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America's 24 hour classic is underway.
The 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona is complete! Below is a minute-by-minute live archive of how it went down.
Hour 24:00: Wayne Taylor Racing's No. 10 Acura ARX-05 has won the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
In an exceptional closing drive, Filipe Albuquerque held back a faster Cadillac for ten minutes before a flat tire ended that car's chance at the win. The Acura had just the sixth-fastest one-lap speed in the field, but the car was fast enough for conservative in-race strategy and exceptional late-race execution to put Albuquerque in position to win. He is joined by co-drivers Ricky Taylor, Alexander Rossi, and Helio Castroneves.
The no. 48 Action Express Racing Cadillac and No. 55 factory Mazda complete the overall and DPi podiums.
C8 Corvette No. 3, the car split between Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg, wins over Corvette No. 4 and BMW No. 24 in GTLM. In GTD, the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 wins on its team debut thanks to the work of drivers Philip Elis, Indy Dontje, Russell Ward, and, most of all, Mercedes AMG factory driver Maro Engel. The No. 75 Mercedes and No. 1 Lamborghini complete the top three in that class.
Paul-Loup Chatin brings the No. 18 Era Motorsports entry to the win in LMP2 by a margin of 20 seconds, while Spencer Pigot brings the Riley Motorsports No. 74 home with a three lap lead to take IMSA's first-ever LMP3 class win.
Hour 23:56: The No. 55 Mazda is now down to third after Kamui Kobayashi has moved the No. 48 Cadillac into second overall. Kobayashi is still six full seconds behind the race leader and has just four minutes to change that.
Hour 23:53: It has suddenly becomes very relevant to note that the No. 55 Mazda's steady gain on the leaders ended about ten minutes ago. The No. 10 Acura leads by five seconds and Filipe Albuquerque is suddenly in an excellent position.
Hour 23:52: Catastrophe! the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac has blown a right-rear tire at speed, and Renger van der Zande's race has collapsed all at once.
The flat is particularly destructive, tearing apart the car's right-rear fender. This car's race may not be over, but their chance of winning is.
Hour 23:50: Albuquerque actually gained a fairly significant chunk of time on that last lap, thanks in no small part to well-timed traffic. The Cadillac is still within striking range.
Hour 23:48: NBC is going to ad during the final eleven minutes of a 24 hour race. Not ideal, folks.
Renger van der Zande is still within a few car-lengths of Albuquerque and the Acura, but he has yet to get another real shot to pass. Just over ten minutes remain.
Hour 23:44: For the first time, Renger van der Zande has made a move for the lead. Albuquerque pulls away after a dramatic outside attempt exiting the International Horseshoe.
Hour 23:42: Filipe Albuquerque's lead is down to just 2/10ths of a second, effectively nothing. To win this race, Albuquerque will have to hold off a comfortably faster car for the last 20 minutes of racing.
Hour 23:40: As expected, the No. 62 Ferrari has stopped from the lead in GTLM. This moves the two Corvette C8.Rs to the lead in that class.
GTD remains in the full control of Maro Engel and the No. 57 Mercedes AMG GT3.
Hour 23:38: The gap in DPi is now under three seconds. Renger van der Zande cut down more than half of the Acura's six second lead in just eight minutes.
Hour 23:36: The No. 24 BMW, running fourth overall but a net third once the No. 62 Ferrari stops for an expected final splash of fuel, was only one second behind the two Corvettes that are the net leaders in that class. Connor de Philippi locked up heading into turn 1, however, and that car is now about eight seconds behind the would-be class leaders. That could spell the end of BMW's hopes of winning this race in class.
Hour 23:35: The No. 01 Cadillac is faster than the No. 10 Acura in almost every sector. The overall lead will soon be under 3 seconds.
Hour 23:33: Renger van der Zande is absolutely flying, and the six second lead is already down to four and a half. Harry Tincknell is gaining in the Mazda, too, but losing ground on van der Zande.
Hour 23:31: The gap that Filipe Albuquerque and Wayne Taylor Racing built on that final stop is a shocking six seconds. Renger van der Zande will have 30 minutes to hunt the leader down.
Hour 23:30: The No. 10 Acura moves into the overall lead in that cycle of stops. Cadillac No. 01 is in second, and Mazda No. 95 is in third. The No. 48 Acura has fallen well behind that lead group with precious little time left in the race.
Hour 23:26: The No. 10 Acura is now in for its final stop, one lap after the Cadillacs. The cycle-out here will determine the order for the final sprint.
Hour 23:24: The closest battle on track is for second in GTLM, a battle that will become for the GTLM lead when the No. 62 Ferrari pits. Corvette No. 4 leads Corvette No. 3 by a margin of just a few car lengths.
In the overall battle, the No. 01 Cadillac has now built a lead of three seconds on the No. 48, which is now holding off the No. 10 Acura by a few car lengths. The Cadillacs will stop with 35 minutes to go, while the Acura will pit a lap or two later.
Hour 23:22: Keep an eye on the No. 10 Acura, which will need less fuel than the two leading Cadillacs when all three make their final stops. This is the cost of the undercut that got both Cadillacs in position to win, and could make for a hectic final stint.
Hour 23:15: Kobayashi has the battle for the overall lead down to less than a second. Cadillac's two best entries are in an excellent position to win this race.
Hour 23:05: We have an overall lead change. The No. 01 Cadillac, third before the most recent set of stops, was able to gain some time after stopping before the leaders and the Ganassi Cadillac has gained that position in the pits.
The No. 48 Cadillac of Kamui Kobayashi also made up those same spots in the pits
Renger van der Zande and Kobayashi now lead the No. 10 Acura and No. 55 Mazda, which have each lost two positions.
Hour 22:52: Jordan Taylor passes the No. 24 BMW heading into turn 1, moving the No. 3 Corvette back into the lead in GTLM.
Hour 22:45: Kobayashi, now running in fourth after a hard charge back up to second earlier in this stint, is reporting issues overtaking since that team adjusted their aero setup a few hours ago.
Kobayashi on the radio: “The problem is I can’t overtake.” Team: “Copy. Still over an hour to go.”#IMSA #Rolex24
Hour 22:40: Renger van der Zande has the No. 01 Cadillac into second overall after an excellent pass on the No. 55 Mazda, but he gets caught off guard and locks up in the infield. Harry Tincknell has moved the Mazda back into second overall.
Hour 22:27: And Wayne Taylor has rewarded his son's excellent most recent stint by replacing him with Filipe Albuquerque. It is the smart move, Albuquerque has been the fastest driver in that car all weekend, but it is still somewhat surprising.
