Tuttle/SAMAX - Petty and Said for Rolex 24

Tuttle Team Racing by SAMAX driver Brian Tuttle will have a dream team of co-drivers when he starts his first Rolex 24 At Daytona. Racing on a track that combines the high banks of NASCAR competition  and a road course, he will share the No. 11 BMW-powered Riley Mk XI with Kyle Petty and Boris Said. The two veterans know both sides of the track.

Petty, of Trinity, N.C., has raced with NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway since 1981. He has also made numerous Rolex 24 starts on the 3.56-mile  circuit that adds an infield road course to the banked tri-oval. In three of those races, he shared driving duty with SAMAX Motorsport team owner Peter Baron. Petty also drove with Tuttle in two Rolex Series races last year.

"It's no secret that I love driving sports car and especially racing in the Rolex 24," Petty said. "Brian has been generous enough to let me share this ride, and it's pretty cool to have Boris as a teammate as well. Boris is a tremendous road-racer and he has proved he can win in anything he races. Brian is a competitor, too, but more importantly, he's just a great guy. I'm excited about this weekend."

Said also knows the track's fast line from his dual perspective of NASCAR and sports-car driver. The Carlsbad, Calif., racer has competed in every class in the Rolex 24, collecting two GT wins. He knows the importance of preserving both car and driver for 24 hours. At 6 feet 4 inches tall, he says comfort is sharing a car seat with teammates of equal height. (Petty and Tuttle are both 6 feet 2 inches.)

"It's a long race. You don't race in the 24 hours of Daytona; you save everything," Said noted. "I'm just glad we're all tall! That will make it a lot more comfortable."

Tuttle bought the No. 11 Riley just for the Rolex 24. The West Palm Beach, Fla., driver wants to win the 2006 Jim Trueman Award, presented to the top sportsman driver in the Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype class. He had already rented his No. 7 Riley to the CITGO Racing by SAMAX entry when he decided to compete for the award.

"I wasn't planning to do the 24-hour race, so we put together a good program and rented the car," he explained. "Since then, I got really motivated to win the Trueman award, so I need the points from Daytona. We decided the best option would be to buy another car and control our own destiny. I'm very excited about the lineup and I think we'll do well."

Baron put the drivers and crew together in less than 10 days, but he noted the team is working like a veteran force under the direction of team manager Dennis Eade, race engineer Dr. Steve Bunkhall and chief mechanic Roy Wilkerson.

"This program didn't exist on January 10 th , but everything came together perfectly," Baron said. "The driver lineup is outstanding. The crew members gelled instantly - after two weeks, they're working together better than some who have been working together for two years. For such a late program, I think it's definitely one that could surprise a lot of people."

The Rolex 24 At Daytona will run Jan. 28 and 29 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.