by DON COBLE , Florida Times-Union

The team won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and was leading the Daytona Prototype point standings two races into the season. The sanctioning body created three different rules changes in the next five races that hurt Porsche's chances.

Today's race on the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway marks the first time since the 24-hour race both Brumos teams will be back at full power.

"We're back where we were in January," Law said.

The 250-mile race is part of a unique racing doubleheader at Daytona. The sports cars race at 2 p.m. and the Coke Zero 400 for the Sprint Cup Series will follow at 8 p.m.

Law and Donohue started the season with first- and third-place finishes. Then came the rule changes, and the finishes dropped to fourth, eighth, 15th and 10th.

"All the changes really seemed to hit Porsche pretty hard," Law said. "We've also been struggling a little bit with our handling. We have our power back, and we've been working on our cars. I think we're back where we can run up front again."

Law and Donohue hope the return to Daytona also will help derail the momentum by defending series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. Together, they've finished first or second in the past three races to lead the standings.

It will be a one-day show. Cars will practice and qualify in the morning and race in the afternoon. The sports-car race in the past took place at night. By moving it to a daytime main event, the speedway hopes to lure NASCAR fans.

"Right now, there's a great balance of cars," Law said. "There will be 10 to 15 cars running nose-to-tail at the end. It will be a great show."

It also creates a new set of challenges.

Temperatures should be in the 90s, with the humidity pushing the heat index past 100 degrees. The track temperatures should be about 140, and the sports cars aren't equipped with the same kind of fans and vents found in NASCAR .

"You lose a lot of weight in one of these," said Joao Barbosa, driver of the No. 59 Brumos car. "They seal those cars up pretty tight to make speed, and there's no air inside the car."

Stock-car drivers Scott Speed and Kyle Busch will drive in both main events today. They will be in a Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared Lexus-Riley in the afternoon and in Toyotas at night.

"It's going to be interesting having the two different races on the same day, and it's going to be a big challenge for both of us coming from a car that has a lot of grip and doing a lot of turning to going to the stock car, where we'll be keeping it flat out and drafting all night," Speed said.

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