May 31, 2004 – Lakeville, Conn.

RealTime Racing’s drivers qualified their A-SPEC equipped Acura TSX cars second and third fastest for today’s SCCA Pro Racing SPEED Touring Car Championship race at Lime Rock Park, but a fifth place by Matt Plumb was the team’s and Acura’s top result.

Plumb was passed on the opening lap by his teammate, three-time defending Lime Rock race-winner Pierre Kleinubing, and the TSX duo kept the heat on the leader for 20 laps until Plumb was nudged by another car and slid off course on lap 21 while running third, losing 10 seconds and his shot at the victory.

Plumb was enthusiastic about his first race in the new TSX. “The team built a great car for me this weekend, and I know we’ll have better luck with it as the season rolls on. Lime Rock is a great place to race, but because it is very fast and only 1.53 miles in length, you always have to cope with traffic.”

Kleinubing ran a steady second place for 31 of the 43 laps, but he, too, had an off-course excursion on lap 32, dropping him to fourth. His car, however, later suffered a fuel feed problem and he dropped out of the race two laps from the end, finishing an uncharacteristic 21st.

Victor Gonzalez Jr. made his second start in a RealTime Acura RSX. He qualified an enthusiastic 13th place, and finished as the second-highest placed Acura in 14th. This result coupled with another strong finish at Sebring gives him the early lead in the Rookie of the Year battle.

Nick Esayian qualified his Total Trolley/Datamine-backed RSX 29th, and climbed to 19th by the finish. Both Esayian and Gonzalez are candidates for the series Rookie of the Year award, which was won by Plumb in 2003 and by Kleinubing in 1997.

After two races, Plumb is sixth in the championship points with 40, while Kleinubing’s DNF drops him to eighth. Gonzalez moves up to 10th, and Esayian is 19th.

The race will debut on the SPEED Channel this Sunday, June 6, at Noon (EST).

The team’s next race will be Saturday, June 26 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The RealTime Racing Touring Cars are sponsored by the Acura Division of American Honda, A-SPEC Performance Parts, Red Line Oil, Eibach Springs, BOSCH, Sparco, Hella, Brembo, Hawk Performance, and Acura Genuine Parts.

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