The thrill of Daytona: Why the Rolex 24 is a must-see for racing fans

Daytona is home to one of the world’s most iconic race tracks, and while NASCAR has a claim to the most prestigious race held there, the Rolex-24 is no minor spectacle. The endurance race, which was first held in 1962, sees drivers complete over 780 laps of the 3.56 mile speedway.

Porsche has historically dominated the competition and managed to win it in 2024. But the top-end GTP class is stacked with competition, including entries from BMW, Acura, Cadillac, Lamborghini, and a few independent teams. Then you have three other classes, LMP2, GTD, and GTD Pro–so there’s basically four races happening at the same time and plenty of action on track.

But the week doesn’t start with an endurance race. It kicks off with something you’d expect to be a touch tamer. However, this year the undercard could claim to be just as spicy as most of the main event.

It’s more than the main event

A racing weekend isn’t just about one race. Yes, you’re there for the main event: with an F1 weekend that’s the Grand Prix, with this it’s the Rolex 24, but there’s a lot more going on than that. Testing, qualifying, practice sessions, and usually another racing series tends to be happening beforehand.

In the Rolex-24’s case, it’s the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup. Which involves a blend of up and coming drivers, along with veterans finding a seat towards the end of their careers. Just like Formula Ford, touring cars, and F4, the MX-5 Cup offers promising drivers somewhere to advance their careers and develop their skills once they’re done with karting. The cars are also standardized in the MX-5 Cup, so everyone involved is competing with skill alone.

There were two Global MX-5 Cup races scheduled for the week. The first took place under floodlights and in damp weather on Thursday. The second took place on Friday morning, and had about as much action as you could possibly get in any kind of race. A total of 17 cars were involved in a pile up almost immediately, with two vehicles losing it, hitting the wall, and going back into the packed bank of cars behind. 15 of those vehicles, almost half the field, had to be towed away and two soldiered on for the rest of the race with heavy damage. In the end, Jared Thomas snatched victory by just 0.038 seconds. Things were that tight. The aptly named Ashlyn Speed snagged a bonus $2000 as “Best Finishing Female” in what was apparently her second ever race in the series.

Hot laps almost always happen

While getting a hot lap isn’t a guarantee, you often need to be the guest of a race team, manufacturer, or splash out on one of the most extravagant VIP packages, they do happen for a lucky few on many racing weekends. As I was attending with Mazda, my lap was with an MX-5 Cup driver. Sally Mott, who was one of two drivers caught in the pileup the day before, still managed to finish the race.

The lap, and admittedly the very talented driver behind the wheel, brought out the best of the MX-5. It’s not a “fast” vehicle compared to a Lexus, BMW, or Mercedes. But it feels fast. You’re so low slung, and it’s so light, that it can’t be anything but exciting. That’s why it’s such a popular third car, track car, and general all-round fun-mobile.

Mott’s driving ability, and the clear bit of track ahead of her, did contribute a lot though. She hit every apex, was extremely brave on the brakes, and was casually chatting away as all of this was happening as pro drivers tend to do on a hot lap. She also gave me a bit of a tour, including pointing out the bit of the wall she tagged while trying to dodge the day before’s pileup. Which was a great touch.

There’s a world beyond the grandstand

Racing isn’t all champagne and prime rib. If you want to experience the atmosphere at something like Daytona, you do have to descend from your ivory tower and fraternize with the common people. Admittedly, said common people tend to be shacked up in very expensive RVs that are, in turn, parked in very expensive camping spots. But still, these are the core racing fans that make the sport what it is.

When I hit the infield, the race was well underway and the sun was down. Campfires were blazing and, while many people had opted to escape the cold and retire to bed, plenty of conversations were still happening and not everyone was ready to let the night end.

The first group I met had some ribs smoking away, and conversations flowing. They offered me a seat by the fire, and talked me through their own Daytona experiences as the ribs finished smoking. It wasn’t long before the BBQ staple made its way out of the smoker and I was invited to try one. I can honestly say it was better than ribs I’ve received from some nationally renowned BBQ joints. This is as much a part of racing as what’s happening on the track. Making friends, sharing food, and chatting about a common interest.

