Frankie Muniz followed in Carl’s footsteps, gaining a position on the second lap. He had a car that was consistently faster than the cars ahead of him, giving him the opportunity to pass throughout the race. On the last lap, Frankie was wheel-to-wheel with Kevin Lacroix on the straight, in a battle for 11th place. Frankie came out ahead, passing Lacroix in the corner and grabbing his best finish of the season, just short of his goal, a top-ten. The Pacific Coast Motorsports/USRT cars ran strong all day, allowing both Skerlong and Muniz to pass early on and work their way through the field, producing points-paying results for both.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Session • Position • Time
Started • 4th • 1:30.358
Finished • 3rd

Carl on the race: “The race today was great. I was able to make a pass for third on the first lap, and after that we ran a clean and consistent race. I continued to pull away from Hinchcliffe, who was in fourth, throughout the race. He did a good job in the race as well, but finishing in front of him today really helped me in the points. After dealing with inconsistent weather all weekend, I’m very happy with the overall outcome. I would have loved a win today, but I’m so happy to be finishing in the top three again, and we’ll take all the points we can get. Thanks to the PCM team who gave me a great car today. I’m looking forward to racing the King Taco car in two races at Edmonton and hopefully finishing on more podiums.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Session • Position • Time
Started • 15th • 1:31.330
Finished • 11th

Frankie on the race: “I am very happy with the way this weekend turned out. We struggled initially in testing on Friday, and we didn’t get very much time to run on a dry track in qualifying on Saturday, but all our struggles paid off in the race today. I was wheel to wheel with Lacroix in the last turn of the last lap, and ended up passing him to take 11th place. I was 15th in Long Beach, 13th in Laguna Seca, and today I achieved my best finish yet, and came one-step closer to our goal which is to finish consistently in the top ten. I’m so excited to head off to Edmonton next month where we will have two races and hopefully two top-ten finishes.”

Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: “The race today was awesome. We were off to a rough start yesterday, but the crew was really able to put the cars together to give us excellent results. Our biggest goal is to keep gaining as many points as we can, and both drivers did a great job today making that happen for our team. Carl is a very consistent driver who keeps finishing on the podium which is great for the championship. Frankie, too, keeps finishing higher in the field and getting more and more points. Burke Harrison gave Carl a great car to work with today and Tim Lewis did a great job guiding Frankie through the field. I want to give a big thank you to Lee Bentham (driver coach), and the whole crew for making it possible to achieve such fantastic results at the Sommet des Legendes in Mont Tremblant.”

Oxnard, CA - Carl Skerlong earned his first podium finish of the season Sunday at the Monterey Festival of Speed at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when he finished second. The 19-year old from Mukilteo, Washington started on the front row and led the race before eventual race-winner James Hinchcliffe passed Skerlong on a re-start. While the podium may have given some relief to Skerlong, it comes as no surprise. Skerlong was very quick in off-season testing, he ran in the top three through most of the Long Beach weekend where he was knocked off course at the start but came back and shattered the track record with the fastest lap. The Laguna weekend opened on a positive note with a strong practice session Friday morning, but Friday's preliminary qualifying session ended in the barrier. Skerlong took the positives from the day and turned them into a front row starting position on Saturday followed by his third Atlantic podium and the second fastest race lap on Sunday.

Frankie Muniz was optimistic about his Laguna debut, following a successful test there last winter. Friday and Saturday's qualifying results were not what the young American expected. He felt like his results did not show the potential of his #41 Mazda. Notoriously difficult to master, the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca features dramatic elevation changes, hairpins and fast straights. In just this third year of professional racing Muniz found the track exciting rather than daunting. Muniz felt he was driving well, but he felt he was not wringing every opportunity out of every lap, leaving some time on the track, which led to his 18th place starting position. Muniz made up for it in the race, he stayed consistent in his battle to move up the field and turned in a 13th place finishing position, an strong run, Muniz is approaching his goal of top-ten results early in the season.
The PCM/USRT has nearly one month off before round three at Mont Tremblant in Quebec.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Starting Position: 2 Finished: 2
Carl on the race: "I had a great time racing out there today. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is blast to drive. It is frustrating because it is very challenging to pass there, but it is also fun because it is fast and full of unique turns. We had a good race going and it looked like possibly even my first win, but I am very happy to have my first podium in the King Taco car for 2008 in the books. I hope this is the first of many and I feel good about the season ahead. My team did a great job all weekend and I had a great car. I am disappointed we have a month before our next race, but I will spend that time racing my go-kart and preparing for Mt. Tremblant."