Ganassi's No. 01 made a huge leap on that cycle of stops and will rotate into second overall. Assuming the No. 60 Acura does not make a similar leap after its stop, Mazda No. 55 and Cadillac No. 48 will fall to third and fourth.
Hour 22:25: Ricky Taylor seems to have responded well to WTR's gentle reminder that they have other drivers at the ready, because his lead on Oliver Jarvis is now two seconds and his lead on Kamui Kobayashi is up to four seconds. The Acura is looking the best it has all day.
Hour 22:21: Matthieu Vaxiviere, driving the No. 8 LMP2 car and leading that class, has just been handed a penalty for jumping the most recent restart. He led that class by a lap, so he will still lead after the penalty.
Hour 22:20: The NBC broadcast is switching over to their primary network and going through a recap, so it just missed Alexander Sims re-taking the lead in GTLM. The No. 4 Corvette is back on top.
Hour 22:13: A significant lead change in GTLM, where the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE is into the class lead after passing the No. 4 Corvette on the most recent restart.
Hour 22:11: Back to green. Acura No. 10 is clear into the race lead, and the first position change among DPi leaders is actually Renger van der Zande moving the No. 01 Cadillac past the No. 60 Acura for fourth.
Hour 22:03, Caution #12: You thought IMSA only threw debris cautions when the racing was bad? Folks, IMSA just threw a debris caution during the most exciting moments of racing the series has seen in quite some time.
This yellow is to pick up a sponsor banner on the racing surface. It will force another restart, putting the leading Ricky Taylor in a very vulnerable position. It will also bring the No. 3 Corvette, which fell 40 seconds behind the GTLM leaders after serving a penalty, back in line with the class leaders.
Hour 21:58: Wayne Taylor Racing seems to have both Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi at the ready in case they choose to swap out Ricky Taylor in an upcoming stop. Albuquerque was in the car recently and will have to work around drive time concerns, while Rossi has not been in the car for two driver rotations and should be good to enter immediately.
All of this is likely contingent on Ricky Taylor losing ground on the other DPi leaders. As of now, he still leads the race overall.
Hour 21:54: From here on out, this is a sprint race. Every position counts, and Oliver Jarvis knows it. He refuses to let the lone Mazda go out quietly, and he is pressuring the No. 10 Acura for the race lead.
Kamui Kobayashi, lying in wait patiently behind that battle, will be in position to strike on the loser of this battle.
Hour 21:53: The No. 3 Corvette is serving a penalty for improperly passing cars during pitting procedure. That leaves just Corvette No. 4, Ferrari No. 62, and BMW No. 24 within a few seconds of the GTLM lead.
Hour 21:52: Ricky Taylor is back into the lead after making a move to the inside in the bus stop chicane. Oliver Jarvis uses the momentum the No. 60 lost on the move and has moved the No. 55 Mazda into second. Kamui Kobayashi strikes at the same time and has the No. 48 Cadillac up to third. A disastrous two corners for Dane Cameron and the Meyer Shank Racing Acura.
Hour 21:51: Ricky Taylor moves the No. 10 Acura to the race lead, but Taylor is unable to hold off the No. 60 for long and loses the spot three corners later. This opens the door for the No. 55 Mazda, now pressuring Taylor for second overall.
Hour 21:50: Back to green. Meyer Shank Racing's No. 60 Acura leads the field after a strong stop. Watch out for the Mazda, which has turned competitive lap times while a lap or two down all day and will be re-starting in third.
Hour 21:48, Caution #11: This is a huge restart, very possibly the last of the day. Your lead lap contenders in each class:
DPi: 60, 10, 55, 48, 01 LMP2: 18, 8 LMP3: 74 GTLM: 4, 62, 24, 3 GTD: 57, 75, 1, 23, 16
Hour 21:45, Caution #11: The No. 3 Corvette has some trouble re-firing after its stop under yellow, dropping one of the two C8.R entries that have led the majority of the race in GTLM. Those Corvettes are clearly the fastest cars in their class, but not by the kind of margin that has kept the BMWs and lone Ferrari from fighting for positions.
Hour 21:41, Caution #11: The leaders pit. The No. 01 Cadillac will be the last of the leaders to make their final driver change, moving from Scott Dixon to Renger van der Zande.
The No. 55 Mazda, which re-gained its lap during the last yellow, will re-start with the leaders for the first time since yesterday afternoon. That program has also gone to its final driver of the day, Oliver Jarvis.
Hour 21:34, Caution #11: An incredible run for Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing has hit yet another snag. This time, it's a major puncture to the right-rear tire. The full course yellow is out, and his long limp back to the pits could cost him a lap.
Absurdly, if it does not, this is actually advantageous; If Dixon stays on the lead lap, the caution means he would be able to completely service the car and still re-start much closer to the leaders than he was before the yellow flag.
Hour 21:30: Unsurprisingly, the gaps in the battle for the overall lead are shrinking. Kobayashi is now within ten seconds of leader Ricky Taylor, while Dixon has cut what was once a 36 second gap to just 15 seconds.
Hour 21:22: The No. 11 LMP2 car, an early class leader that has struggled of late, spins on its own in the bus stop chicane. Somehow, this led to the right-side door popping open during the spin. A scary visual, but the No. 11 re-joins without forcing a safety car. Driver Steven Thomas even pulls the door closed before getting back going.
Hour 21:15: Action Express Racing, Wayne Taylor Racing, and Meyer Shank Racing have all made what may be their final driver changes, drafting in Kobayashi, Ricky Taylor, and Dane Cameron, respectively. Chip Ganassi Racing is sticking with Scott Dixon for at least one more stint. Kobayashi trails the leading Taylor by 12 seconds, while Dixon is 20 seconds back.
Dane Cameron, whose No. 60 Acura has been close to the leaders without fighting for the lead all day long, is 28 seconds back and very much still within range to win this thing.
Hour 21:13: The No. 5 Cadillac has made its way back to the pit lane, avoiding a full course yellow. The No. 48 Cadillac has already made its stop and switched to Kamui Kobayashi, and the other DPi leaders have followed one lap later. That one lap of fuel may be a big deal in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Hour 21:10: The No. 5 JDC Miller Cadillac is driving slowly on the apron, seemingly dealing with a significant rear puncture. That car is already well out of contention due to a collision overnight.
Hour 21:07: At Action Express Racing, that final driver change is coming up very soon. Kamui Kobayashi is in his helmet and waiting patiently on the team's box for his turn at the wheel.
Hour 21:05: The final set of driver changes loom large in DPi. Filipe Albuquerque has been the quickest driver at Wayne Taylor Racing, but he needs to hand off the No. 10 Acura for at least some of the final three hours of this race. The two Cadillacs behind, meanwhile, have someone fast waiting in the wings.
