No. 02 Larson trails the leader by less than five seconds
DAYTONA BEACH – "Surreal" is not a word you'd often apply to a motorsports event, but at 2 a.m. in the infield of Daytona International Speedway, almost halfway through the Rolex 24 at Daytona, it applies.
The temperature, nearly 70 degrees at the start of the race, has dropped considerably. Smoke wafts through the air from campfires and smoldering bar-b-ques.
On the track, though, the competition is as hot as it was when the green flag fell. There has been attrition; there are cars on the track repaired under feverish and often heroic conditions, and there are drivers coping with constantly changing conditions and traffic at nearly every turn.
It's when the cream begins rising to the top, and 12 hours into the Rolex 24, the leaderboard is a testament to teams that have preparation, talent and more than a little luck so far.
In the Prototype class, Jordan Taylor, driving for his father Wayne Taylor in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP, leads overall, with NASCAR star Kyle Larson less than five seconds back in the No. 02 Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing Ford EcoBoost-powered Riley. Both drivers are cranking out laps in the 1 minute, 39.8-second range, which is close to the pole speed in qualifying.
Another 10 seconds back is the Ganassi No. 01 sister car, driven by 54-year-old veteran Scott Pruett. After 12 hours, and 370 laps on the 3.56-mile track, the top three cars are less than 40 seconds apart.
In the Prototype Challenge class at the 12-hour mark, Jon Bennett in the CORE autosport No. 54 has a one-lap advantage over second place. In GT Le Mans, the two factory-backed Chevrolet Corvette C7.R teammates are leading the class, 25 seconds apart. And in GT Daytona, Jeff Segal has his No. 63 Ferrari 458 Italia 35 seconds ahead of the pursuing No. 48 Audi R8 LMS.
Quite a few of the 53 entries have already packed up, including the DeltaWing, which suffered clutch woes and will be scored 53rd, despite turning some very fast laps early in the race. The No. 2 Extreme Speed Honda-powered Prototype will be scored 52nd after a powertrain failure. An oiling issue sidelined one of the Mazda Prototypes, which is presently scored 48th.
Walk down pit lane, and you'll see snoozing crewmen wrapped in blankets, trying to get a little rest. With 12 more hours of racing left, they'll need it.
Broadcast coverage of the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona continues until 7 a.m. ET, it will be broadcast live on IMSA.com, before returning to FOX Sports 1 Sunday morning at 7 a.m. FOX Sports 1 coverage will continue for the remainder of the race, concluding at 2:30 p.m.
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