A Case of Porsche Envy at Daytona?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It was the closest finish in the storied 47-year history of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. After 24 dramatic hours of racing, only a blink of an eye -- .167-seconds -- separated the winning Brumos Porsche team from the second-place Ganassi Lexus team Sunday afternoon.

For the winners, it was a result of hard work and perfect execution. For the runners-up, it was a case of showing up at a gunfight armed with a knife.

Both the Pontiac- and Lexus-powered teams insist they are at a 20-40 horsepower disadvantage to the Porsches and think concessions need to be made to even the playing field before the next Grand Am Series race.

"I think if you had asked us before the race if we had a chance to win this, I would 100 percent say no,'' said Ganassi driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who was passed for the lead with 40 minutes remaining.

"It was a matter of time (the pass). I was actually surprised to stay with them. ... I was actually surprised we even fought for the win, to be honest.''

Montoya's co-driver Scott Pruett, who drives the car full-time in the Grand Am Series, echoed Montoya's disappointment: "It's one thing to lose when you're out-driven or out-smarted, but quite frankly, this is frustrating.''

Porsche driver David Donohue, who made the pass on Montoya in the closing minutes, was quick to characterize the comments from the Ganassi stable as a classic case of sour grapes.

"I'm not sure how to begin after what I just heard,'' said Donohue, son of the late 1972 Indy 500 winner Mark Donohue.

"We tested for like 3,000 miles here... and came up with a real efficient package if anyone notices. Yes, we got them on the straightaways. Ever notice how he closed up in braking and chicane? It's ridiculous at this point.''

And that's essentially how the Grand Am sanctioning body feels, too -- despite the loud and constant grumbling this weekend.

The series' Managing Director of Competition Mark Raffauf said Sunday evening that his staff goes to great lengths using the latest technology to ensure a competitive field. He insisted he would not issue a rules change merely out of reaction to this race, but would review the competition throughout the season -- just as he always does.

"We have a wide variety of technological tools where we can make sure unlike things will do the same things -- to make sure the technology is as equal as it can be,'' Raffauf said. "Competition is determined by people. And what we have may not be perfect, but it's the best it's been since at least World War II.''

And for Raffauf -- and, at least, a very happy Porsche camp -- the proof is in the finish. It was the first time four cars finished on the lead lap and it was the closest 1-2-3-4 finish in history -- just 10 seconds separating the top four cars.

Even team owner Chip Ganassi, who came less than a second away from a historic fourth straight Rolex win, appreciated the show if not the result.

"I've been in this business a lot time," he said, "and it's nice to be a part of a great race like that."