Scott Dixon has been the fastest on track for the past thirty minutes, but his teammate, Renger van der Zande, has been even more quick this weekend. The last driver waiting in the No. 48, Kamui Kobayashi, has been the fastest driver in the entire field.
The Acura's lead is about 12 seconds on the No. 48 and 24 on the No. 01.
Hour 20:58: Scott Dixon, driving the No. 01 Cadillac, gets the better of AJ Allmendinger in the No. 60 Acura. A position change in the overall top three and the first signs of progress for a Chip Ganassi Racing car that has now cut ten seconds off its gap to the leaders in an hour.
Hour 20:50: The No. 82 DragonSpeed Racing LMP2 car, running third in class and 30 seconds behind the class leaders, is emitting smoke from just one side. That is never a good sign.
Hour 20:43: The No. 10 Acura's lead has steadily grown to 16 seconds over the course of the last two stints. That is the direct result of excellent work by Filipe Albuquerque, who has been the fastest driver in an Acura this weekend. The fear for Wayne Taylor Racing, of course, is that Albuquerque will eventually have to get out of that car and Kamui Kobayashi will eventually have to get into the No. 48.
The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing car isn't done, either. Unless the No. 60 Acura and No. 55 Mazda get much faster in the next hour, that will be the battle for the win.
Hour 20:08: The No. 57 Mercedes once again has competition for the GTD lead. That fight is now coming from the No. 75 Mercedes, which faded somewhat during the final stint for funded driver Kenny Habul. Mercedes AMG GT3s run a close 1-2, while Porsches run in third and fourth, half a minute behind the leaders.
Hour 19:46: A lot of sudden attrition in GTD, where the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche that was previously running on the lead lap turns behind the wall on the backstretch. A worrying sign for that car.
There are worrying signs for the No. 21, too. That Ferrari is in the pit lane and appears to have some pretty significant damage from its collision with the turn 1 tires.
Hour 19:44: It had been brewing for hours, and, finally, the GTD battle has gone where it was always going to go. The No. 21 Ferrari is in the wall in turn 1, spinning after an aggressive move on the outside forced the No. 57 Mercedes off-line, into the grass, and back into the Ferrari. The No. 57 Mercedes retains the lead, while the No. 21 Ferrari will need to stop for a flat tire resulting from that spin.
The stewards will want to review that one.
Hour 19:22: Notably, the Corvettes have built a gap of eight seconds on the BMW in third in GTLM. That five-car battle has been within 30 seconds all race, but the BMWs have largely been within striking distance of the Corvettes since sunrise.
Hour 19:07: Magnussen is listed at 36 seconds behind the leaders after his penalty. Also intriguing is the the No. 55 Mazda, which is listed 56 seconds behind the leaders as they run.
Hour 18:54: Kevin Magnussen and the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac, the overall leaders of this race, have just been handed a drive-through penalty for a rotating tire during their most recent stop under caution. That car will lose both the lead and a very significant chunk of time.
Hour 18:51: Kevin Magnussen does not seem to be particularly patient, and he has the No. 01 Cadillac back in the lead after a quick move on the No. 10 Acura. Simon Pagenaud, in third, is in hot pursuit of the leaders in the No. 48 Cadillac.
Hour 18:48: Back to green. The No. 10 Acura leads the field, but the Wayne Taylor Racing team put scuffed tires back on for this stint.
Hour 18:43, Caution #10: The GTD battle, now down to the No. 57 Mercedes and No. 21 Ferrari, has again flipped, this time in the pits. The Mercedes will lead that class again on this restart. The other GTD cars on the lead lap, now bunched up by the safety car and largely done with amateur driver time restrictions, should join that battle when the race resumes.
Hour 18:35, Caution #10: File this one under potentially significant but potentially meaningless: This yellow caught the No. 55 Mazda, fast all day but never fast enough to earn its laps back after an early issue caused by a steering wheel swap before the race even began, one lap down rather than two. IMSA wave-around procedures mean that this car now has a realistic chance of getting back on the lead lap before the end of the race.
Hour 18:32, Caution #10: Another caution for debris. Five and a half hours remain, and this could either be the last restart of the day or the start of a flurry of cautions.
The issue with the No. 31 Cadillac is an exhaust manifold, a catastrophe for a car that has seemingly been bulletproof since its debut.
Hour 18:28: The battle between Magnussen and Rossi, two former Formula 1 drivers with very different full-time assignments this season, has only gotten more intense. Magnussen briefly takes the lead back, swinging aggressively on the outside into the bus stop chicane, but the aggressive move costs him on corner exit, and Rossi takes the position back immediately.
Hour 18:25: NBC's broadcast missed an earlier overall lead change during a recorded interview, with Kevin Magnussen moving the No. 01 Cadillac back to the front of the field. The broadcast catches another, however; Alexander Rossi has moved past Magnussen heading into turn 1 and has the lead back.
Hour 18:23: The No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac, running in the top five all day and an expected contender for the overall win, is behind the wall as driver Pipo Derani reports that the car is stuck in third gear. This is a race-ruining moment for a team that also expects to contend for IMSA championships.
Hour 18:14: A minor issue for Simon Pagenaud, who locks up the No. 48 Action Express Racing Cadillac heading into turn six. He gets back going without further issue, but that will cost a car that was already 30 seconds behind the overall leader a hefty chunk of time.
Hour 18:07: Kevin Magnussen now has the Ganassi Cadillac within three seconds of the WTR Acura. The last few times this battle has come close on track, the position instead changed hands in the pit lane. The last on-track battle for the lead not between these two cars ended when Kamui Kobayashi spun in turn 1. With under six hours remaining, these battles only become more important and more aggressive.
Hour 18:00: Normally, this is the point where one would complain about NBC showing an interview full-screen instead of a race. But this interview is with Tom Kristensen, who just revealed that he owns a full Audi R18 from a championship-winning WEC season and has it parked in his home in the same room as his trophies and firesuits.
Hour 17:25: Renger van der Zande did not mean this as a compliment, but this is as ringing an endorsement of Kamui Kobayashi's effective recklessness as you'll find from a competitor:
#Rolex24: "Kamui is a fantastic driver but if he's behind you, you better watch."
Hour 17:04: No driver change for the No. 10 Acura means that Wayne Taylor Racing's entry is back in the race lead after the most recent cycle of stops. The No. 60 Acura of Meyer Shank Racing also jumped the No. 01 Cadillac in this cycle, but Kevin Magnussen quickly passed that car back to avoid falling to third for long. The WTR car's lead is seven seconds. All three major classes (DPi, GTLM, and GTD) have had close battles for the lead all day long.
