August 21, 2006
Immediate Release

Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Heads West to Infineon 

Tavares, Florida  --  The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team is taking their streak of three podiums in a row to Infineon Raceway for round 12 of the Grand American Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Reserve to be run on Saturday, August 26th. 

The Grand Am series will make their first ever visit to the 2.26-mile, 12-turn road course located in the heart of Sonoma’s wine country.  The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team, although taking their number 23 Alex Job Racing prepared Porsche powered Crawford, to Infineon for the first time, the team and drivers have a wealth of experience on the track.  

The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team is riding a podium streak that has witnessed a second place finish at Daytona, third place at Barber Motorsport Park and another third place in the last race at Watkins Glen.

Patrick Long is looking forward to Infineon.  “We will have a very good chance for a top finish at Infineon.  The track is not really flat out like Watkins Glen, you need to rely more on driver ability and set-up than sheer speed.  The last turn is our opportunity and our anchor, we will need to be able go into there deeper under braking, have the handling to hold the line enough to make-up for our lack of torque at the exit.  Mike and I want another win this season and Infineon offers us an excellent chance.”

Mike Rockenfeller likes the twists-and-turns of the Sonoma track.  “Infineon is a real drivers circuit, which I like.  With all of the corners and elevation change, the driver can really make a difference.  There is really no long straight for our competitors to show case their power, so it is up to the driver and the team to get the car handling.  GT traffic will be very much apart of the story at Infineon, but we look at that as an advantage for us in the Ruby Tuesday car.  Patrick and I know the track well, so we are going there to win.”

“We have been really strong at Infineon, with four wins in the last four years,” said Alex Job, team owner.  “The team will really have put a solid handling car under Patrick and Mike.  Aside from the 12-turns you also have the GT cars, so the guys will need a car that they can drive off the racing line to make passes.  The series first visit to the track will have everyone a little unnerved going in; I hope that our experience will give us the edge and we can return to the top step of the podium.”

The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team is currently fourth in the battle for the team championship.  Long and Rockenfeller are fifth in the drivers point standings, 67 out of the lead in the Daytona Prototype category.  

Round 13 of the Grand American Rolex series from Infineon Raceway will be televised on Speed Channel, tape delayed, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, August 27th. 

Grand Am Daytona Prototype Points After 12 Rounds:

1.         Bergmeister                          Ford/Riley                              415
2.         Angelelli                                Pontiac/Riley                         386
3.         Pruett/Diaz                            Lexus/Riley                           383
4.         Braun                                     Ford/Riley                        357
5.         Long/Rockenfeller             AJR Porsche/Crawford   348
6.         McDowell                              Ford/Crawford                    345
7.         Gurney                                   Pontiac/Riley                        333
8.         Valiante/Finlay                     Ford/Crawford                      329
9.         Patterson                               Pontiac/Riley                       326
10.       Haberfeld/Fernandez          Pontiac/Riley                        311

Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team is fourth in the team championship.

2006 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team DP Finishes

*Denotes qualifying race finish.

Ruby Tuesday is one of the nation’s leading casual-dining restaurant companies, with more than 800 restaurants worldwide.  It was founded in 1972 by Sandy Beall, who serves as Chairman & CEO today.  The company is committed to having uncompromising freshness and quality with passionate employees who take pride in delighting guests with an excellent dining experience.  The burger-centric menu features an assortment of handcrafted burgers, its fresh salad bar, premium baby back ribs and a variety of other signature entrees.  Ruby Tuesday, Inc. is traded on the NY Stock Exchange (symbol:RI).  To find out more about Ruby Tuesday, please visit www.rubytuesday.com.  

To view the Alex Job Racing press kit or for additional information, please refer to www.alexjobracing.com or contact Kyle Chura at chura@aol.com or (248) 821-0468.