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Starting Position: 18 Finished: 13th
Frankie on qualifying: "It was a good day. Mazda Laguna Raceway is the type of track where you learn a lot every lap. It is challenging to hit your marks lap after lap, but it teaches you to find a rhythm and race. I had a great car and a few good battles. My goal is to run in the top-ten this season and we are getting closer."

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. This season PCM returns to Atlantic competition in partnership with US RaceTronics. PCM's two-car effort fields American standout drivers, Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our 2008 season at www.PCMracing.com and USRaceTronics.com

t looked to be a promising day for Carl Skerlong. The 19-year old from Seattle sat on row two as the green flag fell for the Imperial Capital Bank Challenge at the Long Beach Grand Prix. His hopes for a podium finish in the season opener were destroyed as fellow American and pole-sitter Jonathan Bomarito pushed Carl into the tire barrier in turn one. The incident forced Carl to return to the pitlane for a new nose. He anticipated a strong race, where he could show the potential of this US RaceTronics prepared PCM race car, but instead, he had to demonstrate from one lap down. He did get the chance to make his point setting the fastest lap of the race, for which he was rewarded with a bonus point.

Frankie Muniz made a big improvement over his Long Beach debut last year by starting ten positions ahead in the field and finishing four over his 2007 result. Frankie turned in the 15th fastest qualifying lap of the 23 drivers yesterday, less than a second over Simona de Silvestro, the pole and eventual race winner. Muniz drove an incident free race, held on to his position, and left the Beach pleased with his improvement.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Started 3^rd /Finished 23rd

Carl on the race: "Without question, we had the car to win. Unfortunately Bomarito made an unsafe and unnecessary move which cost me my race. I had to come in for a new nose and we lost a lap. After that we chased the field, and the fact that I set the fastest time of the race, proves we had a great car. We're leaving with one point, which certainly is not what I had in mind, but I am going to turn my focus to Laguna, where I am sure we will have a better weekend. Thanks to King Taco for all of their support, I really wanted to win for them at their home race, it wasn't meant to be this weekend, but we'll do it for them in California next month."

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Started 15th/ Finished 15th

Frankie on the race: "I am very happy with how the race went. We had a good start and we didn't lose any positions. We stayed consistent with the pack and the pace. I wish we were faster but I drove a safe race, I didn't make many mistakes and I didn't let anyone pass me, so I am pleased. I can't wait for Laguna Seca."

Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: "In regard to Carl, he had a tough day through no fault of his own. We think Bomarito's move was unreasonable, it cost us the podium as well as potentially a victory. No sour grapes about it, the King Taco car is going to be rewarded at Laguna Seca. Very proud, of the team, unfortunately they couldn't get the results that they were capable of achieving.

Frankie struggled initially, but by the end of the second qualifying session, he was less than a second off of the pole, and we think that is pretty good for a driver who is only in his third year of racing. It is a big improvement over last year when he was three seconds off of the pole. I am really proud of him. Thanks to Mazda and Cooper Tires for making sure the Atlantic series exists. Shane (Seneviratne, team manager), Lee (Bentham, driver coach), Tim (Lewis, engineer #41) and Burke (Harrison, engineer #14) and all the boys did a great job all weekend.

Noteworthy: Carl Skerlong scored a bonus championship point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. This season PCM returns to Atlantic competition in partnership with US RaceTronics. PCM's two-car effort fields American standout drivers, Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our 2008 season at www.PCMracing.com.

The test was the official spring training for the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship, powered by Mazda, North America's premier open wheel development series."The test went really well.Obviously this one of our most important open tests because Laguna Seca is a track that we will come back and race on," said US RaceTronics owner, Shane Seneviratne."I couldn't have asked for more from the whole crew. There were no mechanical issues, the engineers gave great setups making both cars quick out of the box and they developed fast race set-ups for our return in May.Both drivers were at the top of their game and we think we are great shape for our return."

20 year-old Carl Skerlong earned two-podiums en-route to his top-ten finish in the 2007 championship.Skerlong is heading into his second season in the Atlantic series and ran up front throughout the two-day test.He completed 514 trouble-free miles and clicked off the second-fastest time of the test both days, despite it being just his second visit to the scenic raceway.Frankie Muniz officially joined the team last month; he is entering just his third season of professional racing.

