McDreamy' Turns 'McRacer'
Dempsey Set to Debut in Rolex 24
Two years ago, when Patrick Dempsey visited Daytona International Speedway for the first time to compete in the Fresh From Florida 200 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series race, he set a personal goal - to someday compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The star of ABC Television's popular Grey's Anatomy looks to achieve that goal much sooner than he expected. This weekend, Dempsey is set to get behind the wheel of Hyper Sport's No. 40 SoBe Mazda RX-8 he shares with Charles Espenlaub, Joe Foster and Rick Skelton for America's premier endurance race.

Playing Dr. Derek Shepherd - better known as "Dr. McDreamy" -Dempsey was nominated for an Emmy for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama. His film credits include Freedom Riders, Mobsters, Loverboy, Happy Together and his breakthrough movie, Can't Buy Me Love, which he did at age 21 in 1987. He also played the late president in HBO's JFK: Reckless Youth, in 1993.

When Hyper Sport rolled out its new Mazda in the 2007 finale at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, Utah, last September, Dempsey admitted that the team was focused on getting the car competitive for this weekend's race.

"The Rolex 24 is what our goal is and what we sit back and dream about," Dempsey said. "That's a phenomenal event and to be in that and be competitive would be a dream come true for all of us."

Dempsey, Foster and Espenlaub completed the eight-hour Sunchaser in Utah with a 10th-place finish in the GT class.

"The Mazda is phenomenal," Dempsey said after his Rolex Series debut. "It's a lot of fun to drive, and to be out there with everybody in the DPs. There's a lot going on; it's very exciting. It was a little overwhelming at first. Certainly getting into the RX-8 and jumping into the deep end of the pool without really any testing, it was difficult just to stay calm. Once I got out and did a few laps, it was a lot of fun. I couldn't stop smiling."

Foster was impressed with the work of his teammate in his Rolex Series debut.

"We've brought Patrick through the ranks in a respectful and aggressive way at the same time," said Foster, who finished second in the 2007 Fresh From Florida 200. "He's done very well in the KONI Challenge Ford Mustang that we've been running and is definitely ready to advance to the next level in the GT. I think that was shown at Miller, primarily because his schedule is obviously very busy and he had not had the opportunity to drive the new car, the new Mazda, until the start of official practice. He put in a good session, a long session in a challenging car. He's very aware in traffic and his situational awareness has adapted very well to the larger group of faster cars being around. All last year, we had the fastest Mustang out there. Patrick is doing a great job, and I'm very happy to have him as a teammate."

Dempsey competed for two years in the Grand Sport division of KONI Challenge, driving Hyper Sport's No. 54 Supercuts Ford Mustang GT. His best finish was a sixth at Homestead-Miami Speedway last April, co-driving with Espenlaub.

In many ways, though, Dempsey's racing career has been the victim of his acting success. Last year, filming commitments allowed him to drive in only five of the 12 KONI races, missing most of the events midway through the campaign. He also raced in five events in 2006, including a 32nd at Daytona with Skelton.

"I've just had a handful of races," Dempsey said. "It's tough when I step out of the car and go off and do a movie and then when I come back, everybody's caught up and they're past me. That's a little frustrating. It's difficult. If we can get a nice program together where we're testing properly and I'm not spending so much time out of the car, I think we'll get better results. That's the biggest thing we've got to overcome. Our goal is certainly to be up there, to be competitive."

Now, Dempsey is set to tackle the most challenging role of his racing career.

"It's a great track," Dempsey said, speaking of "The World Center of Racing." "It was my first race in the KONI Challenge two years ago and any time at the track is a great day. To race at that track and the history that is there with road racing and the Rolex 24, it is one of many races that we want to do as far as endurance racing is concerned. To get in and be competitive, and end up on the podium sometime, is one of the goals in my career."