Hour 17:02: Maro Engel, driving the No. 57 Mercedes, has held off an aggressive move by Daniel Serra's No. 21 Ferrari into turn 1 each of the past four laps. Most recently, Engel did so by making some light side-by-side contact with the Ferrari. That battle continues.
Hour 16:58: Once again, we have a fight for the lead in GTD. The No. 21 Ferrari is now chasing the No. 57 Mercedes, four seconds ahead of the No. 16 Porsche.
Hour 16:42: Something to note about that list of top drivers in this race: All of Kobayashi, van der Zande, and Dixon are defending race winners. None of them are continuing with last year's winning team, Wayne Taylor Racing. Their new Acura is still running second overall, but that is a substantial amount of both full-time and part-time talent to lose in one offseason.
Hour 16:38: Renger van der Zande is already back in the lead, making quick work of both Acuras. The Ganassi Cadillac seems to be the class of the field, and only Kamui Kobayashi seems to have anything for their van der Zande and Dixon.
Hour 16:34: Other Cadillac entrants are raising some interesting observations about the No. 01 Cadillac, which has been exceptionally quick throughout today's race:
Pipo on the radio about Renger: “He’s really quick on the straight. I didn’t even see him coming.” It’s not the first time I’ve heard a Cadillac driver comment on the Ganassi car’s straight line speed, either.#IMSA #Rolex24
Hour 16:32: Corvette Racing is back to a 1-2 in GTLM yet again. This time, car No. 4 leads car No. 3.
Hour 16:28: Back to green. Renger van der Zande is already back up to third after an excellent restart from fifth in DPi.
Hour 16:22, Caution #10: Cars on the lead lap in each class under this caution, 2/3rds of the way through the race:
DPi: 10, 60, 31, 48, 01 LMP2: 8, 18 LMP3: 74 GTLM: 4, 62, 3, 25, 24 GTD: 75, 57, 16, 1, 9, 21
Hour 16:20, Caution #10: The oddly-timed stop for the No. 01, the potential floor damage for the No. 31, and the spin fighting for the lead for the No. 48 have knocked all three remaining healthy Cadillacs down the order, and, for the first time today, Acura's two cars run 1-2. Wayne Taylor Racing's No. 10 leads Meyer Shank Racing's No. 60.
Hour 16:15, Caution #10: For unclear reasons, the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac is choosing to stop a few laps after the rest of the DPi field. Renger van der Zande will stay in that car.
CGR is now undergoing a front bodywork change, likely to quickly get to a new downforce setting for the remainder of the race that better suits the conditions as the track heats up. This is a strategy the team has used in the past, particularly when they ran the older, lower downforce Daytona Prototypes in this race before their Ford GT program.
Hour 16:10, Caution #10: The caution is out for the No. 52 LMP2 car, which spun in the infield, stalled, and is now rolling backwards through the grass.
Hour 16:06: Pipo Derani briefly takes third overall in the No. 31 Cadillac, but Dane Cameron gets the spot back in the No. 60 Acura. Derani is pitting this time anyway, and was politely told by his team not to force the issue. With under eight hours left, however, the time to force the issue is coming up quickly.
Hour 16:00: Another lead change in GTLM. The No. 4 Corvette is now back out front, with driver Tommy Milner passing his teammate while holding off the No. 25 BMW close behind. Those three cars are still all very much in an active battle for position.
Hour 15:58 Light contact between the No. 97 Aston Martin and No. 64 Porsche has left the Aston Martin stuck in the grass inside the bus stop chicane and the Porsche in the outside wall. Both re-start and continue. The Aston Martin was running seventh, on the tail end of the lead lap, in GTD.
Hour 15:55: After the most recent cycle of GTLM stops, Corvettes No. 3 and No. 4 are back ahead of BMW No. 24 for the lead in that class.
The No. 75 Mercedes, running third in GTD, has a puncture and will need to limp back to the pits immediately after a scheduled stop.
Hour 15:50: A worrying report for the No. 31 Action Express Cadillac, currently running fourth overall:
Listening in to team radio and Pipo Derani is reporting some vibration at high speed in the No 31 Cadillac. They’ve been dealing with suspected floor damage throughout the overnight hours.#IMSA #Rolex24
Hour 15:25: The lead change happened during a pre-recorded segment on NBC, but the No. 21 is now clear into the lead in GTD after passing on the outside in the NASCAR trioval.
Hour 15:20: This heated restart has caused a flurry of action in all three currently-competitive classes, but the most heated battle on the track is still in GTD, where Matteo Cressoni has now moved the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari into second with a real shot at the race lead. Cressoni is applying heavy pressure to the class leader.
Hour 15:17: The GTD battle, between Mercedes No. 57 and Mercedes No. 75, is heating up again. The No. 21 Ferrari is close behind, waiting patiently for either Mercedes to make a mistake. Seven GTD cars are on the lead lap, but those three have a gap of a full minute on the three Porsches running fourth through sixth.
Hour 15:13: Cadillac No. 01's lead is just 2 seconds. Notably, that lead is over the No. 60 Acura of Meyer Shank Racing, a car that has been among the leaders all day but, unlike the other Acura from Wayne Taylor Racing, has yet to lead any laps today. With the lone Mazda quietly struggling and the No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac well off the pace after an earlier crash, this is shaping up to be a five-car race for the overall win.
Hour 15:07: Meanwhile, GTLM seems to be in play for someone besides Corvette Racing for the first time all day. The No. 25 BMW grabbed the lead on the restart, and now the No. 62 Ferrari is pressuring both Corvettes for second. James Calado is in that Ferrari, Connor de Philippi is in the BMW, and Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner are in the Corvettes.
Hour 15:05: Kamui Kobayashi saw his chance for the overall lead and took it, diving hard into turn 1. He didn't have the position, and he chose to spin the car rather than driving through the No. 01, sparing both from significant damage. Renger van der Zande now has the Ganassi car leading comfortably, while Kobayashi's Action Express car will fall to last on the lead lap.
Hour 15:02: Back to green. The sun is rising, and Cadillacs No. 01 and 48 are again fighting for the overall lead.
Hour 14:38, Caution#9: A full course yellow has been called to clean up debris, a roadside advertisement brought onto the racing line by contact from the No. 79 Porsche, on track.
Hour 14:24: The race is back on NBC Sports Network and will be on TV to its conclusion. Terrible news for creators of power ballad compilations, who now need to find somewhere else to broadcast.
Hour 14:03: With sunrise coming soon, racing fans everywhere should be thankful that this year's race seems unlikely to have a major fog problem. Recent Rolex 24s have been delayed and even stopped by fog just before sunrise.
