Alex Gurney heads into 2012 as the only GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing driver to compete in every race event since the team entered the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2005. Gurney partnered with co-driver Jon Fogarty in capturing both the 2007 and 2009 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Championships, and the next goal in 2012 is a third title and a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The Gurney/Fogarty duo is one of the most successful driver pairings in GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype history, with 15 career victories since debuting as teammates a few races into the 2006 season. GAINSCO, Gurney and Fogarty also scored a series-leading four wins in 2009’s championship season in addition to a dominating and record-setting run to the 2007 title that saw the team capture victories in half of the year’s 14 races.

Career snapshot

• 15 career Rolex Series victories
• 2007 and 2009 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Co-Champion
• 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona second-place finisher with Jon Fogarty, Jimmie Johnson and Jimmy Vasser
• Won seven of 14 races with Fogarty in 2007 season
• 2007 Rolex Series lap leader (331)
• Five career Rolex Series poles
• Third in 2002 Toyota Atlantic Championship
• Eight top-10 Finishes in 2001 British Formula 3

Personal history

Gurney’s GRAND-AM Rolex Series crowns are his first major championships and racing insiders knew the titles were long overdue. Gurney is the son of American racing legend Dan Gurney, but he was not encouraged to pursue a career in racing and didn’t take the wheel in competition until he started racing go-karts during college. He began racing cars in entry level competition after graduating from the Business School at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997 and his first Rolex Series championship a decade later came after years of perseverance, hard work and unwavering determination in the hard-to-crack world of professional auto racing in the U.S. and Europe.

Alex is youngest of Dan and Evi Gurney’s two sons, and his brother Justin, three years older, is the general manager of All American Racers (AAR), the legendary Southern California race shop founded by Dan Gurney. Alex also has a half-sister and three half-brothers, all of whom dabbled in race driving but did not pursue the top levels.

Among the first vehicles Alex ever had was a Honda CR80 motorcycle he received from his parents as a Christmas present when he was nine years old. To this day, Alex rides motorcycles with his father and brothers. He also enjoys golf, poker tournaments and spending time with his wife Colleen and their young daughters Natalie, 5, and Savannah, born in September 2009. The family lives in Irvine, California.

Career highlights

2011 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

Third in team championship with teammate Jon Fogarty, fourth in driver championship. Gurney joined Fogarty for the duo’s fifth full season together and captured victories with GAINSCO at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the team’s first career win at Montreal. Gurney and his teammates shook off some early-season technical issues to close the year with a run of six top-three finishes in the final seven races, including the victories, one runner-up result (Road America) and three third-place showings (Glen Six Hour, New Jersey, Mid-Ohio). Along with an early-season second-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park, Gurney, Fogarty and GAINSCO finished on the podium in seven of 12 races in the 2011.

2010 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

Third in team championship with teammate Jon Fogarty, fourth in driver championship. Gurney joined Fogarty and GAINSCO in defending the 2009 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Championships but a string of bad luck and early-season mechanical issues put the No. 99 team behind early. Gurney and Fogarty rallied for the team’s only 2010 win at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Round 9 of 12 races, but were never able to mount a serious championship bid after engine failures in two of the year’s first three races. The second DNF (Did Not Finish) at Barber Motorsports Park delivered a double blow to Gurney as he never had a chance to drive or earn any championship points. That separated him in the point standings from Fogarty for the first time in their five years as teammates, but a solid run to end the season boosted Gurney to fourth in the driver championship, one spot behind Fogarty. After the N.J. victory, Gurney and Fogarty finished no lower than third in the year’s final three races, including second-place finishes at Montreal and Salt Lake City to close out the year. Those results, along with a third-place finish in Round 2 at the Grand Prix of Miami, ensured a third-place team championship finish for Gurney, Fogarty and the No. 99 “Red Dragon” team.

2009 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

Co-Champion with teammate Jon Fogarty. Gurney won his second GRAND-AM Rolex Series Championship in three years with Fogarty and GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing. Gurney joined Fogarty in ending the year as the all-time Daytona Prototype career win leaders with 12 victories. Their four wins in 2009 led the series and came at Virginia International Raceway, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Barber Motorsports Park and Miller Motorsports Park. Gurney drove the final stint to the checkered flag for every win but Laguna Seca where Fogarty made a rare return to the car for a second driving shift in order to earn championship points. The four wins were part of a run of seven top-three race finishes that also included second place in the summer race at Daytona International Speedway and third-place showings at Mid-Ohio and Montreal. Gurney and his teammates led the championship standings three different times, taking the lead for good at Montreal with two races remaining in the season. Gurney, Fogarty and GAINSCO clinched both the team and driver championships with 337 points. Gurney’s off-season honors included joining Fogarty in being named to the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) All America Team in the sports car racing category for the second time.

