Dumfries, VA—D&N Motorsports is excited to announce its entry into the United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC). The team had been considering the idea since early in the 2003 season when they heard talk of the series heading east. The USTCC has been solely a West Coast series since its inception, but series officials have been discussing expanding the USTCC races to include East Coast Tracks.
The USTCC’s primary mission is to make professional touring car racing affordable. This is achieved by only allowing certain low-cost modifications, which will allow lower-budget teams to compete in the series. The series will balance performance by assigning minimum weights to each individual car model based on its horsepower. Cars with more horsepower will be assigned a higher minimum weight than cars with less horsepower, helping to keep the racing more competitive.
The announcement was released today, but the team has been preparing throughout the winter months. They have faced some challenges with the car’s development, which have set them back, so they are planning on running a partial schedule for the 2004 season. With the purpose of the USTCC being to keep the cost of car preparations down, the team is working on several low-cost ways to increase the engine power while decreasing weight.
DENNIS SHORT, TEAM OWNER/DRIVER, NO. 24 SATURN SW2: “We were happy when we heard the series had plans to expand to the East. It’s a bit of a dream come true for me to compete in an actual touring car series. The USTCC’s purpose allows small, low-budget teams like ours a chance to compete in a professional series. Stepping up to this level will be challenging, but we’re grateful for the opportunity.”
NICOLE LAUERMAN, TEAM OWNER/LOGISTICS: “Taking this step is exciting. A lot more goes into the planning than what we are used to. Travel, lodging, equipment, spares, etc. We may be a little behind, but it hasn’t dimmed our hopes of a successful season.”
