Action Express Racing wins Rolex 24 at Daytona

Continuous coverage of the news and happenings from the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which features 13 different manufacturers competing in the twice-around-the-clock sports car race that kicks off the international motor sport calendar beginning Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.

Pre-race

Optimism abounds on the grid prior to the Rolex 24. Drivers and team engineers are confident they have what it takes to make it to the finish, while crew guys are energized even though their task of servicing the car throughout the day and night means they will feel the brunt of the grind that the twice-round-the-clock race represents.

Undoubtedly the rock star during pre-race festivities is Fernando Alonso. The two-time Formula One champion is moonlighting in the Rolex 24 as he crosses another item off his motor sport bucket list. Last year, he raced the Indianapolis 500 for the first time and nearly won before an engine failure in the closing laps ended his bid.

Much like he was at Indianapolis, Alonso is the central focus in the days leading into the Rolex 24, and his arrival has been greeted by open arms by those in attendance. During driver introductions, the Spaniard received the loudest ovation and his car was surrounded by a throng of well-wishers beforehand.

2:40 p.m.

The No. 58 Porsche of Wright Motorsports was expected to be a contender in the GT Daytona class, but those hopes suffered a setback when on the pace lap driver Robert Renauer was collected in a chain-reaction crash. Yes, on the pace lap. Exactly what transpired is not known, with even the team confused how they went from contender to also-ran before the green flag even waved.

”We have no bleeping clue what happened. We got walloped on both ends,” a Porsche crew guy explains.

4:30 p.m.

A pair of contenders in the Daytona Prototype class, Team Penske’s No. 7 Acura and Team Joest’s No. 55 Mazda, both encounter issues. The Penske had a door that wouldn’t latch, prompting driver Ricky Taylor to hold the door closed as he navigated the 3.81-mile circuit. The Joest had a left-front tire fall come off the car at speed when, following a pit stop, a lug nut wasn’t secured. Both teams made quick repairs and continued on.

Before handing off to Taylor, Helio Castroneves was behind the wheel of the Penske No. 7 and he made his presence felt during the opening hours with some aggressive driving. Twice he nearly made contact with another car, at one point even forcing Felipe Nasir to take evasive action and move onto the grass to avoid hitting Castroneves, who admitted he was a little amped up.

Castroneves is making his first Rolex 24 start since 2009, the last time team owner Roger Penske fielded a car in the race, and is with IMSA full-time this year after racing the entirety of his career in IndyCar, where he won the Indianapolis 500 three times and became its signature star after winning on the Dancing with the Stars. Thus s far, Castroneves is finding sports car has quite a few benefits compared to open-wheel racing.

”I’m going to get a massage,” Castroneves said after his opening stint. Sounds nice, huh? We don’t have that in IndyCar, I’m definitely going to take advantage of that.”

5:25 p.m.

Alonso’s first stint ends with him in 11th when he turns over the United Autosports No. 23 Ligier over to Phil Hanson.

Because the Ligier lacks overall top-end speed compared to the class leaders in Daytona Prototypes, Alonso believes rain will negate the performance advantage some cars hold while also putting a premium on a talent and experience in wet conditions. He’s not the only one who is hoping the sky opens up, with Ryan Hunter-Reay and AJ Allmendinger among those who think similarly.

6:00 p.m.

Ricky Taylor is sick. Earlier in the week he came down with the flu and spent much of the time in the days leading into the race isolated in his motorhome lest he get anyone else within the Penske camp get sick.

With Taylor ill, there were concerns whether he could go Saturday with teammates Castroneves and Graham Rahal then having to pick up the slack. But Taylor, who was part of the overall winning team a year ago (Wayne Taylor Racing), completed his scheduled second stint in the Penske No. 7 Acura and afterward said he was feeling fine.

6:40 p.m.

Thirteen different manufacturers spread across three classes — Daytona Prototypes, GT Le Mans, GT Daytona — are competing in Rolex 24. That diversity typically creates some hairy moments on the track when the faster Daytona Prototypes maneuver around slower traffic, with the other two classes typically mindful of the speed disparity.

