50th Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, NASCAR Style
After one of the best NASCAR seasons in most fans memory, it seems this off season has been longer than usual. The Daytona 500 cannot come fast enough and if that is the way you feel then how about some racing at Daytona to make you feel even more anxious. This weekend is the 50th Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
The Rolex series is as sports car series that consists of two different classes of cars, both of which race at the same time, on the same track. The 24 Hours of Daytona race is simply a race that consists of 24 hours of racing. They race day and night, rain or shine. Since it is 24 hours the cars have multiple drivers. It is more about the car than the driver but some combinations or drivers fare better than others assuming the car holds up for 24 hours of straight racing.
The two types of cars are the Daytona Prototype and the Grand Touring or GT car. The Daytona Prototype is just that, it is a type of car that you will not see on the street, it is a race car. The GT type of car closely resembles the stock street version of the same.
The race is run on most of the Daytona track that NASCAR fans would recognize plus the interior road course. There is an added chicane in the backstretch so that the race isn’t like a NASCAR race. All of this makes the track 3.56 miles instead of the 2.5 mile Daytona 500. There are 12 turns but even though 4 of those turns are on the high banked track we know and love, it is a road course.
This race has been run by many NASCAR drivers as a way to compare their abilities to other drivers of other racing series. NASCAR drivers who have been a part of winning teams in the past are John Andretti, Casey Mears and Juan Pablo Montoya. Other NASCAR drivers who have participated in the past are A.J. Allmendinger, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Andy Lally, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, and Kenny Wallace.
NASCAR drivers who are competing this year in the Daytona Prototype (DP) class are Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya driving the number 02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW/Riley. They will be sharing driving duties with a few names you might recognize Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.
Michael McDowell, who will be driving in NASCAR this year for Phil Parsons’ new Cup team, will be driving the #6 Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Ford / Riley. He will be sharing driving duties with Jorge Goncalvez, Felipe Nasr and Gustavo Yacaman.
A.J. Allmendinger driving the number 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Ford/Riley. He will be sharing driving duties with Ozz Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson.
NASCAR drivers who are competing this year in the Grand Touring (GT) class are John Andretti driving the Yellow Dragon Motorsports number 36 Mazda RX-8. He will be sharing driving duties with Taylor Hacquard, Anders Krohn and his 19 year old son Jarett Andretti
Although he won’t be driving in NASCAR this year, the 2011 Cup Rookie of the Year Andy Lally, will be driving the number 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3. He will be sharing driving duties with Richard Lietz, John Potter and Rene Rast.
For the first time Michael Waltrip will be driving the #56 AF-Waltrip Ferrari 458. He will be sharing driving duties with Travis Pastrana, Rui Aguas, and Robert Kauffman.
If you need a NASCAR driver to cheer for, then cheer for Juan Pablo Montoya as he has been a part of a winning 24hr of Daytona team two times. His current team was second last year and has been together for three years.
The 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona is this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29. You can watch it on Speed, Saturday from 2:30 PM ET until 4 PM ET on Sunday, and if you do you really got it bad!
