ADAM SAAL: Good morning or good afternoon to our friends in the media. Thanks for joining us for one of our Rolex Sports Car Series media teleconferences. We're preparing for the second half of the current season with six races down and six to go.

It appears that two teams have emerged as the championship contenders, and we're delighted to have the two drivers from the No. 01 Comp USA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley, Scott Pruett and Max Papis, as well as the drivers of the SunTrust Racing No. 10 Pontiac Riley, Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli.

Gentlemen, thanks for joining us from various points in the country as we prepare to go back to racing with the upcoming event EMCO Gears Mid-Ohio Classic on Saturday, August 7, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, followed by Sahlen’s 200 at Watkins Glen on Friday, August 13th. That's our second and final appearance with the Nextel Cup Series boys at that event, and Scott Pruett will be pulling double duty that weekend.

As I mentioned, it's a close championship battle. Leading that championship, even though both teams have won two races this year, are Max Papis and Scott Pruett in the No. 01 Lexus.

Max, we'll get started with you. Welcome. You're in your first full season I believe of Rolex Series competition. Really your first taste of Daytona prototypes after doing a couple one-off drives last year. What are your initial impressions of both the category and the series? What do you see as the growth potential here?

MAX PAPIS: First of all, it's a great satisfaction to be able to be part of such a successful team as CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing. Daytona for me has always been the business card for American racing. I had the greatest satisfaction at Daytona, winning overall once and winning my class another time.

As I say, again, usually I always made sure that I was at Daytona for the 24 hour every year through my career in the United States. This year I am making that race part of my championship fight.

The Daytona prototype cars, they surprised me from the level of competition that is within the series. There is never a given factor or given winner. Everybody's on a very plain competitive field. I think it's what makes the racing very exciting.

Again, we are leading the championship, but by no means do we think that we're just going to cruise to win the championship. We're going to have a great battle with the 10 car, with Max Crawford’s cars (the No. 2, 4 and 20 Crawford Pontiacs), and Kevin Doran (team co-owner of Doran-Lista Racing). So I'm expecting close races and different winners.

ADAM SAAL: Thank you very much, Max.

Scott, you're obviously a key part -- you've won two races, as have Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor, in the SunTrust car. You've co-driven with Max Papis. Plenty of competition out there, but it does seem to be focusing on these two.

Do you look at just this team you're racing against, or do you still think there's other factors out there that could come up and challenge you for the championship?

SCOTT PRUETT: Well, you'd be foolish to say that you don't have to consider, you know, all the top teams. Between the No. 01 and the 10 car, which is kind of interesting anyway, 10 and 01, but from our standpoint we're just keeping our head down and going about business however we can, winning races, getting poles, doing whatever we can.

It's pretty interesting. I was having a conversation today with one of the guys--I'm actually down here in North Carolina at the Ganassi NASCAR shop. They were talking about it. Grand-Am is the only growing road race series in the world right now. Everything else is getting smaller. Everybody is complaining about budgets.

At the same time, you know, you talk to a number of the former Atlantic guys, they're looking at Grand-Am as an alternative. They like the playing field. They like the opportunity where nobody's exclusive to any particular piece or part. They can buy whatever chassis they want, they can buy whatever engine package they want, which in itself lends to good, stiff, hard competition.

With that being said, I'm pleased to be involved with CompUSA, with Ganassi, with Lexus, all very, very good companies and certainly with racing heritage and most impressed with the job Lexus has done this year and continues to do.

So from my standpoint, you know, we're doing what we do. We love to go racing, and from my perspective I think that, you know, we just got to keep doing what we're doing and see how the cards play out here when we get down to the last couple races.

But right now we've got to -- we know head-to-head going into every race we've got to beat whoever we can, whether it's the 10 car or anybody else out there.

ADAM SAAL: Scott and Max combined to win both of our six-hour races that we've run this year back-to-back, the first at Mont-Tremblant and the second one at Watkins Glen. Again, we do return to Watkins Glen in a couple of weeks for two races in a row, one at Mid-Ohio and one at Watkins Glen.

However, matching their win total is Wayne Taylor's team with SunTrust. They won the Phoenix 250 earlier this year and then the Paul Revere 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The principal behind that team, former sports car champion and a gentleman who came out of retirement to pursue another championship for SunTrust is Wayne Taylor.

Wayne, talk a little bit about your season to date, where you hope to be six races from now.

WAYNE TAYLOR: Well, I think as Scott and Max says, the series has really grown astronomically over the last year, and really while it appears on paper that there's these two cars are going for the championship, I think the fact is that there's three or four other really good teams out there that could surprise us at any point in time.

There's so much with the series with regard to speed and opportunities in the race with the yellows and so on that could really change the dynamics of the results.