Muniz's racing skills and times have improved with each test and he turned in a strong performance, completing 487 miles on the challenging 2.238-mile circuit, which features 11 turns. 

"We'll do one more test at MSR Houston the last week of March and then we'll be set for our season debut at Long Beach. It's going to be a great season; the field is deep with very talented drivers," said Seneviratne.

Carl Skerlong, #28 King Taco/PCM/USRT/Mazda/Swift: "Overall it was a very successful test. We kept the King Taco car in the top-three throughout the test. I think we have a very good race to go back with in May.Also we learned some things that definitely will apply to other tracks, but we were really going for a racecar for Laguna and I think we've got that.I've got to thank Tyler and Shane and my engineer Burke and everyone else at PCM for doing such a great job, I really couldn't have asked for a better test."

Frankie Muniz, #29 PCM/USRT/Mazda/Swift: "To run that strong at Laguna, one of the most difficult tracks we compete on, felt really good.We made a lot of progress over the two days.The last run of the test yesterday was awesome. That was the best I've ever felt in a race car.The car felt perfect and I felt like I was able to get a lot out of it, it was awesome.If I'd been able to pick up one-tenth of a second, I would have moved five spots up the time sheets.It's just a test, so times aren't everything, but we are making a ton of progress every time we are on the track. I am in the hunt now, which is very motivating -2008 is going to be a great season.The Atlantic staff is putting together an exciting schedule and there were 20 cars at this test, the competition is going to be tough."

About PacificCoast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline.In 2008 the challenge comes full circle as PCM returns to their roots in partnership with US RaceTronics entering a two-car effort in the Atlantic Championship.Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda and we are committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners.Follow our Atlantic season at www.PCMracing.com.

Oxnard, CA (November 29, 2007) - Pacific Coast Motorsports gave Atlantic standout Carl Skerlong his first taste of the 750-hp Champ Car yesterday at Buttonwillow Raceway in central California. Skerlong completed 107 trouble-free miles on the 1.86-mile permanent road course.

Skerlong, 19 of Seattle, Washington earned two podium finishes in his rookie season of Atlantic competition. His talents caught the eye of PCM team director Tyler Tadevic, and Skerlong was named to the PCM Jr Team, a program which recognizes and develops future open-wheel stars. "Carl did an outstanding job in his first outing in the PCM Champ Car," commented team director Tyler Tadevic. "His speed improved progressively throughout the day, and his feedback and ability to adapt not only to the extra horsepower but also to all of the additional features and functions of the Champ Car were impressive. Carl proved that he will certainly be ready to step up to big leagues in 2009 and I am sure he will fight for the 2008 Atlantic title with the King Taco car."

Skerlong finished in the top-ten in his rookie season of Atlantic competition racing for Shane Seneviratne's US RaceTronics Atlantic team; he recently re-signed with the California-based squad for the 2008 Atlantic season. Skerlong has set his focus firmly on the 2008 Atlantic title with the hopes of moving up to Champ Car competition in 2009, "I can't thank the Pacific Coast Motorsports and US RaceTronics organizations enough for this opportunity," said Skerlong. "I learned so much about the DP-01 and how to properly test a Champ Car. To get this opportunity at this stage in my career will be key to my progression as a driver; my testing experience just went up to a whole new level. I really do have a new found appreciation of Champ Car drivers and the levels they need to compete at. All in all, the test went very well, we ran 58 laps and I'm thankful for each one."

PCM Jr Team member, David Garza was also awarded a Champ Car test but unfortunately he was not able to participate due to his final exam schedule. PCM is working on a new test date with Garza. For more information on PCM and its Junior team, please visit www.pcmracing.com.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. For news, photos and results, please visit www.PCMracing.com.

US RaceTronics kicked off the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season with its first pre-season test last week at the team's home track Buttonwillow Raceway.   While it has been over two months since the team had been on track it didn't take much time for them and driver Carl Skerlong to pick up where they last left off.  While the test served to prep Skerlong for the 2008 season, it also provided fellow Champ Car Atlantic competitor Frankie Muniz with an opportunity to test with the team as well. 

