5-17-07 -- For Immediate Release

Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Seeks First Win At Laguna Seca

The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team heads west to the beautiful Monterey peninsula this weekend for Round Five of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In last year's U.S. Sports Car Invitational, driver Patrick Long put the Alex Job Racing prepared Porsche Crawford on the Daytona Prototype pole. This year, Long and his defending Daytona Prototype Drivers' Champion teammate Jörg Bergmeister will not only look to put the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Crawford on the pole, but, more importantly, the team will be gunning for its first win of the season.

"We were very promising here last year," Long said. "Overall, I think we had the most dominant car in terms of pace throughout the practice sessions and qualifying. But, once you get into a race in the Rolex Series, it's no longer about who has the fastest car. No question that being fast is important, but you also have to have a good race strategy and you have to have a lot of patience."

"It's a great track, it's really challenging" Bergmeister said of his return to the 2.238-mile circuit. "I really like coming here. It's definitely a driver's track, where you can make up time [if you have to]. Last year, our car did really well here. Patrick won the qualifying race. Hopefully we can take the good progress we've made over the last couple of races and do well here this weekend."  

"We know that we have a car that can win at Mazda Raceway," team owner Alex Job said. "We had some success here last year when Patrick put the car on the pole by winning the 30-minute qualifying race. This year, our focus is to be fast again right off of the trailer and carry that momentum into the race. And, we have two really good drivers who know what it takes to win here. If we give Patrick and Jörg a fast, well-setup race car, I have no doubt they will put the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday car in victory circle."

With one top-five and three top-10 finishes this season, Bergmeister and Long both sit in seventh place with 89 points (38 points behind the leaders) in the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Driver Point standings. Similarly, the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing team is also in seventh place in the Grand-Am Rolex Series Team Point standings with 89 points.

In preparation for the U.S. Sports Car Invitational delivered by Luggage Express, the No. 23 Porsche Crawford will turn its first practice laps at 10:45 a.m. (PDT) Friday, May 18, with a second practice scheduled to begin at 3:35 p.m. (PDT). Daytona Prototype practice resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 19, with qualifying at 11:05 a.m. (PDT). Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype race fans can catch all of the exciting race action from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca live on Speed Channel beginning at 1 p.m. (PDT) Sunday, May 20.

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.