2008 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

Second in driver and team championships with teammate Jon Fogarty. Gurney joined Fogarty and GAINSCO in defending the 2007 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Championships but a string of bad luck and technical package lacking the pace of the competition kept them from repeating the previous year’s dream season. Gurney and the GAINSCO team still rallied to finish second in the championship and scored a second-straight win at Mid-Ohio in a rainy thriller, which was the highlight of their six top-three podium finishes. This included second-place finishes in both races at Daytona International Speedway, which gave Gurney and his teammates their career-best showing in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in GAINSCO’s third attempt at the premier American endurance race. Other highlights included second-place finishes at the August Watkins Glen round and at Infineon Raceway in addition to a third-place showing in the season-ending 1000k race in Salt Lake City. Gurney, Fogarty and the team also led a series-high 12 of 14 races.

2007 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

Co-Champion with teammate Jon Fogarty. In a record-setting, breakout year for the third-year team, Gurney captured the 2007 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championship along with his teammate and co-driver Fogarty. Along the way, Gurney won the pole at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Watkins Glen Six Hour, collected his first career victory at Mexico City and went on to score three consecutive wins, first from the pole in the Glen Six Hours, one race later at Mid-Ohio and then Daytona’s 250-mile summer sprint. Gurney and Fogarty ripped off three more in a row later in the season at Barber Motorsports Park, the Watkins Glen’s short course and Infineon Raceway – setting an all-time GRAND-AM record with Fogarty by posting seven wins in 14 races. Gurney only made three qualifying attempts all season and in addition to the poles at the Rolex 24 and the Glen Six Hour, he earned the outside front-row starting position in the year’s final race in Salt Lake City. The second-generation star also led more laps than any other driver in 2007, showing the way for 331 circuits. Gurney, Fogarty and GAINSCO clinched both the team and driver championships with 408 points. Gurney’s off-season honors included joining Fogarty in being named to the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) All America Team in the sports car racing category for the first time.

2006 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

Sixth in season championship with teammate Jon Fogarty. In an up-and-down sophomore year, Gurney led the GAINSCO team in its first full season of Rolex Series competition by leading dozens of laps, finishing on the podium three times, winning a pole at Watkins Glen and forming a solid partnership with new teammate Jon Fogarty.

2005 – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona Prototypes

18th in season championship (partial season). Gurney’s debut season in sports cars showed his speed and potential from the very first race. Paired with rookie driver/owner Bob Stallings, Gurney scored pole positions at Barber Motorsports Park and Mid-Ohio in his only two qualifying efforts that season. He and Stallings earned four top-10 finishes and scored a season-best finish of second in the August short-course race at Watkins Glen.

2003-2004 – Blackhawk Racing/Pacific Coast Motorsports, Driver Coach/Test Driver

Worked as a test driver and driver coach for Pacific Coast Motorsports (PCM) and its two-time championship-winning Toyota Atlantic team with driver and current teammate Jon Fogarty. Gurney also coached Bob Stallings to victory in the 2004 SCCA Formula Atlantic National Championship.

2002 – Dorricott Racing, Toyota Atlantic Championship

Third in series championship. Strong qualifying efforts and consistent race finishes powered Gurney to third place in CART’s Toyota Atlantic Championship. Gurney started on the outside pole at Denver, Trois-Rivieres and Toronto and racked up four podium finishes, six top-fives and 11 top-10s in 12 races.

2001 – Fortec Motorsport, British Formula 3

Struggled through a tough year amid team and equipment challenges but peaked at the end of the season with eight top-10 finishes. Returned to the U.S. and won the Dorricott Racing “Shootout” to secure a seat for the 2002 Toyota Atlantic season, beating out drivers such as Ryan Hunter-Reay, Danica Patrick, Rocky Moran Jr. and several others.

2000 – All American Racers (AAR), Toyota Atlantic Championship

In his only season with his father’s famous AAR team, Gurney earned one pole and one top-three podium finish despite five mechanical retirements in 12 races, finishing eighth in the championship.

Early career

1999: Debut year in Toyota Atlantic with Team KOOL/P1 Racing. 1998: Competed in Barber Dodge Pro Series as a winner in the Team Green Academy, which featured the top 25 emerging American drivers. 1997: Scored 10 wins and 10 poles in 14 races in the 1997 Formula Dodge Midwest Championship and won an SCCA Regional Championship in Colorado in a Dodge Neon.