I think from our standpoint, it's too early to look at the championship. Quite honestly, I put this program together in about 90 days, and never, ever felt in the first year we would be at this point racing for a championship. Obviously, the guys, Bill Riley and all the guys back at Riley, have done an outstanding job. Of course, my teammate Max has just, you know, made life a lot easier for me.

You know, we had a huge disappointment at the Glen by finishing second. But I think, as you said, teams are 1, 2, there's six races to go. It’s still an open book.

ADAM SAAL: Thank you very much, Wayne.

As you mentioned, a key part of your effort here is Max Angelelli, who has partnered with you before. This is the first time you two have been able to run consistently together in a few years.

Max, we will go to you for our final opening question before we ask our friends in the media to join us. This is a new type of car for you, as well. Talk about the Daytona prototype category and some of the experience you have had. How does that compare to other series you've raced with?

MAX ANGELELLI: Yes, I never drove the Daytona prototype before Daytona 24-hour race. Actually, I was a little bit skeptical at the beginning, but I should say the car is really fun to drive. It's very quick, a lot of grip. It's nice because it is light, has enough power to enjoy.

Coming from the LMP 900, which is the top sports car available at the moment, the Daytona prototype is the best balanced. It's an open fight, very nice races because you can never know who is going to win even when we start from the back because of whatever happens. We are still able to win it.

I have the best teammate, the best car, so life is easy for the moment. But, as Wayne said, a lot of new teams are coming, a lot of teams are getting better and better, so I'm expecting harder life for us in the future.

ADAM SAAL: Thank you very much, Max.

We have a pretty good media line up. Scott, as I mentioned, is now getting some work done for his Cup effort coming up. He will return to action as part of the race at The Glen when we're up for the Sahlen’s 200. Scott is going to have to leave us pretty shortly. If you have any questions for Scott, we'd appreciate it if you could ask those first and we'll get to them.

Q. I want to ask Scott, since he's trying to slip out the back door, we talked last year at I think Cleveland when you were doing the Trans-Am thing, but how has your racing career been rejuvenated by the last couple years? Do you belong in a seat? Do you know what I mean? You're still driving these race cars here. I'm wondering mentally how rejuvenated you feel at the moment?

SCOTT PRUETT: Well, I got to tell you, it has. It's been an interesting ride ever since my (NASCAR) deal in 2000. I kind of had a lot of anger and rage at what happened there, but finally put to that bed, kind of stepped out of the act of racing and into TV. I didn't really enjoy that. I wanted to be back behind the wheel.

I came back extremely strong with just a couple races with Ganassi. I ran with Corvette, won at LeMans. Last year specifically, I won the Trans-Am championship, and finished second at The Glen in a Cup car.

I think my driving is as good and as sharp as it's ever been. You know, my joke, people ask me, "What do you think? How do you want to keep this thing going?" I say, "If I can put the car on pole, I can win races and I can win championships, damn straight, I belong in a car every time."

We had a great run at Sears Point a few weeks ago, and we’re going back to The Glen. I'm going to have double duty at Mid-Ohio, as well. I'm going to be doing the Brickyard (400) in a Cup car. All in all, I'm having a great -- this is probably the most fun I've had in racing in a long time. I enjoy doing what I do. I enjoy working with the Ganassi boys. I love what I've seen with the Grand-Am series, where it's going, everything is going upward. I'm just having a blast.

Q. I'm looking at your series right now. I see you and Max. Both you guys won races in CART. In some respects you have as many or more high-profile names as they have in that series now. I'm just wondering, like you said a while ago, people are saying this is the fastest growing sports car racing series out there, road racing series. In some respects, other than the NEXTEL Cup, do you see a huge future for this in the long run, I'm talking about the Grand-Am series?

SCOTT PRUETT: I do. I do, quite frankly, as we talked about earlier. You've been around long enough to see, you know, the life and death of series. What happens is, you know, you come in, the sponsor, you start spending $2 million a year, then it's $5 million, then it's $10 million, now it's $15 million a year. If you can't back it up with a good TV package, like the NEXTEL Cup, you can't back it up with the exposure like the NEXTEL Cup, the other open-wheel series are struggling.

If you look at what happened with almost every other open-wheel series in the US, I think they're all having an extremely tough time. They don't know if they're going to be around more than a year. You have a number of sponsors that -- to justify their investment, they have to have the TV package, they have to have the fans, they have to have all that goes along with it to spend those 5, 10, 15 million dollar budgets, and they don't. Sometimes, quite frankly, they feel like they can't compete at the same level because they can't get the same equipment.

