8-24-07
For Immediate Release

Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Qualifies 10th at Infineon Raceway

Driver Terry Borcheller qualified the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype 10th for Round 13 of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve at Infineon Raceway.

In preparation for Saturday's Armed Forces Grand-Am 250, Borcheller turned his fastest qualifying lap (1:30.704, 100.018 mph) on his second circuit around the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course. Borcheller was on a flier when the 15-minute qualifying session was cut short due to an on track incident between the No. 11 Pontiac Riley and No. 59 Porsche Riley.

"It [qualifying] went well," the former Daytona Prototype Drivers' Champion Borcheller said. "We've been making a lot of changes to the car throughout each session and all of the changes have been positive. There was only one negative. We lost a little bit of stability under braking, which caught me off guard a little bit. But, overall we did really well as a team and this is the quickest I've gone all weekend. We were on a much better lap when the session went black. I knew I had a better lap going and I was hoping to get a chance to get it in. With only a 15-minute qualifying session, sometimes it isn't going to happen. I had enough chances to get it done, but I kept blowing turn one. That's just the way it goes sometimes."

"Anytime you can start in the top-10 in the Rolex Series means you are doing your homework," teammate Patrick Long said of the team's qualifying effort. "We think we had a little more to show, but we got caught out in qualifying. And, that's sometimes the way it goes in the competitive Rolex Series. Now, we'll look forward to starting in the front half of the grid tomorrow.

"Driving with Terry has been great. I've driven against him all of these years and now to race with him, it's been a pleasure. He brings a lot of experience and a wealth of knowledge to the team. I think it's a lot to ask of him to get used to this car in such a short amount of track time. That being said, I think he's done well so far."     

"We were on a better lap [than our fastest qualifying lap] when the black flag came out," team owner Alex Job said. "Unfortunately, I think we would have qualified a little bit higher. But, 10th is where we qualified. Terry hasn't been in the car in a year and he's doing a great job. Now we've got to concentrate on the race tomorrow."

The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team has one win, two top-five and nine top-10 finishes this season.

The Daytona Prototypes will take to the track for one final 30-minute practice session beginning at 8:30 a.m. (PDT) Saturday, Aug. 25, with Round 13 action starting at 2:45 p.m. Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype race fans can catch all of the same day tape delayed action beginning at 8 p.m. (EDT) 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 uncompromising freshness and quality, served by passionate employees who take pride in delighting guests with an excellent dining experience. The menu features a wide variety of fresh signature items and entrees, among them the Fresh Garden Bar, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Chicken Fresco and Premium Aged Prime Sirloin. Guests can also enjoy Ruby Tuesday's renowned fresh handcrafted burgers, featuring its exclusive Triple Prime Burger. Ruby Tuesday, Inc. is traded on the NY Stock Exchange (symbol: RT). To find out more about Ruby Tuesday, visit www.rubytuesday.com.