DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With a nod to A.J. Foyt, Eddie Cheever debuted a new Coyote chassis for Daytona Prototype testing this past weekend at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
After obtaining the Daytona Prototype license from race-car manufacturer Fabcar in September, the Cheever Group went to work on a new design numbered the CC/08/1. Coyote Cars, known during winter tests as “the Cheever,” hope to challenge Riley Technologies for the constructor’s title in 2008, as does Lola. Riley has won the series’s first four constructor’s titles. The No. 16 Cheever Racing Pontiac Coyote is expected to make its competitive debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona later this month.
Coyote is the brand name made famous by Foyt during the height of his success as an Indy-car driver.
“We did this in honor of the great success A.J. achieved in his driving career, much of it behind the wheel of race cars bearing the Coyote name,” said Cheever. “It’s a great racing heritage.”
As Cheever unveiled the Coyote, Riley also uncloaked a brand new DP entry, the Riley Mk XX.
“We are really looking forward to seeing this car take to the track,” said Riley Technologies Vice President Bill Riley. “This entire organization has stepped up to use all the tools we have at our disposal to not only create a competitive entry, but also to have this car ready to go in time for the test with the support our customers need to be competitive and ready to go in the 24. We know that we’ll be facing some new challengers this year but we feel strongly that with the Mk XX, we will continue to have a successful presence in the Rolex Series.”

• Steve Southard, Southard Motorsports team owner, announced Sunday veteran racer Bill Lester will join Shane Lewis in the No. 3 Southard Motorsports Lexus Riley for the full 2008 Rolex Series season.
 “Bill is on for the season and we are very pleased,” Southard said. “It’s going to work for us this year. Bill is a very talented driver, and believe me, I’ve seen a him on the track this weekend and his talents are considerable.”
Lester, who got his start in sports cars before making a move to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and a variety of Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series rides, will join Lewis beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“I am excited to be back here in essentially my roots,” Lester said. “I started racing sports cars at the amateur level in the mid 1980s. I’ve had a lot of great experiences and opportunities, but I’ve always felt comfortable racing a sports car. It’s like riding a bike. I now have the good fortune of joining this team with Shane. One of the things I’ve realized this weekend was that Shane and I are very similar in what we want out of the car. Our driving abilities tend to complement each other.”

• Michael Shank Racing will turn to some fast and familiar faces as the team has inked Red Bull Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup pilot A.J. Allmendinger and Daytona Prototype expert Burt Frisselle to join full-season drivers John Pew and Ian James in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“It’s great we were able to get A.J. and Burt back with us for the 24,” said team owner Mike Shank. “There are a million factors that go into a good finish in this race and obviously chemistry with the drivers is a big one. We’ve seen what A.J. does in these cars, and I’m happy to be racing with Burt rather than against him, so we’re looking forward to this race big time.”

• Daytona Beach-based Spirit of Daytona Racing was first in line to enter Daytona Int’l Speedway for this weekend’s test days, as the organization had been eager to put its Porsche-powered Fabcar back on track.
The No. 09 Spirit of Daytona entry boasts a Fabcar chassis fitted with a new Lozano Brothers-prepared, Porsche-based 5.0-liter V-8 engine, and made a strong race debut in the season-ending event at Miller Motorsports Park in September.
Arguably, some of the most eager members of the team are the drivers, who will look to continue the development strides Spirit of Daytona Racing made in advance of the combination’s Rolex 24 At Daytona debut in two weeks. Rolex Series regulars Guy Cosmo and Marc Camirand being joined by emerging NASCAR star and Rolex veteran Michael McDowell for the 46th Rolex 24 At Daytona.

• Jörg Bergmeister and Max Papis — former Rolex 24 champions as well as Rolex Series Daytona Prototype titlists — will compete in this year’s twice-around-the-clock classic in the GT class.