This was my first Rolex 24 at Daytona, from the comfort of my couch, and it did not disappoint. We had a record breaking pace set by Overall Winner Wayne Taylor Racing’s #10 DPi team. Also a repeat for the Wayne Taylor squad. Kyle Busch finally had to drive a “slower” car. We’ll see if that affects his attitude towards lapped cars in the Cup Series. Big picture, the racing community was jolted back to life after the winter break this past Saturday. Racing is back baby!
Rolex 24 at Daytona Overall Winner
Although this was the first time I watched the Rolex 24 at Daytona, it seemed like deja vu. The #10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi made its way back to victory lane at Daytona in record breaking fashion. In 24 hours of racing, the team of Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe, Kamui Kobayashi, and Scott Dixon completed 833 laps. Twenty-five more than the previous best which was set in 2018. The only year out of the past four that Wayne Taylor Racing wasn’t in victory lane. Impressive dominance and I’m more inclined to hop on this bandwagon (as promised in my last post) because their run started with Jeff Gordon as a driver. My childhood hero and one of the best to ever do it. Period.
Kyle Busch Handles Rolex 24 at Daytona
An impressive, but far from familiar showing from Kyle Busch after finishing 9th in his class and 26th overall. Rowdy has yet to win NASCAR’s crown jewel race at Daytona and it looks like IMSA’s may be added to that to-do list as well. Busch seemed to gain confidence the longer he was in the hot seat and held his own in the slowest class. One highlight I saw was Busch side drafting down the front stretch. A tactic common in stock car racing, but not as much in the sports car world. Regardless, it was effective and showed he could translate his talents into this style of racing with ease. I hate to admit it because I grew up a Kyle Busch hater, but damn he’s probably the best driver of this generation. Well, besides Gordon of course. #24ever
What’s Next?
After two plus months with no asphalt racing, we finally got back on track this weekend. That’s not enough for race fans though. If we had it our way there would be racing 24/7/365. Think of us like Tyrone Biggums, but for racing, not crack.
So, after one race I’ve gotta say IMSA is freaking kick ass man. It looks faster than stock car racing and fields a wider variety of manufacturers. To see European manufacturers put so many resources towards an American based event is always amazing to see. Wouldn’t mind seeing a BMW or a Benz in the cup series before 2030. The future of racing is looking like a blend of sports car and stock car racing and I’m 100% here for it. My 2020 IMSA expedition continues in March with the 12 Hours of Sebring. Don’t worry though, in the meantime I’m going to dive into IMSA history and bring you the wackiest facts and stories I can find.