After leaving my new friends, I gravitated towards campfires. Partially because that’s where conversations happen, partially because I was dressed in a button down and jeans during one of Daytona’s worst cold snaps in recent memory. While there wasn’t any more elite level BBQ on offer, there were similar conversations. People come to these things to meet friends and meet up with friends. If you’re just getting into racing and want to hit a 24-hour race, don’t be shy. Just get out there. Definitely bring a jacket, though.

The main race has all of the drama you would expect

A lot can happen in 24-hours, especially when those 24-hours include close to 700 laps of one of the world’s most iconic tracks. The Rolex 24 has four classes, which means there are essentially four races happening at the same time. Faster cars have to navigate around slower competitors, who are supposed to let them pass. If one race has a clear winner before the checkered flag comes out, you have three more to indulge in. And there are more individual battles taking place on track than you can even count.

At the start, there’s a good amount of aggression as everyone vies for position on congested tarmac. Turn one, which leads to the infield section and can be clearly seen from the grandstand, is a favorite spot for overtakes, with the corner leading out of the infield seemingly acting as the spot where drivers are most likely to go off. The grandstand itself gives you a great view of the whole track, though binoculars may be needed for the back straight and Le Mans chicane.

While the field does eventually spread out after an hour or so of racing, there are pre-set pit windows and safety car periods which bunch everyone up again. So expect bouts of solid action, interspersed with quieter periods where you can focus on individual duels, or just head in for some food.

You can watch the whole thing, if you’re brave enough

The bar closes at midnight, and private rooms also tend to shutter, but you can sit in the stands and watch the 24-hour race in its entirety if you wish. Staying until the sun goes down is smart. While the race is taking place under floodlights, visibility isn’t as good as it is during the day. Drivers are also getting tired, so you’re more likely to see risks taken and mistakes made when the light starts to fade.

This was the case in this particular race, with a driver losing traction after turning into the infield, bouncing off a tire wall, and rolling back onto the track where he took a few of his fellow drivers out with him. It was oddly similar to the pileup in the MX-5 Cup a day previously, though thankfully half the field wasn’t involved in this one.

There was drama right to the end

Endurance racing isn’t one story, it’s a series of little stories you follow over an entire day. Like the odd duel between a BMW and a Corvette. The ‘Vette sustained some damage, and had to pit with its back end hanging off. A liberal application of duct tape didn’t solve the problem the first time, and the Corvette had to pit again, which wasn’t ideal.

The American sports car, which was being driven by Tommy Milner at the time, sustained the damage while it was being blocked by a teammate of the BMW just behind it. A defensive maneuver cost the GM-made sports car dearly. A little later, Milner responded by winding down his window, extending his arm, and further extending his middle digit in what must be one of those sporting moments we’ll still be talking about years down the line. It’s exactly the sort of passion you want to see in racing, and you can only hope the FIA takes note.

A BMW also had a chance of winning the race outright for the first time in over three decades. But Porsche again snagged victory, and third place, in the top-end GTP class after the BMW M Team RLL developed some kind of mechanical fault. Porsche’s domestic rival eventually finished fourth, and it was a bit sad to see things end that way so late into an absolutely fantastic race.

Porsche also looked set on snagging a 1-2 right up until the end, with Nick Tandy and Matt Campbell engaging in an extremely competitive race–which was great for spectators but likely caused a lot of unnecessary nerves in the Porsche pits. Despite a couple of close calls, Tandy and Cambpell didn’t turn an easy 1-2 into a pair of DNFs. Though Tandy did take the lead from Cambpell, who had held it for a very long time before that point. Things got even worse for the Aussie driver when Felix Rosenqvist’s Acura snuck in to snag second place close to the end. This was just the top class, remember three other races were essentially happening at the same time. As it’s the Rolex-24, all of the winners receive a specially engraved Rolex Daytona too, as you would expect.

Endurance racing is something special, and you should go at least once

24-hours may seem like a long time, especially as most normal races only last an hour or two. But there’s enough drama going on to justify the format, the atmosphere is unparalleled, and this is something every racing fan should do at least once in their life.

It doesn’t really have to be the Rolex-24. Le Mans is still the pinnacle of endurance racing, if you can get there. 24-hours of Lemons is likely the cheapest to watch, and compete in, but will be fun nonetheless. And even an unusually cold few days didn’t take the shine off what was an amazing spectacle in Daytona.

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