What's happening right now in Grand-Am I think is a perfect opportunity. I think what you're going to see is some of those teams in Atlantic, which they've already started looking, potentially some teams from CART, which they've been looking, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of those guys come with some of their sponsors because I think they can get a lot bigger bang for their buck than they're doing now.

Q. You've driven almost every ilk of car there is. Honestly, are these cars fun to drive? Obviously, there's the competitive part of it. Are they fun? I don't want to say easy, but are they simpler to deal with from a driver standpoint? Can you really kind of let it all hang out, if you understand what I mean?

SCOTT PRUETT: Yeah, absolutely. I think that's a good point because, one, they are fun, an absolute fun car to drive. They have enough horsepower where you can have a good time with it. From a driving standpoint, you need to be a little bit careful. You have to do a bit of tire management at times. There are a couple of pieces that I think are good from a driver standpoint that really cut the cream to the top.

You know, the level of competition, these cars are strong enough, that you can do a bit of banging. We saw some pretty big excitement from my teammate at Homestead. But, you know, with that, if you saw what they were doing, that shows the strength of these cars and what they can do. And putting the view that we want to keep the drivers safe, we want them to go out there and do their job, but we also want to keep them safe. All those things together, I think they've focused on and we have a great series going on.

Q. Scott, you're about the only person right now who's in that group that's making the leap back and forth from NEXTEL Cup to Grand-Am, shall we say one series to another. What is your take on the Dale Earnhardt, Jr., thing? Do you think sponsors or team owners or what have you should be able to restrict a driver's ability to jump from one series to the next?

SCOTT PRUETT: They can. In my contract currently I have to get approval from Ganassi to do anything else besides focusing on the Grand-Am series. You know, yes, you have to get approval. I think for most of the guys, they would have to get approval.

As far as what happened with Dale, the potential for that to happen is always there. A lot of the times we dodge the bullet and are able to walk away. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't.

I think from Dale's standpoint, I think he does it because he loves driving. I think he loves driving the road courses. You look at Tony Stewart, he came and raced with us at Daytona, and absolutely had a blast doing it. I think there's a fine line between going out and doing something purely for fun because you want to do it and something that you go out and do and you want to make sure you don't get hurt because you don't want to take away from the business at hand.

I think from here on forward, I think you're going to see teams and sponsors and drivers, quite frankly, take a little closer look at that.

Q. Scott, you've been racing at Mid-Ohio for a number of years. Do you have any special memory, favorite story or anything about some experience you've had up our way?

SCOTT PRUETT: Wow, there's so many of them. You know, actually interestingly enough, one that comes to mind is I remember back a few years, back in '86, testing up there with Al Holbert and the Lowenbrau Porsche. That was a big mark for me. At the time in sports car racing, he was THE guy. His team was THE team. That was a huge moment for me.

You know, I lived in Columbus for five years driving for TrueSports and have so many great memories. I think the track has moved forward since my initial start there.

But for me, interestingly enough, that was my first entrée into serious racing was at Mid-Ohio, with Paul Lewis back in 1984. At that race, that sports car race, really put Scott Pruett on the map to take a step forward in his career.

Q. They've done some changes to the track this year. They've shaved down some of the corners and creases between the concrete and the pavement. Have you been on it since they made some changes, either doing some testing or anything? Have you heard anything about that and how it could change a little bit what you guys do out there?

SCOTT PRUETT: I have not. Yes, we have heard this has been done. We have been in contact with a number of teams that have been there. That's going to be a little bit of a moving target because whenever you grind the track down, that's going to leave a little bit more groove in it. As cars run on it, those grooves fill up. What the track would have been like the first race back after they did the work is going to be significantly different than when we go back.

We have a very good idea what's transpired with the racetrack. As of right now, we'll find out when we get there. It's going to be great.

Q. How far has the Daytona Prototype (class) come from a year ago? I know they were really struggling when they came to Mid-Ohio last year. How much better have the cars gotten in just the last year of development?

SCOTT PRUETT: They're significantly better. We're looking at every place we go the track records have dropped at least by a couple seconds a lap. The quality of the teams has stepped up significantly. The number of teams, we were four or five cars last year, now we're talking 18 cars. That speaks for itself.

As a place to go race, I think there's a lot of people that look at this very seriously.

Q. Scott, when you get the chance to race in another series, do you feel it hones your skills as a professional or are you just getting some jollies?

SCOTT PRUETT: Both. I wouldn't say "jollies," that's not quite the right word. It's more just continuing to put that stamp on my career of being able to drive these different things, let's say at Watkins Glen in the six-hour, then coming back and running at Sears Point in a Cup car, having a great run there, then coming back to Daytona. You know, yeah, I'm having such a great time that I can't even hardly express that.

