“Congratulations to Chip, Ford Performance, and the entire Ford Chip Ganassi Organization,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “For these race teams to finish 1 – 2, it showcases the effort and talent of these drivers and crews that compete in the GTLM class.  Congratulations to our team at Roush Yates Engines as well, this team is constantly working with Ford Performance to optimize the power and performance of the Ford GT.”

In a different race strategy, Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe won on a two-stop pit stop compared to three-stop pit stop strategy used at Lime Rock Raceway. After qualifying second, Briscoe took the lead passing the class pole sitter on lap 19 and turned the car over to Westbrook six laps later. Westbrook took the lead for good on lap 61 and crossed the finish line 10.657 seconds ahead of Ford Performance teammate Hand. In total Briscoe and Westbrook led 34 of the 77 laps in the GTLM class during the two hour, 40-minute race.

“I think the yellow-free race played to our strength of long runs,” Briscoe stated. “It was a pretty straightforward strategy of two stops. We were definitely better at the end of the stints than a lot of the other cars out there. We knew our advantage was going to be on old tires and that showed today. I think that’s where we made the difference.”

“Polar opposite of Lime Rock, when we won on a three-stopper,” Westbrook said. “Today, we made the two-stopper work. Just feels awesome. Ryan did a killer job today, put me in a really strong position.”

* Photos courtesy of Ford Performance