January 27, 2008 - DAYTONA BEACH, FL -  For the second year in a row, drivers Todd Lamb and Dave Thilenius drove the #27 Bill Fenton Motorsports Acura RSX to a fourth place finish in the Koni Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway.

Thilenius started 15th and worked his way up to 8th over the first hour of the race while battling with other cars the entire time. The overall GS class leader caught most of the ST class a lap down during a yellow at the midpoint of the race, so crew chief Steve Wheeler decided to bring the team’s Southern Auto Auction Acura in for fuel, tires and a driver change.

Lamb climbed in and with the help of a quick stop by the crew was able to exit the pits in fourth. However Lamb was called in for a fuel stop during a late race caution to ensure that the car could make it to the end of the race. It was a painful but necessary move that put the car back to 14th with about 30 minutes remaining. Lamb was able to get through traffic and back up to 4th in the closing laps of the race.

Todd Lamb: “We made some significant setup changes for the (pre-race) warmup which really brought the car to life. We knew we’d be good for the race, and I have to thank Dave for once again heading towards the front and handing over a solid car after his stint.  It was difficult to come in for that final fuel stop - but I knew the crew was making the right call. It did set us up for a very exciting run through the field at the end, with Eric Curran in the SS Cobalt Turbo following close behind.”

Mike Liebl and Bob Beede had another rough day at Daytona. On the opening lap in turn two another car got turned sideways and plowed the #29 Southern Auto Auction Acura into the guardrail,  ending their race early. Liebl was shaken up but uninjured, and the car suffered only minor damage thanks to the subframe design of the Acura.

Bill Fenton: “I am so proud to have such a great group of guys working with the team. We were hoping to get a good finish for both of the RSX’s this year as this is probably the last Koni race for them. Bob and Mike had a fast run in qualifying and were poised for a strong finish, and I really feel for them not getting past the first lap for the second year in a row due to no fault of their own. The crew remained focused and we got a good finish for the 27 car again.  We had a lot of fun and we’re looking forward to running new cars at Lime Rock.”

Bill Fenton Motorsports will debut new cars for the second race of the season at Lime Rock in May. More details will be announced in the coming months.

Posted by Todd Lamb on 01/27 at 10:47 AM