Secondly, things are going great. The cars are running good. I'm performing well as a driver. As long as I can keep doing that I think, in all these different series, it just kind of well-rounds me.

Q. You are probably singularly capable of experiencing or knowing what it's like to have had a racing career that was just moving along as fast as the cars you drove, and slamming into a wall and stopping it.

SCOTT PRUETT: Uh-huh.

Q. What did that do to you to have that happen at West Palm?

SCOTT PRUETT: Actually, it was at the temporary race circuit in West Palm, out at the fairgrounds. That wasn't as big as what happened with Cal Wells (in NASCAR). What happened with Cal Wells, I think, in my opinion, was hugely worse for my career because I knew making that step there, from the Indy Cars to the Cup cars, going into it being brutally honest with everybody, telling them it was going to take a long time, this had to be a three-year deal, it was going to be a struggle with a brand-new team and brand-new driver, we had such a huge mountain to overcome in front of us, and then everybody acting like they didn't understand what we talked about going into it was significantly a lot more difficult than the crash, broke my ankle, my knees and my back.

Q. Talk about the double duty that you'll be doing at Watkins Glen. How difficult is that?

SCOTT PRUETT: Actually, it won't be too bad. The way that it's broken up going into that weekend, I see it being more difficult the Brickyard weekend. I'll be flying back and forth between the Brickyard and Mid-Ohio, going on an oval to going on a road circuit.

But being on the same circuit up at the Glen, I don't see it being too bad at all. We do the bulk of our work with our Grand-Am car on Thursday, and then we practice/qualify on Friday morning, early afternoon, then we're back to go racing at the Glen, you know, Friday evening, then I don't race again until Sunday for the Cup car.

I don't see it being that bad. Robby Gordon has done it in the past. I think a couple of the other guys have. I know Kyle Petty has, as well. I don't see it being a significant factor.

Q. Even though the cars are totally different, does that extra track time in the Daytona prototype help you at all with the Cup car?

SCOTT PRUETT: I think it will. Not that it's going to ultimately help me as far as driving the Cup car, but it will help you because you get up and you get sharp a day earlier. You're on the track. You got the rhythm going. You got the feel going. You know what to expect from the racetrack. From that standpoint, I do think it's going to help me as I step into the Cup car Friday morning.

ADAM SAAL: Scott, we'll let you get back to whatever stuff you're working on down there in North Carolina. Congratulations on picking up the Brickyard ride. It's going to be great to see you pulling double duty. Who knows, maybe somebody will want to hop on the plane and go back and forth with you to Mid-Ohio.

SCOTT PRUETT: Appreciate it. I’ll be talking to you soon.

ADAM SAAL: Wayne, talk a little bit about the Riley development. Your team is housed and operated out of Riley Technologies. They are in Indianapolis. This car has become a contender almost out of the box. Did you know these were the guys you wanted to do this program with when you came out of retirement?

WAYNE TAYLOR: Any time you put a program together, you've got to surround yourself with the best in terms of guys who run the program, engineers, mechanics, teammates, sponsors and so on.

We've enjoyed a lot of success together, the Rileys and myself. That stems back to when I first came to the United States in 1990. You know this racing game, it's really a fickle business. You end up working with guys, then going elsewhere, then coming back again.

When I look at my sort of 14, 15-year career living in the United States, most of my success has been with these guys back from the days of the Intrepid, then the Oldsmobile Aurora with the championship year, Daytona and Sebring, and of course now. So when it was time to put this program together, it made it pretty easy to decide where to go.

ADAM SAAL: Seems to be working well. Both of these teams run Rileys. One is powered by Lexus, the other powered by Pontiac.

Again, let's open it back up to our friends in the media.

Q. Wayne, Max Angelelli, could you describe the difference between the six-hour race, the long course at The Glen, and the relatively short sprint race on the short course.

WAYNE TAYLOR: Well, the six-hour event on that track is probably one of my favorites in North America. I really hate the bloody short course because it's really -- you know, it's just so different. I think that the opportunity for passing and stuff is not as good on the short track as it is on the larger track.

However, I've run both circuits in the past. I would say it's a little Mickey Mouse, the short circuits. It's on the map, and I guess we've just got to do the best we can.

Q. Do you think you might actually have a better advantage because you guys were super fast there on the long course, the short course favors more horsepower?

WAYNE TAYLOR: Who says we got more horsepower (laughter)?

Q. Larger engine displacement.

WAYNE TAYLOR: Does that mean more horsepower (laughter)?

Q. I don't know. I just watch from the press room. But do you think that may favor you guys?

WAYNE TAYLOR: Well, I think if you look over the course of the year, the reason why I asked you about horsepower is because we've keep hearing that we're winning because we've got the most horsepower. But at the beginning of the season, we heard we were good on the short courses and we won't be good on the high-speed courses. We went to the high-speed courses, were faster, then it became an engine issue.

