Werner entered the race with Andy Lally and RJ Valentine as his closest competition, just five points ahead. Lally took control of the No. 66 TRG CRG/Maxter Porsche GT3 on Lap 5, and was running near the top five before his engine expired on Lap 27. The duo finished 23rd in class, but ended the season tied for fifth in points with five class victories.
“I had mixed emotions when I saw the #66 (with championship contenders Andy Lally and RJ Valentine) go out,” Werner said. “Obviously, they were competition for the championship. But they had the same engine that we had. When I couple more engines went away, I was a little worried. However, I thought ‘Here’s my chance.’ I knew we could win the championship.
“It didn’t end on a great note, but it was still a good season,” a disappointed Lally said after his season ended. “This is the fourth straight year we came down to the final race for the GT championship. I had no indication that anything was wrong. The engine ran great until three seconds before it exploded. There was no alarm light, no nothing. For one second, it was absolutely golden. Then there was a misfire for under a second and then it just seized up, locked the rear wheels. That was it.”
Prior to the final caution period on Lap 124, Collins, Edwards and Andy Pilgrim dominated the GT race in the #07 Banner Racing/Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP.R. The trio, which led every lap of the 131-lap GT race despite four pit stops, never missed its beat after winning the class pole Friday. For Collins and Edwards, it was their second victory of the season, as they dominated the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park. However, the team’s dominance was challenged near the end, and almost upended in the waning turns.
Edwards was pressured slightly during the opening stages of the race, but during the long green-flag runs, extended his advantage to more than 10 seconds, and at one point led by over 50 seconds.
![GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing duo Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney celebrate a long-awaited Rolex Series win in Mexico City [pic credit: Grand-Am media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/294493.jpg)