Skerlong, the Seattle, Washington native, has spent his off-season enrolled at Western Washington University and yet being away from the track hasn't had a negative affect proven by the fact that it didn't take very long for the youngster to get up to speed,  and with each session Skerlong only increased his speed. "I'm real pleased about being back in the car.  It's been a while since I've been in the car but it felt real comfortable.  I can't say enough about the team, they are the best," states Skerlong.  "It was a great session.   We tried a lot of things out that hopefully will be to our advantage for the races next year.  I'm real excited about next year and know we will have a great season"

Los Angeles native and fellow competitor Frankie Muniz also ran a full day with the US RaceTronics team.  Muniz, who is still evaluating all of his options for the 2008 season, was also very happy with the way the test went.  With each stint the former actor continued to improve his times and clearly became increasingly comfortable with his new surroundings.  "The test went very well.  I got to run quite a lot of laps and felt very good about the car and where we were heading throughout the day.  I to have been out of the car for a while now so it's good to be back," comments Muniz.

For his part US RaceTronics Team Owner Shane Seneviratne also agreed that the test went well and was pleased.    "I'm happy with the way the day went and think it was very productive.  Having Carl and Frankie in the cars was great.  We didn't encounter any problems throughout the day and the feedback both drivers provided was very helpful," comments Seneviratne. "This series is so competitive that every test is invaluable and so when we have a test that is a success on so many levels it's a huge positive," adds Seneviratne.

The 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season begins on April 20 with the Long Beach Grand Prix. The series will hold tests at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida February 2-6 and at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. for "Spring Training" on March 10-11.

About US RaceTronics: 2008 marks the fourth year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2008 season with American Carl Skerlong. US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports' Jr. Team program.

For more information about US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com. You can visit Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com and Pacific Coast Motorsports' website at www.pcmracing.com

Oxnard, CA (October 25, 2007) - Pacific Coast Motorsports will test Atlantic standout Carl Skerlong in the #29 PCM/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone Champ Car at Buttownwillow Raceway on November 28th.

Skerlong's rookie season featured two podium finishes en-route to his top-ten result in the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Series Powered by Mazda championship. Recognized as an up-and-coming American standout, Skerlong was named to the Pacific Coast Motorsports JR Team in June, which in turn led to this Champ Car opportunity. PCM Team Director, Tyler Tadevic commented, "We're really looking forward to testing Carl in the PCM Champ Car. We knew when we named him to the PCM JR team that he had the speed and mental ability to succeed in the top level of American open wheel racing. He is a committed young man and I expect he will do very well."

Skerlong, 19 of Mukilteo, Washington is preparing for his second season of Atlantic competition in the King Taco Swift; US RaceTronics announced Skerlong's return last month. When he is not testing or training for his sophomore season of Atlantic competition, Skerlong spends his time studying and enjoying dorm-life as he is in his freshman year at Western Washington University. "I can't wait to finally be able to jump into a Champ Car. It is definitely a dream come true to get the chance to pilot a car that is the pinnacle of open wheel racing in the states. I have to thank Shane Senevirante and Tyler Tadevic for the opportunity."

Introduced in 2007, the PCM Jr Team program includes driver involvement in the PCM Champ Car team engineering meetings, tests for the JR team members and inclusion in media and marketing opportunities. PCM began as an Atlantic team, they won the 2004 Atlantic championship and chose this platform to identify and develop promising, young open wheel drivers.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Menards to Imperial Capital Bank, Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our Champ Car debut at www.PCMracing.com.

Mukilteo, Washington (September 27, 2007) – Seattle’s Carl Skerlong will return to the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda in 2008 having concluded a deal to continue to race for the California-based US RaceTronics team for his sophomore season.

Skerlong enjoyed a solid rookie season in 2007 with US RaceTronics, piloting the 300bhp #24 King Taco-backed Swift Mazda-Cosworth to 10th overall in the Driver Standings and a pair of podium finishes which included a second-place effort in April’s third round in Houston , Texas and a third-place finish last month in Round 12, the season finale, at Elkhart Lake , Wisconsin .

“I can’t wait for the 2008 season to start,” Skerlong stated enthusiastically upon signing his new deal.  “We finished this year’s campaign with another podium and I stated afterwards that I wanted to use that as a springboard into next season.  There’s no doubt that continuity can play a big factor in being successful in motorsport and I believe that with US RaceTronics we’ve got everything in place to push for the title in my sophomore year.  Things didn’t always go our way this season but armed with everything I’ve learned and my circuit knowledge I’m looking forward to being back with the team in 2008 and turning the potential we showcased many times into results.”

The 18-year-old American, who arrived in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship this season as the reigning Formula TR Pro Series Champion, impressed many paddock observers with his character and style, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by US RaceTronics team boss, Shane Seneviratne.

