Rolex 24 in Daytona
3.56 miles of wildness. Let the races begin. We are READY!!
Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach is abuzz with the sound of speeding cars every year with the 24 Hours at Daytona (or, Rolex 24 at Daytona) - a 24-hour endurance race involving a number of sports cars. Held on a 3.56 mile combined road course utilizing some portions of NASCAR tri-oval and an infield road course, Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona is traditionally held either during the last weekend of January or first weekend of February, and is also the first major automobile race of the year in the US. Rolex Watch Co. is the title sponsor of this grueling race and thus, the name 'Rolex 24 Hour'.
As opposed to other races, time is a determining factor in this race for altogether different reasons. The purpose of Rolex 24 Hour is to determine which team of drivers can take their sports car the farthest in a fixed period of time (24 hours) rather than the shortest time period.
No public streets are used and the entire race is conducted over a closed course within the speedway arena. Lights have been installed to facilitate night racing. For classification purposes, the cars must cross the finishing line after 24 hours. This makes for interesting racing during the climax, when damaged cars wait in the pits or on the edge of the track to cross the finishing line one last time in order to get listed with a finishing distance. All this excitement attracts several top-class drivers from across the United States of America to make the competition stiffer. Stalwarts, like NASCAR star Rusty Wallace, IRL star Danica Patrick, Indy 500 champions Dan Wheldon and Buddy Rice etc., have graced the speedway with their speed and driving skills in the recent Rolex 24 Hour races.
Similarly, top car makers, like Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, Chevrolet, Jaguar, BMW, Nissan, Pontiac, Toyota, etc. have made their presence felt by winning Rolex 24 Hour race in the previous editions.
Overall, a fun-filled thrilling weekend with lots of excitement and loads of entertainment!
