race. "On my quick lap there was a small hesitation that turned out to be something related to the fuel system. We had the hesitation in practice, but didn't get it diagnosed until just before race time, when it really counts. I think a lower 49 second lap was possible, although we didn't need that quick of a time," said Bucknum. Bucknum started the race and accumulated a two lap advantage with a series of consistent quick laps that led to lapping the class competitors (including a race best lap time of 50.970) once under green, and then a second time when Miracle opted to stay out under an early full course caution while the balance of the field pitted. The team had a bit of a scare as it neared the end of its first fuel load. On the very lap the team had planned for its first pit stop, Corvette driver Ron Fellows crashed coming onto the front start away, bringing out a full-course caution that closed the pits. Fortunately, the full load lasted just long enough, and the momentary drama ended, as Bucknum handed off the Slime, Rockford Fosgate, Kumho Tire sponsored car to Chris McMurry, who did a double stint to finish the race and bring home the win. "Lime Rock is a very short, narrow, bumpy and tight track with a lot of passing. We knew coming into this race that it was ours to lose, and that if we just ran the way the car is capable of running, and stayed out of trouble during the race, we'd make some progress toward the championship," said McMurry. "And that's what we did." More than a little progress was made. Coming into the race, two teams lead Miracle by ten points, but neither of those teams nor their drivers scored any points at Lime Rock. Miracle, with 46 points, now leads the points chase, as do its drivers in the driver's championship, by a margin of 10 points. "I think we had a chance for a top three finish overall today, but a stop-and-go penalty during my stint left us back a bit," added McMurry. "I know John (Macaluso) wants a top three overall sometime this year, and Jeff and I are focused on getting that for him." The next race, round five, is set for Sunday, July 17 and will be televised live on CBS. For more information please visit: www.rockfordfosgate.com www.miraclemotorsports.com www.americanlemans.com Rockford Fosgate is a division of Rockford Corporation in Tempe, Arizona, a publicly traded company under the NASDAQ stock symbol ROFO. Company websites can be viewed at rockfordfosgate.com and rockfordcorp.com.