I think it all comes down to the packaging of the total program. I think all around we've got all the ingredients right. Not to say that Ganassi and them haven't, they've obviously got it right because they're leading. But it takes a bit of each one of those ingredients to make the right package.

And I think because the formula appears to be so well-suited at the moment, I think that it's going to take all the fine tuning to get the edge over everybody because the championship is growing at a great rate.

You know, it's just really to get the package together. I think we've proved that we can be fast on short tracks and on the high-speed tracks. It's just a case of getting your act together as soon as you get to the racetrack.

Q. Max Angelelli, do you have anything to add? Is this your first experience on Watkins Glen short course?

MAX ANGELELLI: Yeah, the first time. I would like to add something about the engine issue. We have bigger engines, but don't forget we have less revs and one gear less than them.

The rule that has been made by Grand-Am works pretty well because we are all pretty much the same on power issue really. This is how I feel.

ADAM SAAL: It's obviously a sign of a competitive series if everybody is looking at other components and packages and saying they're fast, so forth. You do have a Lexus 4.3 liter V8. The Pontiacs in our series are a 5.5 liter push rod V8, a little different technology. Again, they're all spec'd out and all determined to be as equal as possible working with our friends up there at North Carolina at the R&D center. Back to questions with our media.

Q. Max Papis, I was asking Scott Pruett earlier about being rejuvenated. What is this season doing for you personally, career-wise, everything else? Clearly your deal in CART, we all remember what happened with Team Rahal and everything like that, just what has this done for you? It seems to have proven that the talent you've got, from my vantage point, but what has it done for you personally?

MAX PAPIS: As you said, nothing is as good as winning. My career has always been quite a lot of ups and downs. It has been always very complicated in terms of finding the right opportunity and finding the good people around. I found really great people when I was at Rahal. At CART, I had a great team. Unfortunately, as you know well that situation, when Miller Lite pulled out of the championship, basically there was no more car for me to drive. That was a shame for everyone. But Bobby (Rahal) couldn't do anything for that.

Again, I kept fighting. I kept fighting. I had definitely a great disappointment when I joined Sigma Autosport. That basically closed down after five or six races. That has been a very, very tough time for my career.

But again, you know, I kept fighting. This year with the success I'm having with everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing, working again with Toyota under the brand of Lexus, it's something that I'm really pleased about. As you said, as you know well, I had my first ever race in America in open-wheel at Mid-Ohio with the Toyota-powered car. For me, going back in a couple of weeks and being able to contend for success with the Lexus power is going to mean a lot.

Again, as you said, this year for me has been really special. Between the deal I have with Chip Ganassi Racing and the deal I have with General Motors and Corvette Racing, I can't complain. I mean, I've been very successful in every race I've been running. It has been a little bit -- it takes a bit of time to get used to dealing with different cars and work with different people. But, again, it's all about who you put yourself around. At Lexus and at Chip Ganassi Racing, we have only one goal: that is winning. We have all the tools in place to achieve that.

I think that is what makes all the difference. It's all about what you have inside. If you have the power to succeed, if you have the will to succeed, you're going to go through difficult situations and make positive out of difficulties. If you are a loser, you just accept it and go home.

Q. In that regard, though, you know what you've got inside of you. When maybe it's not getting -- when maybe others aren't taking advantage of it, how tough is that to go through that where maybe you're not getting recognized or you're not getting that ride like maybe you think you should? For a driver, how tough is that? Obviously, same thing with Scott, y'all are proving something this year as a team. You know what I'm saying. I'm not trying to get on a soapbox here for you, but how tough is it to go through as a driver when you know what you've got inside but you can't show it?

MAX PAPIS: It makes you very upset. It makes you very infuriated. You go home, you know, you're there looking, you go to see a race, you see guys that you think you can beat them on any given day, and there you are watching and they're riding.

But as I say, again, all those things gave me motivation to come back. This year I'm fighting like hell to prove that I'm there, I have a lot of will to succeed. Too bad for the people that didn't take advantage of it because there are people like Chip Ganassi that is taking full advantage of it and is taking advantage of all the hunger I had inside, and I still have.

At the end of the game, for me it's motor racing, it's a sport. There are other more important things in life, as well. But at the same time, it's a matter of pride. When people step on your pride, you got to come back and kick them.

Q. Do you feel, you and Scott, the Ganassi team, do you feel like you guys are sort of a super team? As far as you can be a super team in the Grand-Am series with the rules, do you feel like you have landed with the super team of the series?

