Auto racing: Driving duo aims to continue its domination this weekend at Utah 250

TOOELE — It has been a perfect season in every sense of the word for Scott Pruett.

Pruett and teammate Memo Rojas have virtually wrapped up their second Daytona Prototype racing championship in three seasons. The duo holds a 35-point lead over their closest competitors coming into the Utah 250 this weekend at Miller Motorsports Park. They have tallied 337 points compared to 302 for the racing team of Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor.

Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, the Utah 250 — which also serves as the finale for the 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Series season — will be a de facto series of victory laps for Pruett and Rojas.

Don't expect them to simply sit back and celebrate. Pruett sees one more victory this weekend as a perfect exclamation point to what he and Rojas have already done.

"The worst thing you can do is start making changes," Pruett said. "So when we come to Salt Lake City, we're going to be focused on the same thing we've done every other race — try to go out and get a victory."

Pruett and Rojas set a new series record by winning eight times and netting two additional podium finishes in 11 races.

Through those 11 races, Pruett led in a record 521 laps in 10 races, while Rojas paced another 139 laps in eight races.

Pruett said that their record-setting efforts are a combination of hard work on the part of his entire team and a switch to a Telmex BMW/Riley car this season that has been an upgrade from what he previously drove.

His BMW has offered the team a power boost that has given them an edge in practically every race.

"The engine is a lot more driveable," Pruett said. "Down low, it runs like a street car. When you step into the throttle, it immediately goes. You're not making up for a lack of power in any of the areas. It's just been a really nice addition to our team that has just taken us up over the top."

Pruett and Rojas head up one of several successful racing teams under the Chip Gannassi Racing umbrella. The powerful racing organization also fielded winners in prominent NASCAR and Indy car races this season. And this will be the fourth title in seven seasons for Chip Gannassi in the Grand-Am Rolex Series.

Still, even with the Chip Gannassi cars at their disposal, Pruett said he never anticipated being able to dominate the way he and Rojas have done throughout the season.