The Rolex 24 at Daytona was held by a fleet of Cadillacs. This happened a third of way through the endurance race. Chip Ganassi Racing, Action Express and Action Express exchanged the overall lead several times in extremely cold temperatures and chaotic track conditions. The 60th running of the twice-round-the-clock race featured 61 entries, the most since 2014, and aggressive early driving that aggravated several of the top contenders. Florida’s coldest day for four years added to the mystery — 46 degrees was the temperature at the start of the race. Pipo Derani, the reigning IMSA champion, was concerned that humidity could freeze the track’s surface as temperatures are expected to plummet to the 30s overnight. Action Express Racing’s Derani said that because of the low temperatures, there is a possibility that some ice could be put on the track. “If there is a bit of humidity and it’s so cold you never know. Although I hope that’s not true, they do say extremely low temperatures at night, possibly like historical lows. Teams were dressed in heavy coats and hats as they watched Action Express battle Ganassi for the overall lead.
Kamui Kobayashi is a two-time Rolex winner, and the reigning World Endurance Champion. He took the No. Action Express, in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, is the 48 Cadillac. His push to the front made him a target for aggressive driving. This was a belief he quickly dismissed. He said, “Well, you know what I mean.” “I can tell you that I drive like a normal driver. I didn’t go crazy. Jose Maria Lopez, Kobayashi’s WEC teammate, made his Daytona debut as the No. 48-year-old Lopez said that he had watched Kobayashi’s stint, and found nothing unusual in the driver who is considered to be one of the most skilled drivers in the world. Lopez stated that Lopez thought Kobayashi was aggressive and it was great. He was never seen doing anything dangerous or risky. After losing the position to Kobayashi in the first stint, I thought he was amazing.
“I believe it’s Kamui. Bourdais stated that he threw me off the track twice in Sebring’s closing stages, and nobody ever said or did anything about it. He just keeps going. It’s a little out of place for a 24-hour race but it’s okay. Keep moving.” Bourdais eventually ran into the back of No. 48, but that was after Lopez had replaced Kobayashi. Bourdais felt Lopez wasn’t holding a line, and moved in his direction. Scott Dixon, one dozen IndyCar drivers, held onto the lead at six hours. Dixon maintained one of the Ganassi “star cars”, ahead of Mike Conway from Action Express, on a restart after a full course caution. This allowed him to collect five points for No. Renger van den Zande and Sebastien Bourdais made up the 01 team. Ganassi’s No. 1 was driven by Kevin Magnussen. 02 car, Dixon was just behind Dixon at eight hours. Conway and Action Express were third. Jimmie Johnson was the original architect of the No. The 48 program will run the endurance events for a second year. Jimmie Johnson, the architect of the No. His previous wins in NASCAR and IndyCar have limited his drive time due to the fact that his team is far more experienced.
Johnson stated, “You believe endurance racing requires you to do a lot of laps and spend a lot of time in your car.” Johnson said, “If you aren’t on pace, you get pulled early.” I didn’t get close enough last year to earn that time. We just reached the minimum drive time and got me out. I feel on pace this year, and I believe the team asked me for a second time if I would like to stay in the car longer. I spent more time in my car.
