Hello Everyone!

Here is the third and final installment of how I got to where I currently am - with the Spirit of Daytona Racing Daytona Prototype team. I last left off talking about my first Rolex 24 At Daytona in a new car. I also talked about my good friend Josh Rhem, both how he got me that ride with Darius Grala and a tribute to Rhem's life.

Next on my list was finding a ride for the 12 hours of Sebring, which I did, in an LMP1 prototype (nothing like jumping straight to the top!), and then onward to race with Dag, RJ Valentine and Cegwa for two more races and plenty of testing. That then led to securing two races with Synergy Racing (then known as G&W Motorsports) with teammates Darren Law and Andy Lally (who grew up racing in the same go-kart club as me on Long Island, N.Y.), and then filling in at Duane Neyer Motorsports in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series for two races, notching back-to-back victories in only those two starts.

So, not bad for my first year of sports car racing, right? The Rolex 24 in a Daytona Prototype, the 12 Hours of Sebring in an LMP1 car, five Daytona Prototype races with three podium finishes, two Grand-Am KONI Challenge wins, testing the Panoz LMP1 Roadster... oh, and did I mention that I never went back to N.Y.? Florida was the land of opportunity for me, so I decided to get an apartment and stay down there. And, of course, Palm Trees and Sunshine were addictive.

After that things kept moving along. Although I couldn't manage to swing any deals to get back into a Daytona Prototype for 2004 or 2005, I did race in Grand-Am KONI Challenge with the newly-formed BGB Motorsports for two full seasons and pounded the Rolex paddock at every single event to keep my face in front of all of the teams, owners, media and staff. Another highlight of 2005 was when I signed a deal with Mazda to compete in their LMP2 program in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, I won Rookie of the Year and finished third in the Championship standings.

But 2006 was the year. Memo Gidley, driving for Finlay Motorsports, was injured in a crash at Long Beach and I was selected to replace Memo for six races in the Playboy-sponsored Finlay Daytona Prototype, with my great friend Michael McDowell, who I competed against in Star Mazda. This was the program where I finally started making a stronger name for myself, as the team was strong, McDowell was the man of the hour in the series and we had five or six top-four finishes - including when McDowell won the qualifying race at VIR and I got to start my first race with the team from the pole at VIR.

Really, no pressure. It was a great season, and I was honored to play a part in the team's fourth place finish in the championship, as well as fill in for such a great driver in Memo Gidley. Rob Finlay was extremely gracious in supporting me that year, and again, uncharacteristic support from another friend in racing, Michael McDowell, for pushing very hard to get me involved in the program as Memo's replacement.

That, of course, led to securing a drive with Spirit of Daytona Racing (whom I'm driving for this season) as teammate to Bobby Labonte for a select-few races - highlighted by leading the Watkins Glen event for a while before turning the car over to Bobby. I also raced with Blackforest Motorsports and Fountain Motorsports in various KONI Challenge events.

The 2007 season saw me drive for nearly every team in the paddock!  Not having a full-season commitment for Rolex, I started the season at the 24 with Tom Nastasi and the Blackforest Motorsports Mustang GT, and then became the 'Super Sub' (well, I'm not sure how Super), filling in for a bunch of teams last-minute in the Daytona Prototypes, such as Brumos Racing, Southard Motorsports, Doran Racing and then Spirit of Daytona with our engine development program. All the while competing for Fountain Motorsports in KONI Challenge for the full season, and winning the first-ever road race held at Iowa Speedway. (That one is in the history books!)

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  Hopefully that wasn't too torturous (yes, I talk and type too much) but that's pretty much how I found my way into Grand-Am!  It's different for every driver, but I think adventure, determination, perseverance, an MR2 crammed full of driving gear and some really great friends, fans, personal relationships and support from family and loved ones is what got me to where I am today - and I'm extremely thankful for all of it.

I'm a Grand-Am driver, and I love it.

Next blog? Way less typing and some real insight into the current Spirit of Daytona DP program.

Thanks for reading,

Guy Cosmo

(Visit Guy's personal website at http://www.GuyCosmo.com)