Live Thread: 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona

Also - I don't think the checkered flag debacle would have changed any results, but it was very strange for the overall lead cars to be halfway through the infield before the white flag was waved, and then the checkered...nevermind the time left on the clock, it was just a let down because no one knew when to cheer or not.

I do think it's awesome for Daniel Morad and Connor Zilisch to get a Rolex! I started watching Morad's sim racing videos so super cool to see that and I can only imagine the emotion! 

Speaking of cool vehicles spied at the Speedway, check this out: a tow truck on a tow truck on a tow truck.

I shot this from the Lot 6 tram, so we’re behind the back straight. 

Colin Wood said:

I ran through 7 rolls of film, with one more still in the camera. I'll post the results once everything is developed.

Where do you plug in the USB cable to those memory cartridges?

In reply to Andy Hollis :

Would you believe we now have a dedicated film lab here in Ormond?

Free plug for Reformed Film Lab. 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to Andy Hollis :

Would you believe we now have a dedicated film lab here in Ormond?

Free plug for Reformed Film Lab. 

Oh, so they take those antiques and scan them in for you?  :)

Appleseed said:

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

When I went to pay for my food, he goes, Grassroots Motorsports? I’ve been to your house to do tree work.

And then he said, You have that blue Corvette race car.

 

But does he remember the donkey?

You know, he didn’t mention the donkey, but his visit might have been after Opie’s move to the farm (not a euphemism). 

David S. Wallens said:

Speaking of cool vehicles spied at the Speedway, check this out: a tow truck on a tow truck on a tow truck.

I shot this from the Lot 6 tram, so we’re behind the back straight. 

I don't think this needs any words for y'all to understand it. 

In reply to Toyman! :

I saw the (amazing) combo during my first trip into the Speedway.

For my next trip into the facility, I had my phone out and sat on the right side of the tram. The things we do for art, right? 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I saw that on my ride in too but did not realize until now it was on a truck on a truck. 

David S. Wallens said:

Meant to post this last night: our first-class dining accommodations featuring $7 corn dogs. The dude behind the counter once did tree work for JG and knew our Corvette Z06 project car. 

Yes, I quoted myself.

Over the weekend I took a few thousand photos, yet this might be my favorite: Everyone’s smiling as we’re just winging it. 

Traditionally, we’ve had a rather set schedule for the Rolex: meals, tours, etc., etc. This year, obviously, we didn’t.

A few months ago, I was asked a question by Mike–in the black T-shirt and someone you might recognize if you’re into the skate punk scene: Daytona or Le Mans?

Daytona is easier, I explained. For one, it’s in the U.S. Also, Le Mans, while awesome, is rather spread out. 

A few days before the race, I got a message from Mike: See you on Saturday.

Wow, so he was really coming. He and a friend had a room booked along I-4, so fairly easy access to the Speedway.

So they kinda got their own little GRM Experience, but with much less planning. 

Food? Hey, that’s open. 

Where to sit? This looks good. 

How to get from here to there? Grab your buddy and let’s take the tram. 

And I need to thank Sunoco for the generous hospitality. Fred, our friend at Sunoco, is also into skating. The funny thing: We got to the suite right as the Sunoco crew was leaving to watch karaoke in the infield. My wife went with them, leaving the three of us alone in a suite high above the track. What’d we do? Talk about the important stuff: music, guitars, guitar strings, guitar straps, guitar amps, cars, etc. 

Sounds like this year was pretty relaxing compared to others. 

Toyman! said:

Sounds like this year was pretty relaxing compared to others. 

 

It was pretty chill. 

In reply to Toyman! :

And I guess our friends at Sunoco were concerned that they left us alone so long.

Oh, they’re fine just talking, my wife told them.

She was right. :) 

A few more photos from this weekend. 

In reply to alfadriver :

Statement from IMSA on the early checkered flag. 

And a pic from the Sunoco suite:

Well, I've been home a couple of days after my first experience at the 24, as I said the other day, this has been a bucket list event for me.  I went to LeMans in 1994 and saw the Dauer Porsche 962 win that.  Not only was that same car there in the infield, but come Sunday I got to see it's great great grandchild, the Porsche 963 with at Daytona, nice symmetry.  I was super lucky to go with a close friend who we also have some business with.  He had booked our group of eight tickets in the Harley J's suite which was fully catered (food, bar, water, drinks etc.) for the full race, it also had a track side air conditioned suits and private seating area.  That was totally amazing.  We could be sat outside, see something had happened on the far side of the track, turn our heads to watch the TV inside the suite, then walk inside if we wanted details or to watch the replay.  Also, I can't imagine how much we saved on food and drink.  It's gets quite easy to have a couple of Bloody Mary's with breakfast then slowly top yourself up all day!  Possibly the biggest perk though was parking.  The Harely J's tickets came with good parking, but we were upgraded to diamond parking after the guy I went with had some issues with tickets last time they went.  So over all three days, not once were we even 100 paces from the cars to the TOYOTA entrance ticket booth.  

I was pleasantly surprised at how close you could get to the track and banking from inside the circuit, viewing outside the stands was much better than I anticipated.  sitting in the stands on the inside of the banking at night was awesome, as was the view from inside the dogleg where you could really see the speed they were carrying into the corners.  I've watched the race on TV many times, but again, seeing the GTP cars closing and passing speed compared with the GT cars was truly impressive.  I saw a few really cool passes where the GTP car was catching a GTD car in the banking, swept past the them on the exit, then cut straight across them into the pit entrance without holding up the GT car despite the fact he was cutting across with less than a car length between them.  Cars passing three wide as well, GTP on the outside of the banking, LMP2 in the middle and some poor GT driver probably squeezing diamonds out of his sphincter down low.  2-3 prototypes coming onto 3-4 GT cars entering turn one with cars passing on all sides etc.  Some amazing viewing experiences.  

My pics aren't a patch on other peoples, but here's a couple anyway..

In reply to Chris Tropea :

Thanks for digging for it!  

Didn't think it was any kind of bad thing, especially since one more lap would not have likely changed anything.  But it was peculiar.  

I was watching the race at home and I went to sleep shortly after midnight.  When I turned on the broadcast the next morning the Corvettes and Mustangs were a number of laps down.  What happened to them over night?

In reply to Mustang50 :

One mustang was withdrawn for wing structural issues, I can only guess the other was delayed for similar reasons. They were flapping around from the start. 
 

And an minor rant- the announcers kept giving them the excuse that odd areo issues can't be known until racing. I call BS on that- it's pretty easy to put a blunt body to simulate a car in front in both the wind tunnel and simulations. Bad mistake for a new car like that.