2008 Riley Mk XI Southard Motorsports Prototype

About Southard Motorsports

Southard Motorsports, based in Powell , Ohio , is owned by Steve and Martha Southard. The program made its professional debut in 2003 and is one of only two teams to have participated in every Grand American Rolex Daytona Prototype Sports Car Series race since the inaugural season's final event. Since that time, Southard Motorsports has won the inaugural Jim Truman Driver ' s Award, scored two podium finishes ( Long Beach and Phoenix in 2006) and closed the 2007 season with a fourth-place at Miller Motorsports Park . Multiple-time Grand-Am sanctioned race winner Shane Lewis (Jupiter, Fla. ) returns to the driving effort as he has since 2004 while NASCAR veteran Bill Lester ( Atlanta , Ga. ) joins the operation for the first time in 2008.

Steve Southard began racing in 1972 and was competing professionally on the SCCA National level and in IMSA competition by 1976. He has personally raced in the Rolex 24 At Daytona fives times and the 12 Hours of Sebring five times. Southard made his Grand-Am debut in 2002 in the GT class and raced in the Daytona Prototype as recently as 2004. Southard Motorsports and Steve Southard are well known for their successful campaign of the Coca-Cola Porsche 935 and 962 in historic and vintage racing.

The familiar red, white and blue livery of Southard Motorsports adorns a Riley chassis. Southard is one of only two teams to be powered by the Lexus V8 in Daytona Prototypes.

Source - Southard Motorsports

Rain Pummels Southard Motorsports Homecoming, No. 3 Lexus-Riley Finishes 13th

Southard Motorsports, based in nearby Powell, Ohio, entered Saturday's EMCO Gears Classic presented by Key Bank eager to put on a good show for their hometown crowd. However, the weather had different plans for the No. 3 Southard Motorsports Lexus-Riley and drivers Bill Lester (Atlanta, Ga.) and Shane Lewis (Jupiter, Fla.) in the two hour and 45-minute timed event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Round seven of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Daytona Prototype season left the Steve and Martha Southard- owned team wet and frustrated with a 13th-place finish at the conclusion of the rain-soaked and caution- riddled race.
Lewis started the race 10th on the grid. Even as the green flag waved across the Daytona Prototype (DP) field raindrops were beginning to fall on portions of the 2.258-mile, 13-turn mile road course. The first of eight cautions came on lap eight as a number of DPs came together under the increasing showers. Despite cars adding to the mess both in front of and behind him, Lewis successfully plotted his way through the melee to continue on as the rain pounded harder. Lewis would hold the red, white and blue Lexus V8- powered Riley chassis near the leaders until lap 22 when the car joined the long list of cars of course with his first spin of the day. Lewis rejoined the race but was quickly overtaken by the leaders as he brought the car back up to speed. Now a lap down, Southard Motorsports had its work cut out for it the remainder of the race.




Despite the bitter weather conditions and disappointing result, the weekend was a success on another level for Southard Motorsports. Hosting over 100 guests of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Southard Motorsports helped to further raise awareness of the Ohio-based charity's goal of finding homes for foster children throughout North America.

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non- profit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000 children in North America's foster care systems ready to be adopted. Created by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas who was adopted as a child, the Foundation leads programs such as Wendy's Wonderful Kids, which puts adoption recruiters in all 50 states and Canada to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system, and Adoption-Friendly Workplace, which encourages employers to offer adoption benefits to their employees. The Foundation also works with adoption advocates and officials to streamline the adoption process and make adoption more affordable for families. As the only Foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, it is driven by its founder's simple value: Do what's best for the child. To learn more about the Foundation's work, please visit
www.DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption.org.



Quotes
Steve Southard Owner: 'It rained and rained and we had a car that was almost un-drivable in the rain. A lot of credit goes to Shane and Bill for bringing it home without a scratch on it. Now we have to figure out why it became un-drivable in the wet conditions.'

Source - Southard Motorsports