The Miami 250 turned out to be yet another "CWS" race for the SFoW Maserati Trofeo Light GT. As Team Manager Glenn Marquis explained, "We 'Could of, Would of, Should of' had a really good finish today.

"Our drivers, Emil Assentato and Steve Earle, had us in a good position for a podium finish, and then, just one of those 'racing things.'

"Still, we did take a decent finish if not a podium, and the Maserati continues to show good potential for 2005. That's our real goal."

The race, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, had been delayed one week due to the hurricanes which have battered Florida. Due to that change there was no qualifying for the race.

"We were lined up according to the standings, and so we started fifth in GT," explained Assentato. "I got caught in traffic at the start and dropped back a couple of places, but I just started picking off cars, and by the end of my stint I was up to third."

"A Ferrari GT passed us during our pit stop when I got in the Maserati," Earle continued. "I was able to get back by the Ferrari right away, and while we battled back and fourth, I was pretty confident we'd be on the podium. Then I went off into the gravel in Turn Two, and we lost too much time repairing damage from that incident."

Assentato replaced Earle behind the wheel and took the Maserati to the finish, fifth in the GT class.

"A podium would have been a nice reward for all the crew," said Marquis, "but a couple of cars had blown engines, and the oil and the heat made Turn Two extremely slick. It wasn't just us -- that same corner cost Scott Pruett his chance at a win.

"At least we still finished and took some points. We'll have Joao Barbosa back with us for the rest of the year, and I think we'll make up for this weekend."

The Miami 250 was part of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series. The next race in the series will be the VIR 400, at the Virginia International Raceway, near Danville, Virginia, on October 3rd.