“We have a lot of events here, but we also have some iconic premiere events like the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Track President Chip Wile. “This event continues to grow year after year and our partnership with IMSA is one that we truly value. We all want to see sports car racing continue to excel in North America and what better place to do that than at Daytona International Speedway?”
The 55th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona has all the ingredients to be an experience unlike any other- new machines, famous faces and 24 straight hours of action-packed racing. On Saturday, 55 cars will take the green flag, broadcasting live on FOX at 2 p.m. ET.
DIS, coming off a three-year renovation project known as DAYTONA Rising, estimated at $400 million, has worked to enhance the infield fan experience for the full 24 hours of the race. Racegoers can enjoy carnival rides, including the tallest Ferris wheel on the East Coast, a wine and cheese party, karaoke at midnight, and much more, all while the cars click off laps in fierce competition around them.
“The great thing about the Rolex 24 is that it’s a 24-hour event,” Wile explained. “Not only do you get to see all the fantastic on-track action, but you also get to experience all the other programmed content the track provides. You look at all the things we’ve added for our fans as they come to enjoy first class racing. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that we’re very proud of.”
HISTORY
Bill France Sr. signed a contract with the city of Daytona in 1954 to construct Daytona International Speedway, with the idea in mind for it to be the “World Center of Racing.” The inaugural Daytona Continental race, which would later be known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona, was held in 1962. The contest lasted three hours and first-place went to Dan Gurney in a Lotus-Climax 19.
Two years later, the Daytona Continental was lengthened to 2,000 kilometers and completed in 12 hours, 40 minutes, making it the longest endurance race in the United States. Ferrari drivers Pedro Rodriguez and Phil Hill claimed the victory.
The Daytona Continental then changed to a twice-around-the-clock endurance race in 1966 and has been run every year with the exception of 1973 due to the international energy crisis that most other racetracks suffered from as well.
In all, Hurley Haywood and Scott Pruett are tied with the most overall Rolex 24 victories at five, although Pruett also has an additional five class victories to give him 10 in total. Porsche has a record 22 wins at the event, 15 more than Ford in second place.
Fans have seen Daytona International Raceway change only three times throughout the course of its history. The track’s surface has been repaved only twice, in 1978 and 2010, while the rest of the complex was radically updated starting in 2013 and reaching its completion in January 2016. The Rolex 24 was the first event to be held at the newly renovated stadium.
The renovations included the addition of over 101,000 new, wider seats in the grandstands, as well as new concession areas, escalators, elevators and Wi-Fi access points, all to improve the fan experience and become the “First Motorsports Stadium.”
“I think the only thing that really stayed the same was the racetrack,” Wile explained. “It was a three year, $400 million project that basically reimagined and reinvented our beloved speedway. There are just amazing touches the team here thought of that continue to drive value in buying a ticket to Daytona and really differentiating us from any other facility in the world.”
DRIVER PERSPECTIVE
Ryan Dalziel, Orlando-based driver of the No. 2 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan DPi: “Daytona for me is pretty special. I moved from the UK to Orlando so it’s been home for me since 2006, the same year as my first Rolex 24. It’s cool to come here every year, but I think seeing the transformation of speedway, in the past two years in particular, and coming up here often, driving past it, I think they took one of the best facilities in the world and turned it into the absolute best. For me, it’s also nice also in 2017 to see the DPis and I’d say a revamped Prototype field. I think everybody’s been waiting for that and for sure on the Patron side of the world, we were high and tight until we saw this marriage and we’re happy with what we’ve got so far.”
TRACK PERSPECTIVE
• Turn 3, International Horseshoe: A tight right-hand hairpin that competitors are able to carry a surprisingly quick pace through, the International Horseshoe kicks off Daytona’s wide open infield where spectating opportunities are plentiful.
• Turn 4, The Kink: Drivers will argue left and right whether or not there is space to go side by side through “The Kink.” Regardless of whether anyone attempts as much, Turn 4 always provides excitement as fans look on to see who will keep their foot in it and who will lift.
• Turn 7, Bus Stop: Cars tearing down the backstretch are suddenly interrupted by a tricky left-right-left chicane. Corner workers prefer this corner above any other on the course due to the frequency of off-track excursions or spins occurring at the Bus Stop.
• Speedway Turns 1 – 4, The High Banks: Daytona’s signature, these four turns define the journey around the World Center of Racing. Whether watching from afar or peering out the top left of the windshield from the driver’s seat, the banking provides a unique experience in the world of road racing, and builds the foundation for this fantastic roval.
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