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Prendeville Finishes All the Laps Possible in Two Races Saturday
at Watkins Glen for Racing Laps for Best Friends

07/05/2008

By Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications

Image: Andrew Prendeville talks with crew chief Dominic Cape during qualifications at Watkins Glen International

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., July 5 - Andrew Prendeville worked hard at Watkins Glen International over the Fourth of July holiday, finishing all the laps possible in twin Firestone Indy Lights races Saturday.

Prendeville had to rebound from an accident in qualifying on Friday that damaged his Best Friends Animal Society No. 5. Despite that setback he finished 11th and 13th in the two races on Saturday. The first race was shortened by one lap due to time constraints, so it ended up being 28 laps long. The second one went the scheduled 29 laps, so everyone who made per-lap donations to the Best Friends Animal Society for the Watkins Glen races needs to multiple their donation amount by 57.

Fans make donations to the not-for-profit animal welfare group at racinglapsforbestfriends.com. All the proceeds go directly to Best Friends, which is based in Kanab, Utah. Fans can also purchase raffle tickets awarding prizes of sessions at the Bertil Roos Racing School at racinglapsforbestfriends.com.

After the accident in qualifying, Prendeville had to start 20th in the first race on Saturday. He advanced to 13th with three laps down, and then got one more position on lap nine. He stayed in 12th or 13th for the bulk of the race, caught up in a torrid battle with Jonny Reid. They both moved up at the very end, with Reid placing tenth and Prendeville 11th.

"The Best Friends Animal Society car was good," Prendeville said after the first race. "I had a close call in Turn 10 about three laps after the last restart. The car got loose. I jumped through the grass and then through a gravel trap. I lost two spots. That was the closest call. Later I passed Mitch Cunningham and got one of those spots back.

"It was good racing," continued Prendeville, who lives in Las Vegas, NV. "Eleventh isn't the greatest, but I'm pleased with the result. Most of all I'm pleased with the level of racing. The drivers were mostly clean and smart. Jonny Reid and I were battling almost the whole second half of the race. We were the two who were coming back up through the field.

"Will [Paul] and Seb [Jubelin] did a fantastic job," added Prendeville of his RLR/Andersen Racing mechanics. "We wouldn't have made the race after the crash in qualifying without all their hard work. They deserve all of the credit right now."

Prendeville got to start 11th in the second race, since the starting line-up was based on the finishing positions from Race 1 with the exception of the first six finishers being inverted.

He got tenth at the start and stayed in tenth or 11th until he had to pit for a new nose for his car with eight laps down after unavoidable contact with another driver. The RLR/Andersen Racing crew got it changed quickly, he didn't lose a lap, and he was soon back in another battle with Sean Guthrie and Brent Sherman. He got as high as 12th with four laps to go, but then Cunningham repassed him and he ended up 13th.

"We did end up finishing all the laps for the Racing Laps for Best Friends program, and I want to thank everyone who made donations to Best Friends or bought Bertil Roos Racing School raffle tickets at racinglapsforbestfriends.com," Prendeville said after the nightcap.

"I also want to thank the RLR/Andersen team for all their hard work. It was a disappointing weekend, but the guys really worked their tails off."

ESPN2 will carry both races at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, July 10.

Prendeville is now 11th in the point standings. The circuit moves to Nashville Superspeedway on July 12, followed by another doubleheader at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 19-20.

Tickets for a raffle featuring prizes of sessions at the Bertil Roos Racing School may also be obtained through the racinglapsforbestfriends.com website.

Additional information is available at bestfriends.org, indycar.com/indylights and andersenracingteam.com.

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