Roger Diez
Saturday morning marks the start of the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Cadillac GTP cars dominated qualifying, which saw all nine GTP entries eclipse the previous qualifying record. It is the second year for this new class, similar to the World Endurance Championship Hypercar category. Defending Weathertech series champion Pipo Derani put his no. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing on the pole with a time of 1:32.656, eclipsing the 5-year-old qualifying mark of 1:33.685 by more than a full second. The Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac driven by Sebastien Bourdais will start alongside after qualifying 0.071-second off Derani’s pace. The next three spots are occupied by different makes, with the No. 7 Penske Porsche 963 in third, the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL Hybrid V8 fourth, and the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 fifth. Ben Keating took the pole in the LMP2 category with a time of 1:38.501 in the USA Oreca LMP2 07 machine. The No. 77 AO Porsche 911 GT3R took pole honors in GTD Pro with a 1:44.382 time, while the GTD pole went to the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus F GT3 at 1:44.494.
Coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on NBC and Peacock. It will then switch to USA and Peacock from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Peacock will air the 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. segment alone, with USA rejoining until 9 p.m. Peacock will then cover the 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. stint when USA will take over from 3 until 9, when NBC will take over for the closing hours of the race. Three commentary teams will spell each other throughout the race, with James Hinchcliffe doing double duty driving and providing expert analysis.
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The 2024 racing season will continue next week with NASCAR’s Busch Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It will be the third consecutive year at the venue for this venerable race, which evolved from an invitational event to an “all skate” for up to 40 entries. The format will consist of practice sessions in three groups on Saturday, with practice times determining the heat race lineups. Four 25-lap heats, also on Saturday, will then determine the top 20 spots in the starting lineup for Sunday’s 23-car Clash. The heat 1 winner will start on pole, heat 2 winner alongside, and heat 3 and 4 winners in row two. Second place in heat 1 will start fifth, heat 2 second place sixth, and so on. First and second in the last-chance qualifier will start 21st and 22nd, and the 23rd spot will go to the 2023 season’s highest points finisher not otherwise qualified. I’ll have more details and air times next week.
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In other racing news, Formula 1 announced last week that the Spanish Grand Prix will move from Barcelona to the capital city of Madrid. The 10-year agreement will begin in 2026 and the series will race on a new, purpose-built track a short commute from the city center. And for fans traveling to the race, the track is just a five-minute tram ride from the airport and near lots of hotel accommodations. The planned track layout will be 3.4 miles in length with a combination of 20 high-, low-, and medium-speed turns. There will be a couple of straightaways with hard braking zones to promote passing. Initially there will be accommodation for 110,000 fans daily combining general admission, grandstand seating, and VIP suites, with plans to expand to 140,000 later in the 10-year contract. So, reserve your tickets now; they’re going fast.