Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz return to one of their favorite circuits on the 2008 ALMS schedule this weekend as the series prepares for the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Fernandez and Diaz bring a wealth of experience to the permanent road course located within the rolling hills of Lexington, Ohio, combining for a total of 18 career starts.

Lowe's Fernandez Racing will be chasing its third consecutive podium at Mid-Ohio. The team captured its first sports car victory at the circuit in 2006 in Grand-Am competition, and claimed the second of three 2007 podium visits at Mid-Ohio.

Following a fourth-place finish last weekend at Lime Rock Park, Fernandez and Diaz have moved to seventh in the championship standings, 10 points outside the top five.

Race Notes:

• Circuit – 2.258 mile, 13-turn permanent road course
• Saturday's race will last 2 hours 45 minutes with a 2:10 EST start
• A driver may not drive more than two hours total in the race

Of Note:

• Lowe's Fernandez Racing last tested at Mid-Ohio on June 9 and 10 of this year
• The team finished third in class and fourth overall at Mid-Ohio last year
• Fernandez owns two victories at Mid-Ohio with wins in Champ Car (1998) and Grand-Am (2006); nine of his 11 career starts at Mid-Ohio have netted top-10 finishes including five top-five results
• Diaz has three podium finishes in seven career starts at Mid-Ohio with a third and second-place finish in Grand-Am competition in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and an ALMS podium last year
• Lowe's Fernandez Racing claimed its first win in sports car competition at Mid-Ohio in 2006
• Following five rounds of ALMS competition, Fernandez and Diaz sit seventh in the standings, 10 points outside the top five
• Fernandez and Diaz claimed three podiums and six top-five results in their ALMS debut last season

FERNANDEZ ON HIS PAST SUCCESS AT MID-OHIO: "I have so many special memories from racing at Mid-Ohio all these years. I first raced here back in Indy Lights in 1992. I won here in 1998 in Champ Car after a great battle with my teammate at Patrick Racing, Scott Pruett. And our win here two years ago in Grand-Am was so satisfying because we came from the back of the grid. It is a track that I thoroughly enjoy and it is fantastic to drive in these cars. The atmosphere with all the families that come out for the week end makes it even more special."

DIAZ ON EXPECTATIONS FOR THE WEEKEND: "We have very high expectations for the weekend. Adrian and I both have a lot of experience here and so does the team. We were strong all weekend last year and had a very good test here last month. I think we will definitely be challenging for the podium and hopefully our first win this weekend. We haven't had a lot of luck on our side so far this year but I feel that we are definitely going to turn things around in the second half of the season. We picked up some good points last weekend even though we had a problem in the race. We just need to keep working hard and doing what we are doing and we will get there."

About the Drivers:

Adrian Fernandez... enters second season of ALMS competition claiming three podiums and six top-five finishes in 2007 debut... is a veteran of 12 years at the top levels of open-wheel competition, winning in both Champ Car (CART) and IndyCar Series (IRL) competition... debuted in sports car competition in 2006, winning the Mid-Ohio Rolex Sports Car Series race and claiming four additional top-five finishes... began competing in select NASCAR Busch Series events in 2005, driving for Team Lowe's Racing and Hendrick Motorsports... finished fifth in the IndyCar Series championship in his inaugural season in 2004 with three wins... missed the 2000 Champ Car championship crown by only 10 points, finishing second in the series to Gil de Ferran... has garnered numerous awards over the years including "Athlete of the Year in Mexico"... named one of Mexico's 300 most influential people by a national magazine in 2006... 44 years old from Mexico City...resides in Scottsdale, Ariz., with wife Catalina, daughter Valentina and son Niko.

Luis Diaz... enters second season of ALMS competition claiming three podiums and six top-five finishes in 2007 debut... entered sports car competition in 2004 netting eight wins in the Grand-Am series over three years as well as Rolex Sports Car Series Team Championship honors in 2006 and a second-place result in the driver championship co-driving with Scott Pruett... was named "Driver of the Year" in Mexico in 2006... won the Mexico Formula 3 championship in 1998... earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Indy Lights Pan-American Championship, Mexico Formula 3 Championship and Formula Reynard Series Mexico... U.S. open-wheel success includes a fourth-place finish in the 2002 Atlantic championship... began racing go-karts at the age of 12, winning several national cham pionships... 30 years old from Mexico City... resides in Toluca, Mexico, with wife Carolina...nickname is "Chapulín" (Cha-poo-leen) which means grasshopper.

About the #15 Lowe's Acura ARX:

• Powered by the 3.4-liter Acura LM-V8 engine
• Chassis is the Acura ARX-01b, the latest version of the ARX-01a chassis which was developed by HPD [Honda Performance Development] through a technical partnership with Wirth Research in England
• Tires are Michelin

Lowe's Fernandez Racing Key Personnel:

• Tom Anderson, co-owner/managing director (founded Fernandez Racing with Fernandez in 2000)
• Steve Miller, general manager (eighth year with the team; reunited with Diaz who he worked with in 2000 in Indy Lights)
• Mike Sales, team manager (as a chief mechanic, has had a decade long relationship with Adrian Fernandez which includes victories in Champ Car, IndyCar Series and Grand-Am competition)
• John Ward, race engineer (is in is ninth year as a race engineer for Adrian Fernandez; designer of many Eagle chassis for Dan Gurney's All American Racers including the Eagle Mk III IMSA GTP car which won the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 1992 and 1993)
• Tony Leith, chief mechanic (eighth season with the team; was a lead and chief mechanic in ALMS in the late ‘90s with Panoz Motorsports)

2008 Performance Chart

ALMS Schedule – Acura Sports Car Challenge (all times EST)

About Lowe's Fernandez Racing:

Lowe's Fernandez Racing launches its second year of competition in the American Le Mans Series in 2008 as one of four Acura-factory LMP2 class teams. Driving talents Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz, both of Mexico City, Mexico, will campaign the #15 Lowe's Acura ARX-01b prototype in the series' 11 rounds of competition. Lowe's, the second largest home improvement retailer in the world, has enjoyed much success in the motorsports arena including 2006 and 2007 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championships with Jimmie Johnson. Fernandez Racing was formed in the fall of 2000 by Fernandez and motorsports veteran Tom Anderson. In its seven years of competition, the team has claimed victories in the Champ Car (CART), IndyCar (IRL) and Grand-Am Series.