Looking over the entirety of the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, Action Express Racing had a near perfect race weekend - but not for a specific one of their cars. In fact, the No. 5 and No. 31 cars had a game of tag going on throughout the sessions of the weekend.
Action Express Racing's No. 5 car driven by Joao Barbosa earned the quickest lap of the opening practice session for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on Friday morning. In the next session, though, it was Dane Cameron driving the No. 31 car that earned the top spot for Action Express. The next session for United SportsCar was qualifying as the opening day of the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic turned to evening. The qualifying session for the Prototype category saw the other of the team's two cars go quickest; the No. 5 returned to the top of the time sheets as Christian Fittipaldi earned pole position for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.
The 100-minute race on Saturday saw the two cars switch spots once again, as Dane Cameron and Eric Curran won their first race together on the Raceway at Belle Isle.
Light rain before the midway-point of the race saw an increase in action on the 14-turn, 2.35 mile temporary street circuit. The first caution period of the race saw a double-digit lead of the polesitting No. 5 Action Express Racing car disappear; the restart was all the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing entry needed to take over the lead of the race; at the green flag, Jordan Taylor came right up alongside the No. 5 car and made a pass into Turn 1 - and he wasn't the only one who went through on the car that previously had a massive lead. Barbosa was then at the wheel of the No. 5 after a driver change during the first (and only) stop of the race during that first caution period, and he dropped back to third position behind the No. 10 and No. 30 VisitFlorida.com Racing car. Barbosa had his work cut out for him after the massive lead that Fittipaldi created was lost due to the caution.
Another full course caution came out when the No. 60 GT Daytona car driven by Townsend Bell went nose-first into the tire barrier following contact with the race-leading Wayne Taylor Racing car. At this time, the No. 31 Action Express Racing car had taken over the lead of the race and gapped the other Prototype cars, but Jordan Taylor, running second and holding off the other Action Express entry, was issued a drive-thru penalty for avoidable contact and saw his shot at a podium go away.
This put the two Action Express cars at the front of the race, running 1-2, with only minutes left in the race. On the final lap of the race, Barbosa spun the No. 5 car and lost his shot at even making an attempt for a late pass and a race win. The No. 31 Action Express car of Dane Cameron and co-driver Eric Curran went on to win the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic in their Chevrolet Daytona Prototype with GM headquarters in the background.
Sunday, May 31, will not see any United SportsCar on-track action, but it will be a day to celebrate for Action Express Racing for reasons other than this game of tag that was played between their cars, leading every other session of the weekend. With their cars running the numbers 5 and 31, and that being the date, it has been deemed Action Express Racing Day.
Aaron Durant is the editor of the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @DoubleA291.