.:: GAINSCO TEAM LOOKS FOR HOMETOWN EDGE WITH ROCKY MORAN Jr AT LONG BEACH

Tuesday, April 4th, 2006. Three races in, GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing is in the thick of the Rolex Sports Car Series championship fight and to grab an “unfair advantage” in the first-ever Daytona Prototype street race at Long Beach, Calif. on April 8, hometown favorite Rocky Moran, Jr. will join Alex Gurney behind the wheel of the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley — a dynamic duo of Southern California second-generation stars.

"Driving the GAINSCO machine with Alex at Long Beach will be awesome," Moran, Jr. said. "We both know the track very well and we’ve even raced against each other in our Atlantic cars. Alex is the perfect teammate for me – he’s familiar with the car, he’s quick and he’s a friend. I know that I’ll be able to learn from him and together I think we can win. In addition to family and friends, I’ll have hundreds or maybe thousands of people from the California karting community to root us on. I’m looking forward to giving this race our best shot for the GAINSCO team."

Moran previously piloted the No. 99 at the season-opening Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona — his first-ever sports car race. The second-generation driver’s performance there, helping the team bring home a wounded GAINSCO Riley in 13th place in class, did much to impress team owner Bob Stallings. Rocky’s extensive experience on the demanding street circuit was also a key factor in the selection — he dominated the Toyota Atlantic Championship race there last year until mechanical maladies put him out of the race.

"We are really pleased that Rocky will be back on the GAINSCO team for the Long Beach Grand Prix. He did an excellent job for us at the 24 Hours and we are especially fortunate to have him on this street course," Stallings said. "Being that both Alex and Rocky are hometown boys, I think that’ll create an added incentive – there will be plenty of family and friends in the stands to cheer them on. We are expecting good things this weekend."

Rocky and Alex will go street racing in sunny Southern California starting on Friday, as practice for the Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach begins at 8 a.m. Pacific time. The grid will be set at 3:55 p.m., and the 90-minute, all-out sprint race goes green at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The race will be broadcast on a same-day-delayed basis on SPEED Channel at 9 p.m. Eastern Saturday. Internet radio coverage, live timing and scoring and race updates are available at Grand-Am.com. For more information, visit the team’s Web site at http://www.GAINSCOracing.com.

The primary sponsor of the No. 99 Blackhawk Motorsports Daytona Prototype is GAINSCO Auto Insurance (Amex:GAN). GAINSCO is a fast-growing leader in the automobile insurance industry, and markets its nonstandard personal line of auto insurance through a network of over 2,700 independent agents in the Southwest and across the Sun Belt, including Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, South Carolina, and Texas. With its "Are You Driven?" marketing theme, GAINSCO’s racing program is intended build brand awareness and advance its distribution strategies, as well as develop strong relations with agents and customers in key markets like Florida. GAINSCO was established in 1978 and is based in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.GAINSCO.com.

Blackhawk Motorsports has been committed to excellence in road racing since its formation in 2001. The team campaigns the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype in the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve. With two poles, a podium and dozens of laps led in their maiden 2005 season, drivers Bob Stallings, Alex Gurney and Rocky Moran, Jr. are hungry for even greater success. The team is supported by GAINSCO Auto Insurance, and proudly partners with Pontiac, Riley Technologies, Puma and Ringers Gloves.

GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing
http://www.GAINSCORacing.com
Team media contact: Travis Mason-Bushman
(510) 260-6224 – travismb@GAINSCORacing.com
GAINSCO media contact: Katie Brannan
(775) 782-7191 – katiebrannan@earthlink.net

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