CLASH OF THE TITANS; PENSKE RAMPS UP EFFORT TO THWART GANASSI FOUR-PEAT.(NEWS)

Byline: TRAVIS BRAUN

THE MOTORSPORTS BATtle between Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi is familiar and intense. But while most fights between the racing giants occur in the stock-car and open-wheel ranks, the front lines have moved to sports-car competition.

Penske will enter a Daytona Prototype full-time in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series this season, joining a series in which Ganassi returns as the defending champion. The first skirmish: a 24-hour slug fest at this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona, Jan. 24-25, where three cars fielded between the two owners might just overshadow the other 17 expected prototypes.

Penske will show up armed with a team of aces in one Riley-Porsche prototype, hoping to dethrone Ganassi's two Riley-Lexus entries, one of which has won for the last three years.

"We brought our Porsche team over [to Grand-Am] to see if we can't keep him honest, Penske said of Ganassi. "He's the guy you've got to beat. He's the benchmark. You've got to be able to run at his speed. If you can't, you're not going to win.

Ganassi doesn't view Penske as a large threat to his Daytona chances, partly because he beat Penske in last year's event. Penske partnered with Wayne Taylor and SunTrust Racing, jointly fielding a Riley-Pontiac to a third-place finish with Helio Castroneves, Kurt Busch and Ryan Briscoe behind the wheel. Ganassi said he is not surprised that Penske is back with a solo effort this time.

"The most competitive games attract the most competitive people, Ganassi said. "That's why he's here, and that's great. He's a great competitor, and we're lucky to have him.