Phoenixville-built Chevrolet Corvettes
Dominate
Watkins Glen race Qualifying
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 12, 2008)
– Twenty-one year old Andrew Aquilante, of
Chester Springs, Pa., took another step
toward his second Sports Car Club of America
National Championship today at Watkins Glen
International, by qualifying his Chevrolet
Corvette C5 Z06 on the pole for Sunday’s
featured Touring Class race of the 61st
annual Glen Nationals.
In the
ten-car Touring 1 class, eight of the nine
Corvettes and the lone Dodge Viper are built
or maintained by Phoenix Performance, Inc.,
of Phoenixville, Pa. Including the other
classes in the race, 13 of the 21 cars on
the starting grid are out of the PPI shops.
Aquilante
averaged a new class track record 99.029
miles per hour on the undulating, 3.4-mile
Watkins Glen circuit to take the pole spot,
exceeding his own record of 98.892mph set in
2006 in a Dodge Viper.
“Heat and
humidity slowed us in the afternoon session
compared to the morning qualifying,” he
explained. “With the temperatures in the low
70s this morning, and dryer air, any car
will produce more power – even your street
car. That goes for race cars, too. It
amounted to one second per lap.”
“Tomorrow’s
race is in the morning, though,” he added,
“so we should see lap times drop again.”
“In addition
to Phoenix Performance building or
maintaining eight of the Corvettes in the
race,” noted Andrew’s father, Joe, who owns
Phoenix Performance, “we also built two
Chevrolet Cobalts for the Touring 3 class,
and a couple of Pontiac Firebirds in the
American Sedan class, so this is a good
weekend for us.
“Brent
Spaude (Bushnell, Fla.) is driving his
Cobalt for the first time this weekend after
a long and successful career in go-karts,
and he’s on the front row in the Touring 3
class.”
About Phoenix Performance
Located in
Phoenixville, Pa, Phoenix Performance is
owned by Joe Aquilante. Based in a 32,000
sq. ft. race shop 35 miles west of downtown
Philadelphia. Phoenix Performance-prepared
cars have won 18 SCCA National Championships
since 1999 - including three wins per year
for the past four years, two professional
series Manufacturer Championship, and the GM
Motorsports Winner’s Circle Award. For more
information, call 610-482-0141 or visit
www.phoenixperformaceinc.com
and
www.phoenixperformance.net.