The Rolex 24
Considered America’s most prestigious endurance sports car race, this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona offered fans even more excitement as the storied race celebrated its 50th anniversary in grand style.
This year, Michael Shank Racing pulled off a stunning win with NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel of the team’s No. 60 Ford-Riley during the final stint. Allmendinger shared the driving in the grueling endurance race with Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series regulars Ozz Negri and John Pew, as well as IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson. On the GT side, Magnus Racing with drivers Andy Lally, John Potter, Richard Lietz and Rene Rast, crossed the finish line nearly 10 seconds before the nearest Porsche in their No. 44 GT3. In time for the anniversary, both teams celebrated first victories in the prestigious race.
In addition to attracting top racing talent from around the globe, the Rolex 24 has a history of drawing celebrity drivers including actors such as Paul Newman, James Garner, Jason Priestly, Tim Allen and Craig T. Nelson, as well as Olympian Bruce Jenner, ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard and NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini. This year was no exception with Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey returning for his fifth Rolex 24 start and AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson making his first appearance in the “twice-around-the-clock” challenge.
Dempsey, perhaps best known as “Dr. McDreamy” for his role as the handsome neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shephard on the television show Grey’s Anatomy, enjoyed a team career-best in 2011 with Dempsey Racing finishing in third place in the GT class. While the team was not able to beat that finish this year, the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Share a Little Sunshine Mazda team finished 10th place in class, and 21st overall. The Mazda racing team offered a special racing ticket package this year, with a portion of the proceeds going to Dempsey Racing charities. While Grey’s Anatomy has been very successful and continues to rank high in the ratings, the actor appears to be ready to focus more on racing in the future. At a press conference at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, Dempsey noted that he is trying to negotiate a contract that would allow him time off to race. “That’s my real passion,” he said. Johnson teamed up with Predator Performance and 50+ Racing to raise money for the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer through a campaign called “Highway to Help.” The goal was to ask “Rockers and Rollers” to donate at least $10 to raise a total of $1 million through the Rolex weekend.
Racing junkies got a rare look at history as dozens of past winning cars were on hand for the 50 Years of Champions Display. Speedway officials scoured the globe to find as many of the exotic winning automobiles as possible making this a truly unique way to celebrate 50 years of this special race. “What a great way to tell the history of the race,” said Joie Chitwood, Daytona International Speedway President.
While each winning car has its own story and history, bringing the historical cars together gave fans an over-all look at the changes in style, aerodynamics and manufacturers over the years. Some of the most special cars included the No. 96 Lotus Climax 19B that Dan Gurney coasted to victory in the 1962 inaugural Rolex 24 (then called the Daytona Continental), the 1968 Rolex winning Porsche 907, 1969 winning Lola Chevrolet T70 Mk3B, the 1994 winning Nissan 300 ZX and the Kremer-Porsche K8 that won the 1995 Rolex, among others.
Starting at 3:30 in the afternoon, the Rolex 24 the 24-hour event tested the limits of cars and drivers as they navigated a demanding 3.56-mile closed-road course that includes portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and infield. The race featured the speed and high banks of the NASCAR course combined with challenging hair pin turns and chicanes of road racing. Although begun in 1962, the first 24-hour event wasn’t until 1966 and the race has seen a series of name changes over the years. Usually three or more drivers compete on each team. As one of those world-class races that every driver wants to win, the Rolex 24 brings world-class talent and exciting cars to Daytona with two classes – the Grand Touring and Daytona Prototypes – racing at the same time. The DP cars take the green flag first, followed seconds later by the GT cars. There is just no other race like it, Chitwood noted. His personal favorite time is when the sun dips, the evening air cools and the glow of the 150-foot high infield Ferris wheel forms a magical backdrop to the roar of cars. “Saturday night at this track is unlike anything,” he said. “It’s just a cool place to be.” Indeed, when the sun goes down at Daytona, there is something truly special about that track experience.
For our community the Rolex is not just a race, but a long weekend of activities including a carnival, chili cook-off, 5K race, Taste of the 24, garage access, autograph sessions and fan tailgating that make this such a unique event. Speedway officials, well aware of the toll of the recession, took steps to make this a family-friendly experience, with children 12 and under free. “It’s affordable entertainment for a good price,” Chitwood said. Tickets sales soared past expectations this year with reports that admissions were up over 40% for the anniversary race.
The half-century mark was a milestone that went off in grand style. Before the race, Chitwood encouraged fans to come out and be part of history. “We wanted to make the 50th the biggest and best,” he said. On all fronts, the racing teams, events and Speedway delivered.