Through the early hours, however, many a driver in the GT Le Mans and Daytona classes think it’s the Daytona Prototypes drivers who are aren’t showing any respect leading to several close calls. And the expectation is the hard-nosed racing will only escalate in the final hours.

”There are a lot of people in DP cars that shouldn’t be in DP cars,” said Katherine Legge, driver of the Michael Shank Racing No. 86 Acura in the GT Daytona class.

7:35 p.m.

It’s raining at Daytona. Despite a weather forecast that called for the rain to hold off until Sunday afternoon, the always finicky Central Florida weather produced a popup shower. The rain stopped after 15-20 minutes, though enough to soak the track and force teams to switch to wet tires.

8:40 p.m.

At the six-hour mark, the Action Express Racing No. 5 Cadillac leads overall. Whether in dry or wet conditions, Cadillac has largely dominated the Rolex 24 with only the Penske Acuras able to keep pace. Castroneves runs second, with Wayne Taylor third, the Penske No. 6 fourth and Action Express Racing’s No. 31 entry in fifth.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s pair of Fords have dominated and hold the top two positions in the GT Le Mans class. A win by either of the CGR cars would give team owner Chip Ganassi his 200th victory across all motorsports disciplines. Ganassi, who owns six overall Rolex 24 wins, was the grand marshal, and pre-race gave the command for drivers to start their engines.

Kelvin van der Linde, in an Audi for Montasplant by Land Motorsport, leads the GT Daytona class.

10:25 p.m.

Alonso and United Autosports will have to overcome a three-lap deficit after a tire failure resulted in damage to the No. 23 Ligier. Phil Hanson was behind the wheel at the time and nursed the car to pit road where the team made repairs. Upon completion, Alonso rotated into the car and returned to competition.

11:20 p.m.

Wayne Taylor Racing’s bid to win a second consecutive Rolex 24 suffered a setback after a tire failure caused damage to the No. 10 car, necessitating a trip to the garage for repairs.

Poles-sitter Renger van der Zande was driving when the failure occurred, and as he attempted to limp to pit road the car sustained damage. It marked the second tire-related issue for Wayne Taylor Racing, which had been third in the running order, however this one was more severe and cost the team nine laps to the leaders.

12:30 a.m.

After midnight is the juncture when the Rolex 24 takes an unusual turn and this year’s edition isn’t disappointing. In addition to rash of tire failures that happened to United Autosports, Wayne Taylor Racing and the Action Express Racing No. 31 car, IMSA handed a big penalty to Montaplast by Land Motorsport No. 29 Audi.

The five-minute hold penalty was assessed after officials determined Montaplast by Land Motorsport violated Balance of Performance regulation by refueling its car too quickly, breaking the maximum allotment designed to ensure parity among the different manufacturers. After serving the penalty, the team returned two laps behind class leader Michael Shank Racing No. 86 Acura.

1:10 a.m.

The woes of United Autosports continued when a brake failure caused Alonso to miss the first corner and sent the No. 23 car to the garage for new rotors. Thirty-five minutes later, the Ligier headed back onto the track with Lando Norris taking over driving duties, 24 laps down.

1:50 a.m.

Stemming from the rash of mechanical troubles and tire problems that hampered the front-leading cars, Team Penske and Action Express Racing have taken control as the race nears the halfway point.

The Penske Acuras currently driven by Simon Pagenaud (No. 6) and Graham Rahal (No. 7) run first and second. The Action Express Cadillacs driven by Christian Fittipaldi (No. 5) and Mike Conway (No. 31) are third and fourth. These are the only four cars currently on the lead lap.

2:30 a.m.

Graham Rahal appears to overdrive Turn 1 and spins the race-leading No. 7 Penske Acura, though he doesn’t hit anything. He re-fires the car and continues on, but falls to fourth overall.

Simon Pagenaud inherits the lead after Rahal’s incident, leading Christian Fittipaldi by a little more than four seconds. Mike Conway is third.

2:40 a.m.

The Rolex 24 is at halfway. Leading overall is Simon Pagenaud in the Penske No. 6 Acura, with Action Express Racing’s No. 5 entry currently driven by Christian Fittipaldi in the second position.