MAX PAPIS: I have a lot of respect for everybody who is racing there in Grand-Am because whoever -- take for example, Terry Borcheller, very underrated guy, very fast. Nobody knew who he was up to two years ago. Maybe Grand-Am is helping him to shine his abilities. Therefore I think that it's all about situation. I know that when Chip Ganassi told me who could have been my teammate, I told him, "Yes, of course, I'm going to be on board." I think it makes both of our lives easier knowing that you can count on each other, like Wayne and Max Angelelli. They are strong contenders, they know they can count on each other, the same with me and Scott.

I think in the end what it makes an easy job for everybody, within the team, in sports car usually you have a weak driver and a strong driver. You have a gentleman driver who pays the bill and the guy who stands on the throttle. With Chip Ganassi Racing, and with most of the new sports car teams that have been involved, it's all about speed. It makes a lot of easier job for everybody at CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing and Lexus, as well, because they can basically use Scott or use me independently.

But at the same time, you know, we still have a lot of competition between me and Scott, but healthy competition in a way that we share data, we try to push each other, we go at the limit. I think it's all a positive competition within the team. Again, you know, for the other teams, you know, it's definitely some of the teams, they see the lineup with the results there and the lineup that some other guys have, and I think it's kind of setting a little bit of a tone, if you want to say like that.

Q. Wayne, that is kind of a little bit of a change in the sports car prototype series there. There are a lot more serious teams with basically two drivers who are serious about it. Do you feel that, too, that that has enhanced the competition?

WAYNE TAYLOR: Yeah, it certainly has. I think the main ingredient that has caused that to happen is that the series -- I wouldn't say there's a price cap on running a race team, because you can never put a price cap on it, but you can spend X amount of money on these cars and effectively be competitive.

If you have one weak link, it's not like any other -- it's not like in the older days when you have the wealthy entrepreneurial businessman who hires a hot shoe, due to cautions and stuff you can still manage to win races. Today it's a little bit different. I think it's really in the fact that the series' stringent regulations have caused that. Clearly, if you don't have two good teammates like obviously on our team and on the Ganassi team, you are going to be at a disadvantage.

I think you could look down the field and just look at the driver pairings and tell pretty early. I think the driver pairing is really going to affect the series, which is really good for all of us, I think.

Q. Max Papis, you've got an extensive open-wheel background. I was curious to see what you think and how different things are with driving a car with fenders?

MAX PAPIS: As you said, you know, through my career I had opportunity of being involved in sports car. You know, the sports car I drove previously, I didn't really have a roof over my head. This one, it definitely is different. I'm used to feeling the breeze when I open the visor. Now when I open the visor, I feel hot (laughter). That definitely makes a difference.

In term of driving, again, you know, it's all about who you're racing with and the quality of the Grand-Am series is showing, again, there is no way that someone can go to the racetrack and say, "I'm going to dominate this weekend." How the series has been structured, how everything has been created up to now actually allows people to go racing and not knowing who actually is going to be the winner on Saturday or on Sunday.

It's all about teamwork, it's all about tire management. Again, you know, I really enjoy driving when there is great competition. Of course, it's nice to win by half a lap or by couple of laps in an endurance race, but is not -- I can promise you it's not as exciting as being able to fight up to the last five laps and really earn the win.

Up to this year, we had great battles with Wayne and Max. It reminded me a little bit of what we had in 1996 when I came over here to United States. For some of you guys that don't know, me and Max Angelelli, we've been teammates in Formula 3 in Italy for one year. We know each other really well. It's kind of going back again. Things come around and go around. It makes it really special.

Q. You're one of the few guys that have been able to race in the two sports car series going on here in America. Can you compare the two? Are they similar, are they different? I know they have two different business type of philosophies. As a driver, is it really very different from when you guys do?

MAX PAPIS: At the end of the game, it's all about racing. The two series have different philosophies. They go about racing in two different ways. Again, you know, what is the most important things is what comes out on Sunday, the kind of show that comes out on Sunday, and the people you work with.

You know, I'm working with two of the best organization in the world: Chip Ganassi Racing and Grand-Am, and General Motors and Corvette Racing on the other side. I'm dealing with Lexus and Toyota on one side. I can't complain. I mean, there is nothing better than that.

The two series, you know, they have their own philosophy, but at the end of the game you got to have to look at what's out there. The series is producing a great show on Sunday, and the races are very competitive, so that's what counts.

Q. Is your fan club going to be out here next week when you come to Mid-Ohio? I know you've always been a big favorite up here. Are you anticipating having a good time up here?

MAX PAPIS: Absolutely. You said it very much right. For me the Mid-Ohio race has always been my home track. As you guys know, I lived in Columbus for awhile, and a spent a lot a lot of time over there, meeting my friend Bobby Rahal and all the guys at (Team) Rahal.