Hour 13:34: Back to green. The No. 48 Cadillac, No. 8 LMP2 car, No. 74 LMP3 car, No. 4 Corvette, and No. 57 Mercedes are your class leaders.
Hour 13:14, Caution #8: The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing team is taking this safety car opportunity to do a brake change on their Acura DPi. Their brake change is relatively slow, but this is no major issue under safety car anyway.
Because of the change, the No. 48 Cadillac will move into the race lead.
Hour 13:02, Caution #8: The No. 52 LMP2 car, running well off the pace in that class, is stopped in the infield and facing the wrong way. The car is not re-starting, so the car's recovery will bring out the eighth full course caution of the day.
Hour 12:50: The overnight hours are melting away, and, apart from the painful penalty for the No. 01 Cadillac, nothing has changed significantly on track in quite some time. The remaining contenders in GTLM are all running within a 30 second window behind the leading Corvettes, the GTD field is still being led by the No. 57 Mercedes while cycling seemingly at random as teams do brake changes and give their weaker drivers overnight seat time, and the LMP2 and LMP3 races are still fairly non-competitive. The No. 8 leads LMP2 by 40 seconds, while the No. 74 leads LMP3 by three full laps.
Hour 12:35: The beneficiary of the No. 01's penalty is the No. 31 Cadillac. That Action Express Racing car has moved from fifth to third overall, gaining one position from that penalty and another by passing the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura.
Hour 12:30: The No. 01's charge to the lead will be a little bit more difficult than that. Dixon has served a stop-plus-twenty penalty for speeding by an extreme margin on the pit lane. That car is more than a minute behind the leaders, but remains on the lead lap.
Hour 12:25: Scott Dixon is back in the No. 01 Cadillac, which should be back to running third after this set of stops cycles. Dixon has been among the fastest drivers in this race, and the Ganassi team's three-driver rotation means he and fellow timing sheet standout Renger van der Zande have been in the car for the majority of the race.
In the stints they don't run, Chip Ganassi Racing turns to 2020 Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen. A very strong lineup.
Hour 12:14: That undiagnosed mechanical issue appears to be the direct result of contact with the No. 11 LMP2 car, which you may remember from its brake problems that have taken it out of contention in-class.
Hour 12:10: The No. 10 GTD Audi is heading behind the wall with an undiagnosed mechanical issue. That car had been driving slowly around the apron for the past few minutes and will not bring out a safety car.
Hour 12:00: Congratulations, you've made it to the halfway mark! 12 hours remain in this race. Yes, at 3:40 AM local time. This late start was certainly a strange choice!
Hour 11:58: The No. 11 LMP2 car is in the garage after failing to fix an earlier brake problem. That car, previously the class leader, is now three laps down.
Hour 11:50: Pagenaud never got past Albuquerque, and has since been replaced in that No. 48 Cadillac by Mike Rockenfeller, who runs three seconds behind the No. 10 Acura leading overall.
Hour 11:30: Albuquerque has been under consistent pressure from Pagenaud for ten minutes, but retains his lead by about half a second.
If you order the power ballad compilation in the next 18 minutes, you also get a Queen compilation.
Hour 11:28: Wait, isn't an all power ballad compilation too many power ballads in a row? You can only listen to two power ballads in a row, max. That's just too much concentrated emotion. Every classic rock DJ knows you need to dilute that with album cuts and fluffy stadium rock hits. What is NBC Sports Network doing?!
Hour 11:20: The battle for the overall lead is back under a second again. This time, the No. 10 Acura is being chased by the No. 48 Cadillac with Filipe Albuquerque and Simon Pagenaud in the cars, respectively.
While Pagenaud aggressively pursues the lead, NBC Sports Newtork has moved on to paid programming. The race can still be found on their online stream, as the television broadcast has been deemed less important than a TimeLife infomercial for a power ballad compilation.
Hour 10:47: The No. 14 Lexus, the remaining healthy Vasser Sulivan entry after the No. 12 caught fire earlier in the race, spent about fifteen minutes behind the wall with a "water systems issue" and is now running four laps down in-class:
Water systems issue, whatever that means
Hour 10:40: The great GTD tumult continues: The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes now leads the #75 Sun Energy 1 Mercedes, while the No. 21 Ferrari that has led for the past few hours now runs third.
Hour 10:35: The No. 55 Mazda stops under green to repair a broken taillight. That car is running sixth, now two laps down.
With the No. 5 Cadillac well out of contention after its issues resulting from an earlier crash, three Cadillacs and two Acuras make up the lead lap, and by extent, the group contending to win overall.
Hour 10:30: Back to green. Filipe Albuquerque makes a great choice on the restart, and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura becomes the first non-Cadillac to lead overall. A poor restart from the lead now has Ganassi's Kevin Magnussen holding off Simon Pagenaud for second.
Hour 10:25, Caution #7: The No. 48 Cadillac just underwent a serious service under the safety car, ending with the car not starting under its own power. A quick push got the Cadillac DPi going again, but that is a worrying sign for a leading contender with more than 13 hours left in this one.
Hour 10:10, Caution #7: Lexus No. 12, the Vasser Sullivan GTD entry that had gone laps down with an issue after leading the early portion of this race, is stopped and on fire in the bus stop chicane. The safety car is out to recover it.
Hour 9:58: Speaking of LMP3, the No. 54 CORE Autosport car is back in the garage with a brake issue. That car was running fourth in class after being the first LMP3 entry to make a mandatory brake change.
Broken brake reservoir - going back to the garage. #Rolex24
Hour 9:56: Don't forget that an LMP3 race is happening here! Yes, at one point a car led by two laps. Yes, that lead is now under a minute.
The No. 6, the class leader from Muelhner Motorsports, just had a brief off-track excursion at the bus stop chicane without ever actually coming to a stop or turning in the wrong direction. That car returns with fairly minor damage and seems to have lost very little time.
Hour 9:43: As one might expect, lap-by-lap data seems to show that the Cadillacs have a modest pace advantage on both the Acuras and the lone Mazda.
Hour 9:28: Vindication! The No. 5 Cadillac's penalty has been rescinded:
Per #IMSA, penalty on the No. 5 (Vautier) has been rescinded. Doesn’t change much though, the car has been behind the wall for 20+ minutes.#IMSA #Rolex24
Of course, that car is still behind the wall and their race is still effectively over.
Hour 9:23: The previous incident between the No. 5 Cadillac and No. 16 Porsche has already been decided on by the stewards, but Jan Heylen, driver of the Porsche, says another car was involved. An NBC audit of blurry camera feeds seems to show involvement by that third car: The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche currently running fourth in GTD. Folks, the plot has thickened.
