BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 30, 2006) -- No. 65 TRG/F1 Air Pontiac GTO.R co-drivers Marc Bunting and Andy Lally extended their lead in the GT class point standings with their fourth class victory of the season in the Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant. The duo now holds an 11-point advantage with only two races remaining on the 2006 schedule.

Bunting started the No. 65 machine third on the grid, running consistently in the top five throughout his opening stint. He handed control to Lally on Lap 22--during the race's second full-course caution period--and Lally drove the event's final 75 laps to claim the duo's second-consecutive victory. In addition to winning in last month's Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 65 team also scored wins in Round 4 at Virginia International Raceway and Round 5 at Lime Rock Park.

Now, with only two races remaining on the schedule, Bunting and Lally lead No. 72 NEC Porsche GT3 co-drivers Robin Liddell and Wolf Henzler--who finished second in the Porsche 250--by 11 points in the GT championship chase (442-431).

We came into the race with only one goal," said Bunting. "We wanted to make sure that we finished ahead of the (No.) 72 car. They've been real tough all season, and with only two races to go, it's going to be a tight battle to the end, so we want to make sure we have as big of a cushion as we can heading into the last race. The whole team did a great job this weekend."

Lally passed Liddell for the lead shortly after a restart, as the two battled nose-to-tail for an extended portion of the race's midpoint. Later cautions shuffled the No. 72 machine further behind the No. 65 machine, allowing Lally and Bunting to score their 16th top-four GT finish in just 18 races in the Pontiac GTO.R that debuted a little more than a year ago.

"There was not a lot of room for error for us this weekend," said Lally. "I have to thank all the TRG guys and (team owner) Kevin (Buckler) for their excellent calls with strategy today. We stretched our fuel a little bit hoping a caution would come out, and fortunately, we were just at the edge when the yellow came. The (No.) 72 car was stronger in some parts than us, and we had the advantage in others. This is a good win towards the championship, but with two races left, anything can happen."

With the runner-up finish by Liddell and Henzler, the duo posted their fifth-straight podium finish. The No. 72 machine hasn't finished lower than sixth in any of the 11 races this season, and with just 11 points separating them from the leaders, the championship picture is still unclear.

"We lost a little bit of practice time and couldn't qualify," said Henzler, who was forced to start at the rear of the grid due to an engine change on Saturday. "We made some adjustments during the race, and the car really came to us, but it's hard to start from the rear and make up time getting through the traffic."

"It seemed as though luck really wasn't on our side today," said Liddell. "We had some fuel pressure problems for a few laps, and made a pit stop just two laps before a full-course caution period, causing us to lose some track position. Andy was better in a few corners than me, and we just needed to stay out of trouble to the end of the race. There's really nothing to complain about with a second place finish."

Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins finished third in the No. 64 TRG/iRise Pontiac GTO.R, the duo's eighth podium finish of the season. With the result, the duo now has 403 championship markers, staying in a tie for fifth in the standings. No. 74 Rembrandt Charms Porsche GT3 co-drivers Eric Lux and Ian James finished fourth, followed by brothers Burt and Brian Frisselle in the No. 98 Ironclad Pontiac GTO.R for Pacific Coast Motorsports.