October 7, 2009
SKELTON'S HYPER SPORT CAPTURES GRAND-AM KONI CHALLENGE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
Team Honored at Annual Banquet in Greensboro, NC

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Hyper Sport drivers Joe Foster, Scott Maxwell captured top honors Monday evening at the annual Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Awards Dinner at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons.  Alabama Motorsports Park investor Rick Skelton owns a share of the race team. 

Foster, Maxwell and Hyper Sport were recognized as champions in the Grand Sport (GS) division. While Maxwell - who missed the affair due to a family commitment - was the series' 2002 champion, this was the first title for Foster and Hyper Sport - a team owned jointly by Foster, Skelton and Patrick Dempsey.

"This has been an incredible season for all of us," Foster said. "Everybody in the series has raised the bar so much this year. I would like to thank everyone for having the opportunity to live the dream I had since I was eight years old."

Foster and Maxwell finished fifth in the season-ending Bosch Engineering Twin Six Hour GS class race Sunday at Virginia International Raceway to win the title by six points over JBS Motorsports and drivers Bret Seafuse and James Gue, who received second-place trophies at the dinner. Taking third in the competitive GS division were Automatic Racing's Jep Thornton and Jeff Segal, the 2007 champions.

The performances of the No. 55 Hyper Sport Mustang GT - winners of two races in 2008 - helped Ford win the GS Manufacturers award. Ford's Jamie Allison accepted the honor.

The respective GS and ST champions also both received $10,000 checks as part of a new program from Grand-Am contingency sponsors.