Hour 9:20: The lead has changed during that last cycle of stops. Jimmie Johnson, who was about 3/4ths of a second ahead of Renger van der Zande before that cycle of stops, has fallen to second as van der Zande takes the lead for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Cadillac No. 5 is still behind the wall, a catastrophic result for that team.
Hour 9:08: The situation with the No. 5 Cadillac has gone from bad to worse: When Tristan Vautier gets back on track, he will have to serve a penalty for causing the collision that sent the Cadillac behind the wall.
Hour 9:07: For the first time today, a contender for the overall win has a problem.
It's the No. 5 JDC Miller Cadillac, behind the wall with an undisclosed issue after light contact with the No. 16 Porsche. That car's engine cover is currently off and it will likely lose a few laps. Driver Tristan Vautier has had that car running around fourth for the majority of this stint, but it led earlier in the race.
Hour 9:00: A huge test coming up for NASCAR legend and IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson: Renger van der Zande has been quicker this entire stint, but not significantly so. Now, he's a second and a half behind Johnson and will soon have a shot to fight for the lead. How will Johnson handle the pressure of a fight for position in what is effectively his first-ever race in a downforce car?
Hour 8:40: One of the great appeals of this race as it exists today is that so many of racing's best drivers are given a chance to compete for the overall win in fast, modern cars. Obviously the on-track battles are the highlight, but lap time comparisons allow us to review drivers who haven't been near each other on track yet. This average speed metric is particularly interesting, rewarding both speed and consistency.
Average DPi lap times after 8 hours. A lot of people on the timeline praising Kobayashi. It's warranted. pic.twitter.com/RXfyOVusc2
Kamui Kobayashi is the headline, as fast as he looks. Scott Dixon's pace, best for a part-time driver, is similarly impressive.
Hour 8:35: Jimmie Johnson is back in the No. 48, his second stint of the day. He spent most of his first stint getting used to the car, but will now inherit a race lead. He will be chased by Renger van der Zande in the Ganassi car, a serious test for Johnson.
Hour 8:15: Kamui Kobayashi now has a 15 second lead, and has been so consistently fast that co-driver Jimmie Johnson was caught on camera shaking his head in such disbelief that NBC sent a pit reporter over to make sure Johnson did not just get race-alteringly bad news. Kobayashi has been exceptionally in these Cadillac DPis since he joined Wayne Taylor Racing in this role two years ago.
Hour 7:48: Another hour, another three-car battle for the GTD lead. This time, it's the No. 21 Ferrari, No. 1 Lamborghini, and No. 9 Porsche all covered by two seconds.
Hour 7:36: Cadillac No. 48 is back to the overall lead, thanks to a nifty outside-inside move into turn 1 by Action Express driver Kamui Kobayashi.
Hour 7:30: The No. 3 Corvette is now ahead of the No. 4 Corvette, but GTLM is still a 1-2 for the C8.R
Hour 7:02: The No. 48's lead lasts all of one lap, and Scott Dixon has the No. 01 back into the lead
Hour 7:01: Duval serves his penalty, and the No. 48 Action Express Cadillac leads for the first time today. All four Cadillacs entered in this race have led at one point or another.
Hour 6:58: The No. 5 Cadillac has been given a drive-through penalty for Loic Duval's aggressive move on the restart, which was deemed a jump. When Duval serves the penalty, the No. 48 will inherit the race lead.
Hour 6:50: Back to green. Helio Castroneves makes a huge swing in the No. 10 Acura and briefly moves up to the lead before falling back to fourth. Dixon, the leader, falls to third, and Loic Duval has moved the No. 5 Cadillac into the race lead overall.
Hour 6:45, Caution #6: The CORE No. 54 LMP3 entry is undergoing an early brake change during this safety car. That car, being run by the team that recently ran Porsche's factory GTLM program, is among the heavy favorites in LMP3, but has not been among the leaders today.
Hour 6:30, Caution #6: The No. 19 Lamborghini is stopped on track, bringing out the safety car. That car has been running well behind the leaders in GTD after having run out of fuel during its last stint.
Hour 6:26: The No. 74 LMP3 car, the Riley Motorsports entry, leads by two laps. That, for those keeping score at home, is a massive lead in hour six of a 24 hour race.
Hour 6:20: After the most recent cycle of stops, Scott Dixon has his first lead of this long stint. He has the No. 01 Cadillac leading overall and in DPi by less than a second.
Hour 6:05: The No. 38 LMP3 car spins in the bus stop chicane. That's the first incident for an LMP3 car in a few hours, somewhat surprising given the widespread expectation that LMP3's unique pace and wealth of inexperienced young drivers would lead to many, many incidents.
A little bit of smoke is billowing from the car. Disconcerting.
Hour 5:58: The No. 12 Lexus is back on track, per Vasser Sullivan crew member Bozi Tatarevic:
The #12 has been repaired and is heading back on track.
Hour 5:35: The GTD group is as close to even on fuel as it has been in an hour. The No. 16 Porsche leads the No. 1 Lamborghini and No. 14 Lexus as they run. Aston Martin No. 23 and Mercedes No. 57 are ten and fifteen seconds back, respectively.
Hour 5:25: Corvette No. 4, the GTLM leader, is off at the International Horseshoe, but returns to the track without any real issue. Corvette No. 3 still runs in second.
Hour 5:15: The issue with Lexus No. 12 was an overheating problem caused by debris that went into the car's air intake after chunk of the front bumper came off during a previous off-track excursion. That car is still in the garage and will lose quite a few laps. In a 19-car class, that likely spells the end of any hope of contention.
Hour 5:14: GRT Grasser Lamborghini No. 19 is out of fuel and struggling to coast back to the pit lane. The car makes its way to the pit lane, but will need to be pushed a few hundred feet to the stall. That car, running on the lead lap in GTD before the issue, will lose a lap or two.
Hour 5:08: Lexus No. 12, an early leader and one of the strongest entries in GTD, is currently behind the wall and being driven to the garage. A very worrying sign for a very fast car.
Hour 5:05: Dixon actually cycles through seven seconds behind Bourdais. The only close battle on track is the one for the GTD lead, currently led by the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini over the No. 16 Porsche and No. 21 Ferrari.
Hour 5:00: Scott Dixon attempts an aggressive move to the outside, but Bourdais holds him off. Bourdais stops the No. 5, and Dixon assumes the lead while we await stops cycling through.
Hour 4:53: A flurry of action in GTD now has the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche in the class lead. At this point in the GTD race, with so many cars still on the lead lap and so many cars on different fuel cycles, the top ten will shuffle until another strong car takes a lead and pulls away with it.
Hour 4:50: Another lead change in GTD: The No. 97 Aston Martin has moved past the No. 57 Mercedes.
