Primetime's Joel Feinberg Clinches IMSA Lites One Championship at Petit Le Mans

Joel Feinberg captured his first IMSA Lites One championship at Road Atlanta as part of the Petit LeMans weekend at Braselton, Georgia.

Joel Feinberg wins the 2009 IMSA Lites Drivers Championship in the Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta
Joel Feinberg wins the 2009 IMSA Lites Drivers Championship in the Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta

Elan DP-02 powerful competitor in the IMSA Lites Series
Elan DP-02 powerful competitor in the IMSA Lites Series
The Primetime Race Group owner and driver went into the final event of the IMSA Lites season 27 points ahead of Matt Downs, his nearest competitor. Feinberg only needed 14 points during the double header weekend at Road Atlanta.
K&N supported Elan DP-02 owned and driven by Joel Feinberg found the best balance between speed and grip for the IMSA Championship Win
K&N supported Elan DP-02 owned and driven by Joel Feinberg found the best balance between speed and grip for the IMSA Championship Win

Joel Feinberg drives his GT2 Dodge Viper in the American Le Mans Series
Joel Feinberg drives his GT2 Dodge Viper in the American Le Mans Series

The outcome was decided after round 13 when Feinberg outperformed his rivals and clinched the championship by 37 points with one race remaining. Feinberg’s Elan DP-02 found the best balance between aerodynamic speed and mechanical grip for the series win.

“The quest for the championship began nearly ten months ago at the Sebring winter test when he came out with guns blazing and shattered the IMSA Lites track record by 2.4 seconds,” said Britoni Burdett, Primetime Racing’s Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager. “It raised the bar for his field of 25 competitors.”

At the onset of the season in March Feinberg returned to Sebring to dominate once again in round one with the fastest lap of the week and the team’s first win of the season. A tire blowout prevented back-to-back wins in round two.

“Primetime Racing’s other three drivers, Anthony Nicolosi, Jarrett Boon and Johnny Meriggi helped Joel deliver the most competitive field since the series began in 2006,” said Burdett. “The five car team of Eurosport led by three brothers, Matt, Lucas and Antonio Downs were a thorn in the side of Primetime and the two teams were in a great battle all year.”

Feinberg and the Downs family shared the podium at nearly every event, trading the top step from track to track. Nicolosi, Boon and Meriggi found their grove and followed the pace and direction set by Feinberg who came back with wins in rounds 6, 7, 9 and 10. “In rounds 11 and 12 Joel took a no mistake approach,” said Burdett. “It was different from his usual kill mode driving style.”

“Mosport does not forgive the greedy,” said Feinberg. “I worked hard all year to get to this position and sometimes you have to bite your lip and think of the bigger picture.”

Feinberg, who competes in back to back races in the American Le Mans Series, logged 9 podium finishes including 5 wins, 3 pole positions and 215 championship points on his way to his first ever drivers championship. The team used its GT2 Viper in the ALMS effort.

The IMSA Lites is a championship comprised of 14 rounds at seven tracks in North America including Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville Ontario, Canada and New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.

“When I look back at the season and see what the team accomplished over a ten month period, I’m truly grateful for every point we earned as a team,” said Feinberg. “Anyone can win a race, but only a winner can win the championship. I want to thank all my sponsors, Louis Moinet Timepieces, Bryan Mark Financial, Speedware Motorspots, Motul, Chase Cam, Braille Battery, Popular Science Magazine and K&N Filters for all of their support.”

“The K&N air filters we use in the Primetime races always work flawlessly,” said Joe Henry, Primetime Chief Engineer. “We never have to worry about the performance of the K&N products. K&N provides the highest quality filters which help increase horsepower and helps guarantee the performance we need in our race cars.”

Primetime has started to plan its 2010 season with the hopes of a transition in the ALMS effort from the GT class and into prototypes.

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