SunTrust Grand American Racing Team

SunTrust Pontiac Team Finishes Sixth at Watkins Glen; Ties in Points Championship

WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 12, 2005) -- The Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen race was another Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series race filled with plenty of drama -- from variable weather conditions, including rain and fog, to eight cautions for 44 laps and 12 driver lead changes. It produced the fourth Daytona Prototype winner in just six races. Unfortunately, the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley team of Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli, which had been dominant all weekend long, had to settle for a sixth place finish. The SunTrust team's finishing position netted them 25 points. Their season-long championship point battle with the No. 01 CompUSA team came to a tie of 180 points today when the Ganassi-led team finished third and collected 30 points.

First across the rain drenched finish line was the No. 67 Krohn/TRG Pontiac Riley of Nic Jonsson and Tracy Krohn, followed by stable mates Christian Fittipaldi and Jorg Burmeister in the No. 67 Krohn/TRG Pontiac Riley. It was not only a good race for Pontiac-powered cars, but Riley chassis took the top six finishing positions.

"It was great to see a different team win," said SunTrust Pontiac Riley team owner Bill Riley. "It was a good race for the series, just like all these races are. It just wasn't our race today for the SunTrust team.

"It was actually a really tough race for us," added Riley. "We had a few problems. We got hit from behind, then we had a set of rain tires not cooperate with the car. So that really kind of put us behind."

"I'm disappointed with the results," said polesitter Max Angelelli. "This is not, of course, reflective of our speed and ability. We had trouble with a set of rain tires that forced me to pit and change. We took a gamble with slick tires. It was very, very difficult because the track was wet. It was unlucky because it continued raining and I was on slicks, so I had to pit. Otherwise it would have been a better result."

The SunTrust Pontiac Riley team pitted seven times, all but one under yellow-flag conditions. Due to the heat and humidity early in the race, where cockpit temperatures reached 115 degrees, the team rotated drivers at each full pit stop in order to allow them to rest and rehydrate between driving stints. Max Angelelli set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:47.002 on lap 90, the third time in six races this season. The Italian hotshoe led 28 of the 150 race laps.

"I don't even know what to say. I'm just devastated," said car owner/driver Wayne Taylor, who was seeking his first victory at The Glen in his long and stellar endurance career. "The guys, as usual, did an outstanding job. It seemed like we had a rain tire issue that caused Max to have to come in. The condition of the tires put him off the road and he had to pit. It was a gamble with the weather. Then, of course, when the fog came out, we lost that ground. So, I think we did well to recover sixth. We are tied now in the points, so that's okay. I wish we could do Daytona tomorrow."

Winning races is always important but the SunTrust racing team has stayed very focused this season on the Daytona Prototype points championship. Max Angelelli put it into perspective after the race. "It is a long way to go. . .a long way to go. So, I'm not worried. I'm not happy, but I'm not worried." There are still eight races remaining this season and if the first six are any indication, much more drama to come.

Round seven of the 14-race 2005 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series will be the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on June 30, 2005. It will be the first night sprint race of the season and the second at the historic Daytona circuit.

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the nation's largest commercial banking organizations. As of March 31, 2005, SunTrust had total assets of $164.8 billion and total deposits of $107.5 billion. The company operates an extensive distribution network primarily in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia, and also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services. Through various subsidiaries the company provides credit cards, mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage and capital markets services. SunTrust's Internet address is suntrust.com.