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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">TRANS AM</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">29/06/2004</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Motorock Trans-Am Series Ready To Rock </FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Cleveland’s Waterfront Gets Ready</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"><B>Motorock Trans-Am Series Ready To Rock Cleveland’s Waterfront </B><BR> <BR> During this Fourth of July weekend, the rumble won’t just be coming from the fireworks, as the Motorock Trans-Am Series rolls into the home of rock and roll ready to roar on the lakefront. The Trans-Am on the Tarmac, Round 4 of this year’s championship, is scheduled for Friday, July 2.<BR> <BR> The Trans-Am Series has a long history at Cleveland’s 2.106-mile, 10-turn course, set up on Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront airport. The Series has competed here 13 times since 1988. This year, America’s oldest continuously running road racing series will continue the Cleveland legend, as part of the U.S. Bank Presents Cleveland Grand Prix. The list of Cleveland winners comprises an elite group of drivers who have made history in the Trans-Am Series and elsewhere. <BR> <BR> Leading the Cleveland cavalcade of Trans-Am legends is the Series’ only four-time champion Tommy Kendall. Kendall returned to the Series this year, after leaving competition in 1997. Kendall has a history at Cleveland, making it a special place for the well-known racer.<BR> <BR> In fact, Kendall (No. 11 Jaguar R Performance XKR) began his run to second on the all-time Trans-Am win list at Cleveland. Kendall recorded his first of 26 career victories, here in 1990. The only driver to have won four Drivers’ Championships, accomplishments include: being the only driver to win three-straight Trans-Am titles, a record for the most victories in a season, 14 straight in 1997, 40 poles, 53 podiums, 63 top fives, 72 top tens and 23 fast race laps. <BR> <BR> “Cleveland is very special to me,” said Kendall, who is driving a car powered by Jaguar’s new stock-block, fuel-injected AJ-V8 engine. “I won my first race here and my brother lives here. They put on a great event, so whether it’s difficult or intimidating, I don’t care. I like Cleveland.”<BR> <BR> Meanwhile Tomy Drissi (No. 5 AVP Only in Theaters Jaguar XKR) is on a mission this year. He won his first pole in Round 2 at Portland and is looking to continue his string of consistent finishes here, after a stumble at Infineon Raceway.<BR> <BR> “This year, our program is really coming together,” said Drissi. “Last year, we were fast, but we weren’t consistent. This year is about consistency. Cleveland is a fast track. I’m looking forward to having the best result of my career here this year.”<BR> <BR> Local racer Randy Ruhlman is also seeking his first Cleveland victory. Ruhlman, who grew up here, is sponsored by Preformed Line Products, which has its corporate headquarters in the Cleveland metropolitan area.<BR> <BR> “As always, we’re looking forward to coming back to Cleveland,” said Ruhlman, driver of the No. 49 Chevrolet Corvette. “We have a big contingent from our sponsor. We also have a lot of family come out. I grew up in Cleveland, so it’s always nice to come home. The team has been giving me a great car. It gets stronger every race. We had a strong car last year and I think it will be even stronger this year.” <BR> <BR> Another local racer, Tim Cowen, is also looking forward to returning to Cleveland. Cowen (No. 75 Cowen Truck Lines Ford Mustang) lives in nearby Ashland, Ohio. The 2002 GT-1 National Champion is concentrating on competing in the Trans-Am Series this year, running at least five events. <BR> <BR> “We’re really looking forward to Cleveland,” said Cowen. “Of the first three races we’re running this season, we have the most experience at Cleveland. We’ve run well here, though our results haven shown that. We’ve just had some bad luck. One year, we didn’t make it through turn one and last year we had radiator problems. This year, we’re best prepared for that race as any. Coming into these first two races, with both Portland and Infineon being new tracks to us, we think we’ve done a pretty good job.”<BR> <BR> Another local favorite to watch is Bob Ruman. Ruman (No.23 Cenweld/McNichols Chevrolet Corvette) returned to Trans-Am competition here last season after successfully beating cancer.<BR> <BR> Meanwhile, B.K. “Kenny” Bupp and Jon “Chevy” Leavy will kick off their season as Trans-Am’s only two-car GT-1 team. The two are competing this year under Trans-Am’s new GT-1 Driver Development Program. The program will award the GT-1 Drivers’ Championship, presented for the first time in 2003, and will further recognize the importance of GT-1 involvement in Trans-Am competition.<BR> <BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>