NASCAR’s Kyle Busch, Scott Speed to try Grand-Am racing

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and Scott Speed plan to test their skills driving exotic Daytona Prototype sports cars in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

The duo will split driving duties July 4 in the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway. They’ll be racing a second Lexus Riley sports car fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, the team whose primary drivers, Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett of Auburn, Calif., are the series’ defending champions.

Rojas and Pruett also won their first race of this seasonlast weekend, at Watkins Glen, N.Y., to gain a share of this year’s point lead in the Grand-Am series, which was acquired by NASCAR last year.

Busch, 24, has three NASCAR Sprint Cup wins so far this year, tying him for the series high with Mark Martin, and is known for also winning frequently on NASCAR’s two second-tier series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series.

Speed, 26, is a Manteca, Calif., native who raced in Formula One for 18 months before moving to stock-car racing.

‘I am really looking forward to seeing Kyle and Scott in one of our Grand Am cars,’ said team co-owner Chip Ganassi. ‘Also, I think having the opportunity for them to work with a road-course veteran like Scott Pruett should make for a great experience for them. It will be exciting to see what they can do.’

-- Jim Peltz