7-20-07
For Immediate Release

Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Completes Practice at Barber Motorsports Park

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 20, 2007) - The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team is still looking for the winning car setup following today's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve Daytona Prototype practice sessions at Barber Motorsports Park.

Driving the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Crawford, Floridian Patrick Long turned his fastest lap in the morning session with a 1:23.941 (98.640 mph) around the 2.3-mile, 16-turn country club-like road course. With warmer conditions during the afternoon session, Long's fastest lap was a 1:24.188 (98.351 mph).

"It was a trying day," Long said of today's practice sessions. "We have a lot of work to do between now and qualifying. But, that is what this sport is all about. We have one more practice session tomorrow and then we'll see how we do in qualifying. We have a lot of work to do tonight."

"Today was a frustrating day for us," team owner Alex Job said. "The results we had today are very poor. We are struggling with some steering and handling issues. But, we have until nine tonight, when they close the paddock, to work on the car. We are going to work on it as hard as we can and see if we can get these issues sorted out before tomorrow."

Long's current teammate, Jörg Bergmeister, won last year's Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant, while Long, and his then co-driver Mike Rockenfeller, finished third in the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype. Bergmeister holds the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype race record at Barber. The defending Daytona Prototype Drivers' Champion completed last year's event in 2:45:16.341 at an average speed of 80.993-mph.

The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team has one win, two top-five and seven top-10 finishes this season. Both, Bergmeister and Long are tied for seventh-place with 210 points (62 points behind the point leader Scott Pruett) in the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Driver Point standings. The team is in sixth-place in the Grand-Am Rolex Series Team Point standings also with 210 points.

Daytona Prototype practice resumes at 8:30 a.m. (CDT) Saturday, July 21, with qualifying set for 10:25 a.m. (CDT). Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype race fans can catch all of the exciting live door-to-door action beginning at 2 p.m. (CDT) Sunday, July 22 on SPEED Channel.

Ruby Tuesday is one of the nation's leading casual dining restaurant companies, with more than 900 restaurants worldwide. It was founded in 1972 by Sandy Beall, who serves as chairman and 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 a variety of handcrafted burgers, including its exclusive Triple Prime Burger, and a wide assortment of fresh signature items and entrees, among them the Fresh Garden Bar, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Chicken Fresco and Prime Sirloin Steak. Ruby Tuesday, Inc. is traded on the NY Stock Exchange (symbol: RT). To find out more about Ruby Tuesday, visit www.rubytuesday.com.