3:20 a.m.

An alternator has sent the Penske No. 6 Acura to the garage for repairs. That car, currently driven by Dane Cameron, was leading at times during the overnight period. The No. 5 and No. 31 Cadillacs of Action Express Racing and the Penske No. 7 are now the only three cars left remaining on the lead lap.

Chip Ganassi Racing continues to run 1-2 in the GT Le Mans class, with the No. 66 Ford ahead of the No. 67.

4:50 a.m.

Just the third full course caution of the race comes when Park Place Motorsports No. 78 Porsche runs wide entering the bus stop chicane and gets into the tire barriers. Jorg Bergmeister was able to drive the car back to pit road for repairs.

6:30 a.m.

Contact between the Penske No. 7 Acura and the Action Express Racing No. 31 Cadillac sent the Penske behind the wall. Replays were inconclusive about what unfolded between the contending cars, but there is no dispute of the end result. The Penske had damage to the left side body and the radiator.

Helio Castroneves was driving for Penske at the time, with Felipe Nasr driving for Action Express. The incident leaves the Action Express No. 5 entry as the lone car on the lead lap, two circuits clear of the second-place No. 31 car.

7:30 a.m.

Wayne Taylor Racing will not defend its Rolex 24 title. Repeated rear-tire failures that damaged the suspension prompted the team to withdraw the No. 10 Cadillac, lest another failure occurs causing a crash that injures one of its drivers. The team suffered a minimum of five flats before heading to the garage and calling it a race.

Another notable that won’t see the finish is Team Joest’s No. 55 Mazda due to a fire that engulfed the rear of the car. Driver Jonathan Bomarito pulled off the course in the International Horseshoe turn where marshals quickly extinguished the flames. Bomarito was uninjured.

9:05 a.m.

Mechanical gremlins continue to plague United Autosports No. 23 Ligier car, dampening Alonso’s Rolex 24 debut. The latest hiccup forced a second extended trip to the garage, and after the repairs were made, the team returned to competition 35 laps behind the leaders.

Alonso, a two-time Formula One champion competing for the first time in an endurance race, entered the weekend hoping to leave with a podium finish. Any chance, however, was erased by issues that were beyond his control — though the Spaniard turned in competitive lap times when the car was performing to its fullest capability.

”The goal is to just finish my first endurance race,” Alonso said. “The pace was there. We are second, third fastest. I am having fun every stint. I don’t want to get out of the car because I am enjoying it.”

10:30 a.m.

With attrition having taken its toll on several contenders, Action Express Racing has capitalized and seized command with four hours remaining. The No. 5 Cadillac is out front and alone on the lead lap, holding a three-lap advantage over Action Express Racing’s No. 31 car, which resides in second place.

Chip Ganassi Racing continues its stranglehold of the GT Le Mans division, while Franck Perera in the Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini No. 11 leads the GT Daytona class.

1:05 p.m.

Scott Pruett’s Hall of Fame career will conclude in unceremonious fashion. The 3GT Racing No. 15 team had hoped to put the 57-year-old driver, who announced earlier this month that this would be his final Rolex 24, in its Lexus for the final stint and allow him to take it to the finish line.

However, a shunt by co-driver David Heinemeier Hansson damaged the car and cost the team two positions and one lap to the class leader. Wanting to recoup as many spots as possible, 3GT Racing altered its strategy and shortened the number of driver rotations to save time on pit road. That decision left Pruett without a chance to get back behind the wheel.

Pruett is the winningest driver in American sports car history and has won the Rolex 24 a record-tying five times.

“I’m not leaving, but I certainly am going to open up a new chapter,” Pruett said.

Finish

Action Express Racing’s No. 5 Cadillac rolled to the overall Rolex 24 at Daytona win, asserting itself in the second half and preserving in an attrition-filled endurance race. Co-drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa, and Christian Fittipaldi are credited with the victory.

Chip Ganassi Racing swept the top two positions in the GT Le Mans class, with the No. 67 Ford taking the win, and the No. 66 finishing second. The winning car was shared among Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, and Richard Westbrook.

The Grasser Racing Team took the honors in the GT Daytona division.