The Ruby Tuesday Championship racing team has confirmed that Patrick Long will be the third driver at the wheel of the #23 Porsche-powered Crawford for the Rolex 24 Hours at
Daytona next month.
Long, who has driven the car for the past two seasons but will contest the ALMS next year with Penske, joins Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand at the wheel of the Daytona Prototype machine as the Alex Job Racing-run outfit chases its first win in the round the clock event.
“I'm glad to be back on board for the Rolex 24,” he said. “It is exciting to continue for my third season in a row with AJR and their DP program. And, to have been there from the start, it feels fitting to continue on and go for the win.
“Both Bill and Joey are top line drivers that I've competed against in the past. I competed against Joey all the way back in my karting days and then against Bill when I first got into sports car racing. Both of them have been two of my biggest competitors. Now we'll be driving together, going for the same spot on the podium for this year's 24 hour race. I think we've got an all-pro lineup, which puts us near the top of the list in terms of driver pairings.”
Team boss Alex Job said he felt that the trio will work well together in one of the strongest line-ups likely to contest the race.
“It is great to have Porsche factory driver Patrick Long back for this year's 24 hour, after having driven for us the past two seasons,” he said. “Obviously he really knows the car, which means he should fit right in. I think he will work really well with Bill and Joey.”