“I’m obviously delighted to have secured Carl’s talents for US RaceTronics and the PCM Junior Team for 2008,” Seneviratne commented.  “He did a great job for us this year and I know there was considerable interest shown in him by other teams based on his performances with us.  I’m extremely pleased that he’s staying with US RaceTronics and our collective goal is to put together a bid to win the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Championship.”

2007 marked US RaceTronics third season in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, the team running Skerlong and Mexico ’s David Garza throughout the season.  In June the squad became part of the PCM Junior Team, the driver and team development program created by Champ Car World Series outfit and fellow California residents, Pacific Coast Motorsports (PCM).

 As a result of this relationship, Carl looks set to sample the might of one of PCM’s 750bhp Champ Car DP01’s in a post-season test, the team currently fielding America ’s Alex Figge and Mexico ’s Mario Dominguez in the 2007 Champ Car World Series.

“We’re actively seeking to strengthen our partnership with Pacific Coast Motorsports ahead of next season,” stated US RaceTronics’ Seneviratne.  He added, “As part of that deal we’re also looking to confirm a test date for Carl to sample one of the team’s Champ Cars!”

The 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship season ended on a mixed note for the US RaceTronics team.  The team’s first year as a 2-car operation had its ups and downs and Road America continued that.  For Carl Skerlong, his goal was to finish the 2007 in the Top-10 in points while David Garza was looking to continue his quest for finishing this race in the top-10 spot.

Skerlong eventually would achieve his goal and would finish the Road America race in 3rd while Garza was a victim of unavoidable contact.  The crash knocked Garza to the 24th spot, while his teammate’s 3rd place finish rocketed him from 13th to 10th place in the Championship standings with 114 points.  The contact on lap #7 dropped Garza to the 17th spot with 78 points, only 36 points away from placing him in the Top-10 spot.

Skerlong, who on Friday qualified a disappointing 22^nd, quickly turned it around during Saturday's qualifying session.  That qualifying session saw him bounce back strongly with a 3rd place effort.  Sunday's race had the Rookie from Seattle, Washington start the race in 4th.  The race featured exciting racing from Skerlong as he battled on track with eventual race winner Franck Perrera, 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Champion Raphael Matos, and 3rd place challenger Alan Sciuto.  At all times Carl maintained his mature composure and raced hard.

For fellow USRT driver David Garza he would suffer from another bout of bad luck as he was never really able to get the maximum performance out of the car.  He would start the race in the 18th spot and struggled in the beginning of the race all the while maintaining focus and continuing to give his 100% effort.  On Lap # 7 Frankie Muniz and Garza made contact with each other, resulting in Garza spinning.  The unfortunate incident relegated Garza to a finishing spot of 24th.

Carl Skerlong -"Ending third, it's a lot better than where we've been for most of the season.  I can't complain though it's a great way to end the season here. We had a good race in Houston, and then we've really been struggling since then. To go into next season on the podium is a great feeling."

David Garza -"Since the beginning of the weekend we have been fighting with the car and on top of that we had a part on the car break, which complicated it more.  Finally the weekend came to an unfortunate when Frankie Muniz and I had contact.  We had a lot of bad luck this year and I'm hoping we are done with this as next year I am thinking nothing but the Championship.  We are already making plans for next year and the Championship."                                                 

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

After a disappointing start to the season finale at Road America on Friday, US RaceTronics drivers Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) regrouped for Saturday, determined to turn the tables around with the hope of ending the season on a positive note.

Skerlong had a positive morning outing.  He posted a seventh place fast time of the session which gave much comfort to the crew after yesterday's qualifying performance, while Garza posted a seventeenth finishing spot.

Qualifying would have completely different results as one driver improved while the other continued to be plagued by car performance woes.  After the positive morning session Skerlong was confident going into the day's qualification.  His confidence certainly contributed.  His performance continued to improve as he wavered in the top eight positions on the time sheets throughout most of the qualifying session.  With one lap left to go Skerlong hung in the fifth place spot and before the Checkered Flag managed to hustle his car and finished the session in the 3^rd spot.  Skerlong will start in the forth spot for tomorrow's race.

Garza's fate would not be as positive.  While Garza made the best effort he could, the car was not able to bring the results the driver was capable of doing.   At one time the #4 entry owned the seventh place spot, however, as time went on, the times dipped further down.  Garza would end up in the sixteenth spot.  The youngster who resides in Monterrey, Mexico fulltime will start the race in eighteenth.

