2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona

This is the 48th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the start of Speedweeks 2010, as well as the beginning of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Previously known as the 24 Hours of Daytona, this event is a sports car endurance race held on a combination 3.56-mile course.

Date: 30 – 31 January 2010
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
City: Daytona Beach, FL
Country: United States of America

NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fests 2010

Fans attending the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fests have much to look forward to, including a sneak peek at the upcoming NASCAR season, the 52nd Daytona 500 and the Speedweeks 2010. During this time visitors can enjoy interactive fan forums, autograph sessions, displays, music, the Richard Petty Driving Experience and meet SPEED Channel personalities.

Date: 15 – 16 January 2010
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
City: Daytona Beach, FL
Country: United States of America

Donohue Wins Rolex 24

No doubt this weekend’s NASCAR Rolex 24 at Daytona was an emotional race for David Donohue who managed to follow in his late father’s footsteps (winner of the race almost forty years ago). The victory didn’t come easy and it was careful timing and skill that took Donohue to the front of the pack to cross the finish line just split-seconds ahead of other competitors.

Until now Chip Ganassi Racing seemed to have a strong competitive edge as the team has taken home the winner’s trophy for the past three races. In the end, however, it seems that some really sharp driving was all that was needed to end the winning streak. David Donohue started from pole position in a Brumos Porsche Riley when the race got underway on Saturday afternoon, with little hope of coming home with the winner’s trophy. He was facing the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya who replaced teammate Scott Pruett in the Ganassi Lexus Riley at some point during the race and it seemed that this much more experienced driver had the edge to keep the lead during the 53rd hour of the race. But Donohue was not to be outdone. Working with teammates Buddy Rice, Antonio Garcia and Darren Law, Donohue came out of the cockpits with 53 minutes to go in the No. 58 Porsche just behind Montoya. He struggled for a while, almost overtaking him or bumping Montoya a number of times over the course of several laps until finally he was able to take advantage of slower GT class traffic and slip ahead of Montoya’s Lexus, taking the lead on lap 711. Montoya wasn’t about to go down easy. He chased Donohue relentlessly for the remainder of the race, keeping him on his toes. But Donohue was clearly up for the challenge and Montoya ended up finishing just 0.167 seconds behind him. The victory was a new record, with the previous closest 1-2 finish being 30.879 seconds. Hurley Haywood finished third in a Porsche Riley.

Speaking about his victory, a teary Donohue said: “We’re just a small part of what this team could do. I’m just glad I could carry the flag.” What was especially interesting was that four of the new, sleek prototypes finished on the lead lap. This was the most ever, since no more than two cars had ever finished in this way before. To top it off, the four cars spent most of the final two hours of the race nose-to-tail, showing that the cars have incredible potential to dominate the season.

NASCAR Season Kicks Off With Rolex 24

NASCAR hosts a number of exciting auto racing championships every year and this year will be no different. Not only will the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series be kicking off in less than three weeks time, but a number of great drivers, such as Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears, are set to return to the racetracks for another great season.

So far it seems as though NASCAR enthusiasts cannot wait the last few weeks before the Daytona 500 officially kicks off the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A large number of drivers and car owners will be heading down to the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday to take part in the Rolex 24. So far the line-up is looking pretty good. NASCAR stars have been participating in this pre-sprint cup race since 1962, making the most of the race and enjoying a fun-filled weekend that also gives them a great season warm-up. Casey Mears, who won the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype in 2006, and Juan Pablo Montoya who took the title in 2007 and 2008, will both be returning to Daytona for this year’s race. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson will also be making an appearance, as will other greats such as Kyle Petty, AJ Allmendinger and Colin Braun. Roger Penske, Richard Childress and Kevin Buckler have also submitted entries for the event. More than fifty different Daytona Prototype and GT cars are expected to be entered for the event, making the Rolex 24 at Daytona action packed and exciting.

So far the race is set to start at 15:30 on Saturday, but practice runs and qualifying will get underway long before on Thursday. All eyes will be on Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas to see if they can again burn up the tarmac on the “Roar Before the 24″ test to determine the fastest speed. Both Pruett and Rojas are defending Rolex 24 at Daytona winners and they have taken the Daytona Prototype trophy home before. Montoya has remarked that his car is ‘pretty quick’ and said he is excited about the event. It won’t be long now before fans crowd the Daytona stadium ready to warm up for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with a little pre-championship racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Busch Takes Winners Trophy at Daytona

The Daytona International Speedway has a bit of a reputation for being a tough course, but no one could have predicted the drama that unfolded at the race track this weekend. With cars crashing and spinning on virtually every corner, the race was more about how well you avoided collisions than it was about fastest lap times.

Nevertheless at the end of the day Kyle Busch managed to take the winners trophy, only just managing to cross the finish line ahead of Carl Edwards. This makes Kyle Busch’s sixth win and it didn’t come easy. At the start of the race Busch struggled with steering problems that caused him to drop back to the tail end of the field but instead of panicking, he simple knuckled down and slowly worked his way back to the front. For a while Jeff Gordon was doing well, taking the lead for what appeared to be his first victory of the season. His dreams started slipping away when Busch skillfully managed to pull inside and overtake Gordon with only four laps to go. Then calamity struck for the former leader when a tap from Edwards sent him spinning off the track and ultimately saw him pulling in at a rather disappointing 31st place. Meanwhile the action didn’t stop there and Edwards was determined to give Busch a run for his money. With a little push from Kenseth, Edwards managed to pull in alongside his rival and the two paired up for the ultimate climax to any race – a thrilling drag race. But just as fans realized what was going on at the front of the pack, a terrible collision between Travis Kvapil and Sam Hornish Jr triggered a multi-car accident. The resulting mess was so big that the field had to be frozen and with just seconds to go before the pair reached the checkered flag a decision was made to choose the race winner based on who was ahead.

With Kyle Busch barely a nose ahead of Carl Edwards, the sudden change the course of the race brought about a somewhat unexpected victory and fans were deprived of the final sprint to the end – one which would have no doubt proven to be nail-biting. Matt Kenseth crossed the line in third place followed by Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan and Dale Earnhardt Jr. respectively.