Pruett Notches 60th Career Win at COTA

From looking at him, you wouldn’t know that Scott Pruett was 55. And from racing against him, you definitely wouldn’t know it.

The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship racer drives the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost Riley Daytona Prototype for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

And he proved last Saturday that he can still get the job done, qualifying on the pole for the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, then dominating as he won the race with his first-year co-driver, Joey Hand.

It was Pruett’s 60th career win, the most of any driver in American sports car racing, an honor he already owned before this victory.

“The good Lord has blessed me with this incredible career,” Pruett said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work for an incredible team and team owner.

“It’s just been awesome. The whole run I’ve had, through what started in the GRAND-AM series, then the TUDOR series, and all the way through, I’ve had successes. But you’re only as good as your last race, and it’s been a tough year.

“We came out with a good car the first time at Daytona and broke, we had a pretty strong car at Road America and had a mechanical issue.

“But I just can’t say enough for the Ford Performance team and Ford EcoBoost and especially the Ganassi team.

“It just resonates through the soul of everybody there. I’m proud to be part of it. I’m proud to get win No. 60. It’s just been an incredible run.”

One of the reasons Pruett said the team was so competitive is that they are too far back in the points to make a late-season run for the championship, “So it was all or nothing, going for the win.”

Though Pruett and Hand are now fourth in the points, expect an all-out effort from the team at the last race of the season, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta October 1-3.