For me, going back to Mid-Ohio has a lot of special memories - not it was just the first race of my open-wheel career in 1996, but I had a great time over there, I achieved very good results in Champ Car. Yeah, I had a few issues in last year I drive with Rahal.

At the end of the game, I'm really looking forward to be back where people really know about racing and I'm expecting a good crowd.

Q. Wayne, how far has the Daytona prototype come in the last year? I know last year they had some issues just because it was coming out of the box. How far has this machine come?

WAYNE TAYLOR: I think it's come a long way. I think Scott might have talked about that early on. But last year, truthfully in 2003 when I stopped and I looked at the lineup for the Daytona 24-hour, I thought, "God, this is one of the best races in the world. And now it looks really like it's losing its credibility." I was one of the people that really didn't think there was a future for those specific cars.

But it's amazing what can happen in a year. I think what has changed it is the interest that has come to big team owners like Ganassi and Riley and those types of people. Then, of course, the manufacturers who have now sort of climbed on board with it, as well.

You know, when you look back at World Sports Cars, when it first came out in '94, they also looked terrible the first time, they weren't very fast. I was watching yesterday or the weekend James Weaver talking on SPEED Wind Tunnel saying he didn't like these cars, that they were too slow. I don't know if he's actually been to one of these races yet. These cars I think have come a long way. I think if you look at the lap times at Daytona now, you know, these are the sort of lap times we were doing towards the end of the '90s in the Ferrari 333's and stuff. They've come a long way, they're going to go a lot further.

It just doesn't come down to speed; it comes down to competitiveness. All the manufacturers and all the drivers seem to be competitive and it puts on a good show.

Q. This is the only track that ALMS and you will be racing at. Will you look at their track times they put down, compare and contrast, or do you not pay attention to that?

WAYNE TAYLOR: I don't think you can honestly compare the two. I think if you look at the rules and regulations, there's clearly more horsepower there. There's a more open set of rules which allows more design with downforce and so on. So it would be unfair to do that.

I think you can clearly look at the two races and you'll be able to see, I would say that going to one of those races right now, you could tell before the race who's going to win it. I don't think you can do that in our series.

ADAM SAAL: James Weaver remains a friend of our series. We have an open invite to him. Love to have him come back and race with us whenever he can.

WAYNE TAYLOR: We'd love to have him back.

Q. Max Papis, when you look at Chip Ganassi' racing team, over the years one thing I've come to know about you is that you always work with the team more than just as a driver, you envelope yourself with the team as a family. Is that something that you have found with Ganassi racing?

MAX PAPIS: That's a good question actually. You know, within the organization of Chip, everybody's very professional. It’s a different feeling. You know, of course it’s not the same family feeling that was when I was at PPI. But you have to even understand that is 300-, 400-people organization. We have a great feeling, atmosphere within our group of Grand-Am. You know, we're very close to each other. We joke a lot with the guys and everything.

But again, you know, I think that one of the reasons that I can contribute to the team is bringing my own personality on board. You can see that. You know, I could feel actually when I joined the team in the beginning of the season, everybody was very uptight. They were kind of scared of talking and doing things, this and that. And after awhile, you know, kept working on them, kept working on them, and they kept working on me on other things, and we are much more relaxed. We are more open. A joke now is more allowed than what it was before.

I think that means my personality is gelling into the team. You know, it's a new program. We just started a few months ago, so you need to give it time to know each other. Again, you know, we started a little bit cold, and now we are getting a smile a bit on our face.

Q. Is that one of the reasons why you and Scott seem to get along so well, because Scott is a very outgoing person as well? You can be a little dangerous in a fun way. Is that why you and Scott get on so well?

MAX PAPIS: I think me and Scott, we have very different personality. Scott is a little bit older than me. I'm a little bit younger. But we have both, you know, our racing side a lot of will to succeed, a lot of point to prove.

On the human side, you know, we are a good team. His humor is different than mine. His humor is much more dry. Mine is a little bit more Italian, as you can hear. But we make it as a great team because we accept each other. That's our philosophy within the team. We accept each other with the good and the less than good things and we try to make the best out of every situation.

At the end of the game, you know, I told you like in the beginning of our conversation, someone -- you know, my job is driving fast, but at the same time my job is being myself and bringing something to the team that maybe other people can't. And I think all those things make a difference between one driver and another driver.

But again, you know, working with Scott, he makes life easier because he's a good guy and he's someone that likes racing. He likes racing and he has lot of passion for it as much as I have.

Q. Are you racing for the moment or for the future?

MAX PAPIS: At the beginning of the season, I thought more that I was driving for my future, just at the beginning. And after giving it a hard thought, I am driving for the present. I am driving, that means like winning is everything is what counts in racing, and if you try to make plans and do this and do that and do this and thinking about what is going to be, you know, for the future, you are never going to be good in the present.

