An established winner in sports car competition, Luis Diaz brought his talents to Lowe's Fernandez Racing last season joining long-time hero and friend Adrian Fernandez in the team's ALMS debut. It was a natural progression for the former open-wheel rising star, who entered the sports car ranks in 2004 and claimed eight wins in three years of Grand-Am competition.

The partnership between Diaz and Fernandez had been several years in the making. In 2002, Diaz substituted for an injured Fernandez in the Mexico City Champ Car race and was later named as the team's official test driver in 2003 with the hope a program could be put into place to unite the pair on a regular basis. The collaboration became a reality last year with Diaz joining Fernandez behind the wheel of the #15 Lowe's machine.

At-A-Glance:

• Claimed three podiums and six top-five finishes in 2007 ALMS debut season
• Entered sports car competition in 2004 in the Grand-Am Series, claiming eight wins over three years as well as Rolex Sports Car Series Team Championship honors in 2006 and a second-place result in the Driver Championship with teammate Scott Pruett
• Finished third in laps led by drivers in the Rolex Series in 2006
• Named "Driver of the Year" in Mexico in 2006
• Is a two-time elected member of the AARWBA (American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association) All America Team (2005 and 2006) comprised of drivers in various top categories of professional motorsports
• Won the Mexico Formula 3 championship in 1998
• Earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Indy Lights Pan-American Championship, Mexico Formula 3 Championship and Formula Reynard Series Mexico
• U.S. open-wheel success includes a fourth-place finish in the 2002 Toyota Atlantic championship
• Began racing go-karts at the age of 12, winning several national championships
• Born in Barcelona, Spain, his mother's home country, but claims his father's Mexican citizenship

Diaz made his start in the open-wheel ranks in Mexico, progressing from national championships in go-karting during his teenage years to Rookie of the Year honors in the Mexican Formula Reynard Series, and Rookie of the Year and the champion's crown in Mexican Formula 3 competition.

After a highly-successful partial season of competition in the Mexico-based Indy Lights Pan-American Championship where Diaz earned Rookie of the Year honors with one win and five additional top-five results in 1999, he set his sights on racing Stateside in 2000. He spent the next four years competing in the Dayton Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic Championships, both at the time a stepping stone to Champ Car competition.

An opportunity to team with Chip Ganassi Racing in sports car competition in 2004 sent Diaz in a different direction however, and he quickly made his mark in closed-cockpit competition. After a strong debut season in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series with co-driver Jimmy Morales and a seventh-place finish in the team rankings, Diaz went on to capture third in the 2005 driver championship and second with co-driver Scott Pruett in the team championship.

He went one better in 2006 and, once again co-driving with Pruett, brought home the team championship for Chip Ganassi Racing. Following a down-to-the-wire battle, Diaz and Pruett also snared a second-place finish in the driver championship, only 16 points shy of the title.

Interests: An accomplished remote control car racer - always enjoys golf, go-karts and computer car racing games.