Hour 4:48: That overall battle is back under a second and Dixon is within striking range. If Dixon is faster and fights for the spot, Bourdais likely won't fight too hard to keep him back at this point in the race.
Hour 4:38: The battle for the overall lead is still between the No. 5 JDC Miller Cadillac and the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac, but former Ford GT program teammates Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon are now the drivers in those cars. Bourdais leads Dixon by three seconds in what is the current closest battle for a lead on track.
Hour 4:26: For US viewers, the broadcast will now move to online streaming for the next three hours before returning to cable later tonight.
Hour 4:10: Lexus No. 12, running outside of the top ten in GTD after a penalty, spins at full speed in the bus stop chicane. The car did not hit anything, but it is certainly a worrying sign for the early leader trying to recover and leap back into contention
Hour 4:03: After a few strong laps by marquee signing Kevin Magnussen, the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac has cut a twenty second overall lead to just five seconds. Tristan Vautier still has the No. 5 Cadillac in front, but that may not last long.
Hour 4:00: A rare lead change in GTD, where the No. 57 Mercedes has moved into the lead after Lexus driver Kyle Kirkwood got caught up in traffic. This is the first lead of the day for the Winward Racing Mercedes.
Hour 3:58: The No. 24 BMW has received a drive-through penalty for spinning the No. 33 LMP3 entry. Not great for the BMW, which is running fourth in class. We are just four hours in and BMW Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars have now been penalized for causing an incident.
Hour 3:45: Turner Motorsports confirms that the team will earn a drive-through, adding that driver Bill Auberlin, who had some fuel splashed in his eyes during the stop, will be fine.
Update: James, who was on the fuel hose, is fine. Bill will be ok as well. Scary, yes. Did we deserve the penalty? Absolutely. #Tms400 https://t.co/RFp0XlSfNj
Hour 3:37: The No. 96 Turner Motorsports BMW, an older M6 GT3 rather than the M8 GTE car that the GTLM BMW team runs, will be expecting a penalty after an unsafe release from the pit lane saw fuel leak throughout their pit stall. That car, an expected contender alongside the Vasser Sulivan Lexus entries, is currently running second in GTD, but was running fourth before this most recent cycle of stops.
Hour 3:30: The No. 5's overall lead is up to 15 seconds, the largest of any DPi leader today.
In GTD, the No. 57 Mercedes is now within a second of the leading Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Two separate Lexus entries have held that position today, but the team have not yet been seriously contested at any point in the race.
Hour 3:10: After an incredible battle, the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes has moved past the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin for second in GTD. both are still well behind the leading Lexus.
Hour 3:03: The #81 DragonSpeed LMP2 car, involved in an earlier incident that brought out a safety car, is the first retirement of this weekend's race. Nine LMP2 cars are still running, and seven of those are on the lead lap.
Hour 2:55: Chase Elliott is now in the No. 31 Cadillac, which means it is time for NASCAR's current champion to adjust to some of the stranger elements of driving a sports car:
AXR crew just came over the radio to remind Chase Elliott to flash his lights at the GT traffic. Not used to having functioning headlights I guess!
Hour 2:50: After some tumult at the front of each class, your leaders in LMP2 and LMP3 are now the No. 18 Era Motorsport and No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport cars, respectively.
Hour 2:45: Cadillac No. 5 and Acura No. 10, the direct beneficiaries of the problems for the two leading Action Express Racing Cadillacs during the last caution period, are in an intense battle for the overall lead. The Acura seems fast enough to keep up with the Cadillac.
Hour 2:40: Back to green. James Calado, driver of the No. 62 Ferrari, has been handed a penalty for responsibility in the earlier crash.
Hour 2:27, Caution #4: The No. 31 and No. 48 Cadillacs are stopping for emergency service, meaning they are pitting in a closed lane so they don't run out of fuel before the pits officially open. A catastrophe for both, who will still have to make a full stop. Those were two of the top three cars in overall, but they will re-start at the back of the DPi field.
Hour 2:23, Caution #4: The No. 62 Risi Competizione was just fighting for the GTLM lead. Now, it's in a wall. The No. 38 LMP car made hard contact with the Ferrari going into the bus stop chicane, spinning the Ferrari and bringing out the safety car.
Neither car is particularly damaged, and the Ferrari was able to get back going immediately after the crash, but debris and barrier repairs force a stoppage here.
The Performance Tech LMP3 car involved in that incident was leading that class. The Ferrari was running second in its class. The two cars on either side of the wreck were first and third in GTLM.
Hour 2:19: The best battle on track is, unsurprisingly, in GTLM. The No. 4 Corvette leads by just under a second, and the No. 62 Ferrari and No. 24 BMW are divided by less than two tenths of a second. Three of the category's four manufacturers are fighting for the class lead.
Hour 2:05: Back to green. The No. 14 Lexus is back into the lead in GTD.
Hour 1:58, Caution #3: The No. 29 LMP2 car is in the wall in the infield, stuck in a tire barrier. The safety car is out yet again.
Hour 1:56: Cadillac No. 01, the Chip Ganassi Racing car, has moved into the lead with a strong move into the bus stop chicane. Driver Renger van der Zande had no patience for running second and is now pulling away. Cadillacs run 1-2-3-4.
Hour 1:48: After an unusually long caution, we are back to green. Cadillac No. 31 has a considerable overall lead after the restart.
Hour 1:28, Caution #2: After stops under yellow, the No. 31 Cadillac now leads the No. 48 Cadillac previously driven by Jimmie Johnson. Felipe Nasr is still in the leading car, and Simon Pagenaud will be chasing him in the 48.
The cycle of stops has left Corvette No. 4 at the front in GTLM, while Aston Martin No. 23, Lamborghini No. 18, and Aston Martin No. 97 are now ahead of the No. 14 Lexus that inherited the GTD lead when the No. 12 Lexus had an issue in the pit lane. The Cetilar Racing No. 47 and Performance Tech No. 38 lead LMP2 and LMP3, respectively.
Hour 1:15, Caution #2: Well, that did not work.
The No. 81 LMP2 car made some contact with the wall, bringing out a full course caution to pick up debris. Other prototypes are in their fuel window and will be expected to pit here.
Hour 1:12: The No. 81 LMP2 car of DragonSpeed Racing is slow on track after locking up into turn 1 and making contact with the guardrail. That car is running without major issue, but will obviously need repairs after high-speed contact with a wall.
Hour 1:05: Lexus No. 12, the former GTD leader, had a transponder issue during its first stop and has fallen well behind the class leaders. A crushing blow for Vasser Sullivan, whose No. 14 Lexus now leads.
Hour 1:00: The GTD and GTLM leaders are beginning to filter into the pit lane for their first stops of the day.