So for me what I really -- I was pleasantly surprised by the level of competition that is in Grand-Am. Yes, of course, you would always like to have 200 more horsepower and 1000 pounds more of downforce because we're driver. We're still going to complain even if we have 1000 horsepower underneath us. But I'm driving to prove a point. I'm driving to prove a point that we are winners, and that you better not count me out because I'm always there.

Q. Where do you think you've come from since Daytona, since '96?

MAX PAPIS: Definitely from being just a kid that whatever was happening to me was fine, I definitely am much more mature. Sometimes, you know, that really upset me a little bit because sometimes I think a little bit -- if before I didn't think for a second before giving an answer, sometimes now I think a little bit more. Those things are good things, but at the same time I always tried to be -- I always tried to be myself in the best way I can. Maybe before I wasn't really too much worried about offending some people. Now I think a little bit more because I been in that situation, so I'm a little bit more respectful towards certain situation.

But as a driver, I feel stronger than ever. I feel more mature than ever. You know, it's sometimes difficult through your career to understand certain situations and why certain things happen, but the most important thing is, again, this is sport and I'm winning together with Scott and together with the people like Ganassi. That's what it counts at the end of the day.

ADAM SAAL: Max Angelelli, you're obviously fast and competitive, but you like to have fun as well. Do you think it's important to have that same balance that Max Papis talked about, you have to have fun while you're working, but also get the job done?

MAX ANGELELLI: Yes. Normally sometimes I'm doing something like that because, you know, taking a chance to give back something that I received. So, yeah, when I have a chance, when everything is fine, why not? Little bit of drama, why not?

ADAM SAAL: Maybe we'll have more of that as the season goes on.

Q. Max Angelelli, you ran at Lexington, Mid-Ohio, June 26th in the Cadillac. Can you translate any of that information that you gained there into your Daytona Prototype?

MAX ANGELELLI: Yes, about the track, not about the cars. The track has been changed a little bit, but was not big revolution. I don't know if you know, but I will not go there anyway. For the drivers that we go there, like my teammate Wayne, now I can just help him because they change a little bit all the corners, in the corners. They did a pretty good job. Last time I went there was pretty much bumpy. Getting there earlier, I can tell Wayne now it is much more flat and we can do some stuff in the car to get best out of this. That's all. Not much.

Q. Question for the two Max's. Sometimes as a reporter we don't like some of the questions or points we must consider, but nonetheless it is our responsibility to put it forth and clear up any misunderstandings that may exist from other people. It is the contention of some that you two look upon each other with wary eyes. Let me rephrase that perhaps. That one perhaps receives more recognition than the other, and therefore it has caused strained relationships between you two. I didn't see that at the Paul Revere, especially on the winners' podium. Having said that, do you want to talk about that?

MAX PAPIS: Maybe I can say something. When you race, you're always competitive, and there is only one place for one Number One. There is no place for two Number Ones.

On my side, I always been treating everybody in the same way. Yes, of course, you know, being teammates, maybe few years ago when we were kids, you know, nobody really wanted to give anything to anyone. But for me I like -- I respect my competitors and I do my best.

The thing I learned here in the United States and I'm going to keep with me forever is always to recognize the second place guy and always if you finish second, go and congratulate the guy who wins because you could be in that position the next weekend.

I didn't know that before coming to US because in Europe, you need to understand that we get a very different upbringing. They teach you that you need to hate your opposition to beat it. I learn here in the United States, at least that's what I learn, that you can beat your opposition still wishing them good luck before the race. I don't know. Maybe Max has something else.

MAX ANGELELLI: Wishing good luck before the race, that brings bad luck (laughter). Don't do it with me.

MAX PAPIS: Italians are superstitious. You see the point? Maybe I became too American.

ADAM SAAL: Max Angelelli, anything further to add on the question?

MAX ANGELELLI: I am fine. I have no problem. It's people talking. It's just speculation.

Q. Mr. Taylor, you face -- I find it really interesting in the Daytona prototype series, there are a multitude of chassis manufacturers, a multitude of engines. You've got a considerable background of expertise. When you talk about Bob Riley, he just seems to have some sort of genius, doesn't he?

ADAM SAAL: We have lost Wayne. Max, any insight on Bob Riley? You worked with them for a while.

MAX ANGELELLI: I had the pleasure to work with him in 2000 and I have a lot of respect. This year surprised me a lot with such a good car, surprised in a good way. I always knew Bob and all his staff did good job.

ADAM SAAL: Everybody who joined us today, thank you so much. We'll see you at the next couple of races.

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