Carl Skerlong - "It's obviously great to be back in the front.  After yesterday's disappointment the team worked so hard last night and obviously it paid off.  The car was great and we are back in position to try to go after a great result.  It's important to finish off the year on
a very positive note"

 David Garza -"It was an extremely disappointing qualifying session.  It was the worst effort yet, but we are going to try to make it a better car for tomorrow and see.  We won't give up and we will keep on trying our best for tomorrow's race".

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

US RaceTronics drivers Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) qualified twenty-second and eighteenth respectively on Friday's Qualifying session for the final round of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season.  Engine woes and handling problems contributed to the less than desirable result for the two rookies who are trying to end their first year on a high note. 

For Skerlong his day began well.  The rookie from Seattle, Washington ended up in the eleventh position during an earlier practice session.  It wasn't until Qualifying when Skerlong began experiencing problems.  After only a handful of laps Skerlong alerted the crew that he was coming in to pit, explaining he was experiencing power problems.  The crew quickly teamed up with Cosworth representatives to try to decipher the data that was downloaded during Skerlong's pit.  Not wanting to waste any more valuable time in the pits Skerlong made it back on the track and completed the remaining laps, if only to get the valuable practice times.  Skerlong finished the session in the twenty-second position. The crew will work on the # 24 entry tonight to have it ready for another try at tomorrow's qualifying session.

Garza too was plagued with a Qualifying session issue.  After departing for the start of the day's qualifying session he advised the team that he was coming in as a result of an unstable tire.  Rather than try to find the culprit to Garza's ill handling car, the crew decided to change tires and send the youngster out quickly.  Garza was able to get comfortable with the new tires and eventually brought them up to temperature.  At one point Garza owned the eleventh spot, but would end up in the eighteenth position. 

 Carl Skerlong - "It was a disappointing qualifying session.   We thought we had the speed this morning but it just didn't translate well in the Qualifying session, so we'll work hard tonight and get the car ready for tomorrow's sessions and hopefully get out of the situation we're in.

 David Garza -"It was a definitely a disappointing session.  It wasn't the way we wanted to start the weekend but this happens and all we can do is try to work hard tonight and try again tomorrow and hope for better results. 

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

 For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

The US RaceTronics squad suffered yet another heartbreaking race at this year's San Jose Grand Prix at Redback Raceway.  The race started off on a positive note and even though both drivers once again faced unexpected obstacles, they still managed to overcome them and drove a great race.

Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) ripped through the field during the standing start and moved up seven spots to tenth after the first lap.  Skerlong was enjoying his race and it appeared as though a strong finish was achievable, as his lap times began improving with each lap.  All hopes of a top-10 finish would be squashed though after a yellow flag restart when Skerlong and J.R. Hildebrand would come together at Turn #1.  Skerlong's front wing took the brunt of the contact, and while the Seattle, Washington native fought with all his might, the front wing damage would force him into the pits on Lap # 25. The team quickly leaped into action to replace the front wing and send him off again.  Skerlong's day, as unfortunate as it was, showed the determination of this American rookie, and also showed the strength of the USRT team.  Despite it all Carl managed to finish the race in the seventeenth spot.

For teammate David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) his start was also impressive.  Garza had a great start; moving up 3 spots to ninth after the first lap.   After an eventful first couple of laps Garza reported a steering problem on Lap # 5 and quickly brought the car into the pits where the team quickly discovered that the steering brackets had broken leaving the car virtually impossible to drive.  The youngster, who resides fulltime in Monterrey, Mexico, sat in the pits while the team made the repairs. On Lap # 11 Garza reentered the race.  Though Garza had lost all hopes of finishing in the Top 10 spot, he pushed and race throughout the entire session.  He would go on to finish the race in the eighteenth spot.

Carl Skerlong - "I had a great start, I made up at least six spots off the line and we thankfully kept it clean through the first turn.  We knew straight away we had the speed to be a top-five car but after Jonathan (Edwards) got it parked at the hairpin after the re-start I had to try and avoid him and in turn Hildebrand hit me. It wasn't his fault, neither of us really had anywhere to go as it's tight down there. Unfortunately the front-wing was badly damaged and it eventually broke off and I caught the wall at Turn 6 and damaged the rear suspension. I got the car back to the pits, we went a bunch of laps down but we got back out there and after that it was a case of finishing and collecting some points from the weekend. I hope I'm getting all my bad luck out of the way in my rookie season so I can go for the championship next year!"