Hour 0:58: The No. 44 GTD Acura, the Magnus Racing car, is in the pit lane with an issue resulting from a flat tire that was dragged around the track for a full lap. That car will have some damage to repair and will need to catch back up to the GTD leaders.
Hour 0:53: Cadillac No. 5 is through into second overall, and Cadillac No. 01 follows into third. That battle is about five seconds behind the leading Cadillac.
The No. 60 Acura is about half a minute behind the leaders after a mistake while making a tire change. Driver Dane Cameron is ten seconds behind the No. 48 Cadillac, an expected contender from Action Express Racing currently being driven by NASCAR star and new IndyCar Series rookie Jimmie Johnson.
Hour 0:45: The No. 10 Acura of Wayne Taylor Racing leads after the first set of stops, the first lead of the day for a non-Cadillac.
This lasts all of one lap: Felipe Nasr makes an aggressive move into turn 1, and the No. 31 Cadillac leads again. The No. 01 Cadillac and N0. 5 Cadillac are right behind the Acura and ready to make moves of their own.
Corvette No. 3 still leads in GTLM, but the Risi Competizione Ferrari has passed Corvette No. 4 for second. Lexus No. 12, one of the pre-race favorites, still leads in GTD.
Hour 0:38: The two Acuras, No. 60 and No. 10, both stopped a full lap after the rest of the DPi field, potentially indicating stronger fuel mileage for this race. The lone Mazda, No. 55, meanwhile, will have to serve a drive-through penalty.
Hour 0:32: Chip Ganassi Racing's Cadillac, No. 01, is the first of the field's leaders to stop. All other DPi entries should stop over the next two laps.
Hour 0:30: The No. 28 GTD entry has made a late change, replacing their driver Michael de Quesada with veteran Mike Skeen after de Quesada tested positive for COVID-19 earlier today. Their Mercedes AMG GT3 currently runs eleventh in class.
Hour 0:15: Back to green. Cadillac No. 31 is away with the lead, but a poor restart for the No. 60 has moved that Acura to fourth. The order is now Cadillac-Cadillac-Cadillac-Acura-Acura-Mazda-Cadillac overall.
Two LMP3 cars make contact battling for the lead, and the No. 6, the former class leader, is limping around the track with what looks to be a suspension issue. The No. 7 now leads that class.
Hour 0:11, Caution #1: The No. 25 BMW, driven by Kevin Estre, has served a drive-through penalty for its involvement in the incident at the start of the race. Estre now runs last in class, mired within GTD traffic.
Leads have not changed in the three major classes since the No. 12 Lexus moved into the GTD lead under green. The No. 52 Pr1 Mathiasen and No. 6 Muehlner Motorsports cars lead LMP2 and LMP3, respectively.
Hour 0:10, Caution #1: The No. 79 GTLM Porsche has finally lost its entire rear bumper, and it came off right in the middle of the racing line. A GTD Mercedes nearly hit it at full speed avoiding the DPi leaders, so the safety car is out for the first time today to pick up the sizable debris.
Hour 0:06: Acura No. 60 has moved into second, passing the No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac in a move that takes nearly four corners. Felipe Nasr leads by 3 seconds in the No. 31 Cadillac.
Hour 0:04: For the first time, Cadillac no longer holds the top three positions overall. Their No. 01, the Chip Ganassi Racing entry, has lost third on track to the No. 60 Acura of Meyer Shank Racing. Some Cadillac drivers have accused the two Acura teams of sandbagging throughout the week, and there is a very real chance those Acuras are much faster than advertised.
Lexus No. 12 takes the lead in GTD, the first lead change in any class of the day.
Hour 0:02: We are two laps into the race, and Mazda's No. 55 has already had an issue with their steering wheel. That car now runs seventh and last in DPi, and that team's reduction to a one-car entry is already creating significant problems. The Mazda is fast, but reliability has been a long-term concern. Can they be a serious contender without a second entry?
The No. 31 Cadillac is away into the lead from pole. Cadillacs run 1-2-3 overall.
GT cars are coming to the green and there is already a problem. Porsche No. 79, the new GTLM entry from WeatherTech Racing, was spun by one of the two Rahal-Letterman Lanigan BMWs and made contact at low speed with the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferraris. That is half of the six-car GTLM field involved in a low-speed collision before the race has even begun.
The Porsche is the only one of the three with visible damage, a destroyed rear bumper. There is no debris, however, and no caution will be thrown. Corvette Racing leads that class in 1-2 form, and has just seen three of its four competitors take damage.
Hour 0:00: Welcome back, auto racing.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is now well into its DPi era, defined by the top class built around high-output, production-based engines paired with LMP2 cars. In two years, this will also be the formula for half of the top class at Le Mans. For now, the top class is just Cadillacs, Acuras, and a lone Mazda.
In 2023, it will feature at least Acura, Audi, and Porsche. Many more announcements are expected.
But, for now, all eyes are on the present. Cadillac and Acura have both re-structured their programs this year. Acura has lost their partnership with Team Penske, but poaching away defending race winners Wayne Taylor Racing and bringing sports car stalwarts Meyer Shank Racing back up to the top class has the program still expecting championships and major race wins. Cadillac has replaced WTR with an even bigger name, bringing Chip Ganassi Racing back to sports cars after a year off following their overwhelmingly successful run with the Ford GTLM program. Whether or not GM and all of the teams involved have made an official announcement, both are at the very least scouting out potential partnerships for the near future of LMDh. First, though, another Rolex 24 to win.
In GTLM, this is the last Rolex 24. The GT class that dates back to the ALMS days has been the home to high-level factory sports car racing in the US for a decade and a half, but dwindling car counts mean it will be merged into the GT3-based GTD category as a pro-only subclass next year. What this means for Le Mans remains to be seen, but IMSA's GT racing future is set. Corvette Racing will battle BMW and two privateer entries representing Porsche and Ferrari one more time, then they will join the high-end GTD battle currently headlined by major programs from Lexus and Acura. This year's GTD race also includes entries from McLaren, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Ferrari, and BMW, although most of those teams will not join Corvette in the pro-only sub-category set to be introduced next year.
Finally, a massively expanded LMP2 grid and a new-for-2021 LMP3 category fill out the 49-car field with two full sets of pro-am prototypes following a strict set of rules. These battles are expected to be competitive throughout the race, but the strangely low top speeds and high corner speeds of these cars could create havoc for the DPi, GTLM, and GTD competitors as the race goes on.
The race, which you can find on NBC and its affiliated platforms throughout the day, begins in ten minutes. This live blog will follow it minute-by-minute, updating periodically with timestamps representing the total number of minutes elapsed in the race.