The #01 Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabetes TELMEX/Target BMW Riley driven by Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya, Charlie Kimball and Scott Dixon drives during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 27, 2013
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
The Rolex 24 at Daytona marks the first major annual event in North American Motorsports – the beginning of a new season in sports car racing
In 2014, the Rolex 24 takes on more significance as of the opening of a new era in the sport. The GRAND-AM Rolex 24 Sports Car Series and American Le Mans presented by Tequila Patrón are merging as one group under IMSA sanction with the début of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
This weekend begins the quest for the first TUDOR Championship title, and kicks off the North American Endurance Championship, that now includes the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida and Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta, along with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen as North American sports car racing runs unified for the first time since 1997.
In the last 25 years some of NASCAR’s biggest names, have entered American sports car racing’s biggest event at Daytona International Speedway. Those drivers, include Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch readily accepting the challenge with new teammates to compete against world-renowned drivers of nearly every other racing discipline.
The Rolex 24 reflects driving endurance in weather including heavy rain and freezing temps, while adjusting from day-to-night and back to daylight, in an around-the-clock twice event at the World Center of Racing in Daytona.
For this year, three NASCAR drivers are anticipating their chance behind the wheel in this historic competition. 2010 Daytona 500 winner, Jamie McMurray, Sprint Cup Series rookie, Kyle Larson and 2012 Rolex winner, AJ Allmendinger. They join 67 teams of racers all vying for a win when the green flag waves on Saturday, January 25th.
For these drivers, it’s all about more than adding the title of Rolex 24 winner to their racing resume – an élite list including racing legends, Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt. It’s also about the sense of accomplishment – venturing outside their comfort zone to compete against the world’s best road racers in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s inaugural event.
“This is, for me, the most fun race I get to run all year-long. No points: It’s all about coming here to win,” said McMurray, who drives the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing car in the Sprint Cup Series.
“I think what makes it such a good time is you get to meet so many drivers from so many different series you watch on TV all year-long, and you hang out and drive with them on a friendly level.
“It’s awesome to know you’re on the team that’s won so many of these races. Driving for Chip has been a huge honor for me and I’m glad he’s asked me to be a part of it again.”
McMurray is co-driving the No. 01 TELMEX Ford Ecoboost prototype with five-time Rolex winner Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and open-wheel up-and-comer Sage Karam. Ganassi’s two-car effort has resulted in five wins and two runner-up finishes in their last eight Rolex races. And for McMurray, that gives him confidence along with being surrounded by driving talent.
Larson calls this a ‘dream’ race and has tested the prototype twice. He will co-drive the No. 02 Ganassi entry with reiging Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and sports car ace Marino Franchitti.
Although it is business as usual for Ganassi, as each year the multi-series teams he puts together are well-prepared with the best driving talent from multi-racing platforms, make no mistake, this is also serious business for the successful team owner.
In addition to being the first race of a new season for Pruett and Rojas, this is also a chance at making history. If Pruett wins his sixth race, he tops legendary racer Hurley Haywood as Rolex 24’s all-time winningest driver. McMurray is embracing his chance at being the first driver to claim wins in the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Rolex 24.
“One thing you can’t forget is when we come here, we come as a team, as a very serious organization – and one that we set our standards (and) are focused on winning the race,” Pruett said.
“When all of us get together, certainly there’s a fun element to it and a mutual respect element to it. And at the end of the day we are all very focused. We know what our job is.
“Chip’s focus is singular, to win races. Every driver he calls on to be part of that absolutely knows that’s his job. There is that fun element, but it’s absolutely very serious, anyone involved with this organization knows that and comes with their A-game.”
The first full-time NASCAR driver to win overall in the Rolex, driving for Ganassi in 2006 is Casey Mears. Also, Juan Pablo Montoya drove for Ganassi in the Sprint Cup Series from 2007-2013, and was the first full-time Sprint Cup driver with multiple Rolex wins in 2007 and 2008.
“Chip obviously has a team that can win every (Rolex) race,” McMurray said. “I’ve had the chance to win the biggest NASCAR race, the Daytona 500, I got to win the Brickyard 400 and to me, this is the one race I’d like to win more than anything right now.”
The TUDOR Championship will have four classes of competition.
The lead Prototype category pairs the Daytona Prototype from the Rolex Series with the P2 from the ALMS, merging the best from both divisions.
Making their Daytona début is the ALMS’ Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire (PC), and is virtually unchanged from 2013.
Recognized around the globe as the best GT competition in the world, the ALMS GT division continues as the GTLM (GT Le Mans) class. The Rolex Series GT continues as GTD (GT Daytona), also including the former ALMS’ GTC class.
Also in competition is the revolutionary DeltaWing coupé, racing at Daytona for the first time.
This highly anticipated weekend also includes the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, with the series to the same sanction as its début in 1985 as the IMSA Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship.
Activities for the Rolex 24 weekend – including night practice – gets underway on Thursday, January 23. The green flag for the Rolex 24 waves on Saturday, January 25 and begins a new historic chapter in North American motorsports.