David Garza -"We had one of the best starts of the year.  We escaped the dangers of the first turn and were in contention for the eight spot when I suddenly felt something hit my legs and the steering wheel got loose on me.  It's a shame because everything was going so well and I wanted a top-5 finish so I could finish the year in the top-10 in points.  Despite it all we are not giving up and as long as there is hope, we are going to fight for a great finsh to the season"

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

Carl Sk

After coming off heartbreak weekend at Edmonton last week the US RaceTronics (USRT) team looked to improve their fortunes

After coming off heartbreak weekend at Edmonton last week the US RaceTronics (USRT) team looked to improve their fortunes at San Jose for this weekend’s San Jose Grand Prix at Redback Raceway.  Seattle, Washington native Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) looks to reverse the bad luck that has plagued him from Portland while Monterrey native David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) hopes to return to the podium at San Jose after his performance last year when he raced in the Formula BMW Series,

Friday’s qualifying didn’t exactly end without incident for the USRT team as Skerlong brushed the wall on his fourteenth lap, damaging the right rear suspension.  Up until that point Skerlong was running in the twenty-first spot.  Skerlong was able to limp back into the pits and the team quickly made the repairs on the car and was able to get the youngster back on the track with 6 minutes left in the session.  He quickly regrouped and focused his efforts and was able to put up a couple of good laps.  Skerlong would go on to finish the qualifying session in seventeenth. 

Garza struggled for most of the first half of the session and was not able to break from the twentieth spot on the timesheets.  However, with each lap Garza’s confidence increasingly grew and the eighteen year old Rookie saw his times drop.  With the last minutes ticking away Garza threw up a quick lap good enough for the eighth spot on the timesheets.  This eighth place qualifying time equals his best from Edmonton Race #1.

Carl Skerlong - “Well, we got into the wall early in the session  so that definitely put us back and took away a lot of track time but we’ll rebound and come back tomorrow where I know we’ll do better.  Hopefully we’ll get a break and be able to show what we have.”

David Garza –“We had a pretty good qualifying session and found a good setup that worked for me.  Times are real competitive and if we can squeeze some extra time from the car for tomorrow I know we have a chance for a front row start.”

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza’s website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong’s website at www.cskerlong.com

It was another rough day at the office for the US RaceTronics (USRT) duo of Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT).  One driver was dealt with continued bad luck while the other would complete the race but under extremely challenging circumstances. 

Eighteen year old Carl Skerlong would start the race third on the grid, which happened to be his best starting position this year.  The optimistic youngster from Seattle, Washington had a great standing start but soon realized that something was wrong with the # 24 King Taco/USRT entry.  After completing only seven laps, Skerlong limped back to the pits.  The team immediately realized the problem was catastrophic and Skerlong was forced to retire from the race after only seven laps completed, shattering all hopes of a promising race.  Skerlong now lies thirteenth in points with 85.  The culprit was a wheel bearing.

Garza's race, while not as devastating as Skerlong's, was nevertheless challenging.  Garza also had a great standing start and immediately began jockeying for position.  At Turn #1 on the first lap Garza was hit on both sides, causing damage to both sidepods.  Garza quickly experienced steering issues and realized that the impact earlier in the lap had actually bent his steering wheel leaving the car difficult to drive.  Once pitted, Garza's crew was ale to repair the car and replace the steering wheel with Skerlong's. The pit stop cost Garza 6 laps.  Once on track Garza was able to put up competitive times and race his fellow competitors.  Garza would finish the race in the twentieth spot.  Garza is now fifteenth in points with 75.

Carl Skerlong - "We'd been running really well and definitely had the speed to stay at the front.  I started to lose power, I wasn't sure at first if it was the motor but it looks like it was a wheel bearing that was out. This isn't what we wanted, especially after what happened in Saturday's race. I guess it's just one of those things and we again have to move on. All the guys worked really hard this weekend and it's a shame things have ended this way as we deserved more with the pace we showed."

David Garza -"The day didn't go exactly as I planned it would go but we made the best with what we had.  The team did their best to get me back on the track and I was able to race and gain valuable experience.  I'm looking forward to San Jose where I think we will do very well."

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

 For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

A promising day for Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) ends on a negative note while David Garza's (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) day turned out well.  One more day lies ahead for the duo as both try to change their fates for tomorrow's race.

