After nearly 2 1/2 years in prison,...

After nearly 2 1/2 years in prison, John Paul Jr. will be attempting a comeback this weekend when he races for car owner Bruce Leven in the season-opening Camel GT race at the Daytona 24-hour endurance race. Paul was convicted by a federal court of drug trafficking in 1986.

Paul, 28, who was released last October from the minimum security prison at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., will drive an unsponsored Porsche 962.

Of his driving, Paul said: “It’s not exactly that I’m slow. It’s just that there’s a rhythm to driving and I have to get back into the rhythm. But it’s like an old pair of shoes--very comfortable. Every lap feels a little more comfortable.”