April 10, 2001

Justin Bell made a sparkling debut at the difficult Grand Prix of Long Beach round of the Trans-Am
Series April 8, turning in a solid drive for a 6^th place finish. The result puts Bell solidly in the lead
for the Amerisuites Rookie of the Year title as well as 7^th in the overall series points championship.

“At this rate of progress, we should win at Detroit,” quipped Bell following the race, referring to his
8^th place finish at Sebring followed by the 6^th at Long Beach. “Seriously, I’m pleased to have
another race under my belt without incident. The team and I are building a good technical relationship
as I get more familiar with the car.

“It’s a different mindset for me after driving sports cars for so long in 6-, 12-, and 24-hour races.
Keeping the intensity up and racing hard is an adjustment that I’m working on,” added Bell. “The
front-running drivers are hard, but they are decisive. I can race with that.”