Saturday morning began with the second qualifying session of the weekend. From the beginning both drivers started off fast with Skerlong immediately jumping up to the top 3 position while Garza closely followed.  As track temperatures got higher so did the times.  Garza would eventually fall back to the fourteenth position and was unable to put up a complete fast lap due to several blocking incidents.  The youngster from Monterrey Mexico was not able to improve his times as a result.  Garza will start tomorrow's race in fourteenth.  Skerlong kept his times up and managed to pull off a third fastest time and saw the time stay there as the session ended.  This is Skerlong's best start in his career with the Champ Car Atlantic Series.

 USRT Edmonton Saturday Report

The race held later that afternoon was a whole different story.  The first of two races would leave the USRT team with mixed results once again.  Skerlong was plagued by a bad start and quickly had to work hard to regain the positions lost on the start.  Skerlong's problem on the standing start put him back to the seventh spot while Garza slipped back to fifteenth, a full seven spots from where he started.  Garza would eventually race himself back to the thirteenth spot before the Yellow Flag came out on Lap #5.  Once the Green Flag came out and both USRT drivers immediately began where they left off with Garza jumping to the tenth spot while Skerlong began to close on Jonathon Bomarito.  In turn #10 Skerlong passed Bomarito for position and they both made contact, resulting in the #24 King Taco entry going into the tire barrier and unable to continue.  Skerlong's day came to a crushing end.  Bomarito would be penalized for the incident.  The USRT crew would repair the car for tomorrow's race.

For Garza, his race would end on a more positive note as he and Adrian Carrio would end up battling for most of the later half of the race for the seventh and eight positions.  Garza was able to maintain his position and it wasn't until the last lap that Carrio was able to get around and collect the seventh spot.   The eighth place finish ties Garza's best finish of the year which was at Cleveland. 

Carl Skerlong - "I made a great pass but I guess Jonathan (Bomarito) didn't like it.  It's a shame things ended the way they did but at least we have another chance to get back out there tomorrow.  We definitely have the speed to match the leaders here and thankfully we've got time to get the car back together for tomorrow morning's warm-up!"

David Garza -"It was a tough race but we made it and the team did a great job.  We have another race tomorrow and I'm going to try to give the team and our sponsors a great result."

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

 For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

The US RaceTronics duo of Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) qualified forth and eighth respectively for Friday's Qualifying session for the first of two Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton doubleheader.  After the last two races this qualifying result was hopefully a sign of positive things to come. 

For the morning practice session both USRT drivers put up decent times.  Once again both drivers were almost equal when comparing their times.  Skerlong put up a session best lap of 1:07.826, which was good enough for eighth, while Garza bettered him with a fast lap of 1:07.748, putting him in the seventh spot

The Qualifying session later that day would prove that the good Practice session results were no fluke and that both drivers had the cars and ability to be in competitive form this weekend.

Qualifying began under sunny and humid conditions.  Each driver entered the time charts in strong form but as usual the times would fluctuate wildly throughout the session.  Before the first pit stop Skerlong did manage to claw his way to the fifth spot on the timesheets, while Garza trailed in ninth.  After their pit stop Garza shot up to the third best time while Skerlong broke the top-5 time barrier. 

With ten minutes to go both drivers continued to push and use every inch of track. The hard work was rewarded and soon Garza saw his time shoot up to second best and Skerlong pulled a seventh best lap.  Soon thereafter the Red Flag was shown as a result of an incident involving Alan Sciuto.  After the Red Flag and with three minutes left in the session it looked as though the duo would finish after the top- 5 drivers, but as racing sometimes go, the last lap proved an exciting one and with seconds ticking away Skerlong ripped a lap that was good enough for the forth position, which is where he would finish the session. It was later determined that Alan Sciuto's penalty was not to be levied and thus Skerlong's time would put him in the fifth spot.  This is Skerlong's best qualifying effort since Houston, in which he qualified forth.  For his part, Garza would end up eighth on the time sheets which is his second best qualifying effort, but it is his best starting spot ever for a race this season.

Carl Skerlong - "It's disappointing to have our forth place turn into fifth but all in all it was a great effort by the team and its good to be back in the top 5.  I hope we'll have an incident free race and another great qualifying effort for tomorrow"

David Garza -"It was our best starting position yet so I'm real happy.  We had a great car but didn't show our full potential.  The car was fun to drive and I think tomorrow's qualifying effort will be better.  I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow as I think we have our best shot at a podium thus far. 

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com