24 Hours of Daytona

Shortly after the track opened, on April 5, 1959, a six-hour/1000 kilometer USAC-FIA sports car race was held on the road course. Count Antonio Von Dory and Roberto Mieres won the race in a Porsche, shortened to 560.07 miles due to darkness.[2] The race used a 3.81-mile layout, running counter-clockwise.[3]

In 1962, a few years after the track was built, a 3-hour sports car race was introduced. Known as the Daytona Continental, it counted towards the FIA's new International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The first Continental was won by Dan Gurney, driving a 2.7L Coventry Climax-powered Lotus 19.[1] Gurney was a factory Porsche driver at the time, but the 1600-cc Porsche 718 was considered too small and slow for what amounted to a sprint race on a very fast course. In the past, a car had to cross the finish line after 24 hours to be classified, which led to dramatic scenes where damaged cars waited in the pits or on the edge of the track close to the finish line for hours, then restarted their engines and crawled across the finish line one last time in order to finish after the 24 hours and be listed with a finishing distance, rather than dismissed with DNF (did not finish). This was the case in the initial 1962 Daytona Continental (then 3 hours), in which Dan Gurney's Lotus 19 had established a lengthy lead when the engine failed with just minutes remaining. Gurney stopped the car at the top of the banking, just short of the finish line. When the three hours had elapsed, Gurney simply cranked the steering wheel to the left (toward the bottom of the banking) and let gravity pull the car across the line, to not only salvage a finishing position, but actually win the race.[1] This led to the international rule requiring a car to cross the line under its own power in order to be classified.

In 1964, the event was expanded to 2,000 km (1,240 mi), doubling the classic 1000 km distance of races at Nürburgring, Spa and Monza. The distance amounted to roughly half of the distance the 24 Hours of Le Mans winners covered at the time, and was similar in length to the 12 Hours of Sebring, which was also held in Florida in March. Starting in 1966, the Daytona race was extended to the same 24-hour length as Le Mans.

The first 24 Hour event in 1966 was won by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby driving a Ford Mk. II. Motor Sport reported: "For their first 24-hour race the basic organization was good, but the various officials in many cases were out of touch, childish and lacked the professional touch which one now finds at Watkins Glen."[4]

1966 also saw Suzy Dietrich enter the 24 Hours event, driving a Sunbeam Alpine with Janet Guthrie and Donna Mae Mims. The trio finished 32nd and, along with another women's team in the race, became the first women's teams to finish an international-standard 24-hour race.[5]

After having lost in 1966 at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans to the Fords, the Ferrari P series prototypes staged a 1–2–3 side-by-side parade finish at the banked finish line in 1967.[6] The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 road car was given the unofficial name Ferrari Daytona in celebration of this victory.[7]

Pit box of the Ford team during the 24 hours of Daytona, 1967

Porsche repeated this show in their 1–2–3 win in the 1968 24 Hours. After the car of Gerhard Mitter had a big crash caused by tire failure in the banking, his teammate Rolf Stommelen supported the car of Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch. When the car of the longtime leaders Jo Siffert and Hans Herrmann dropped to second due to a technical problem, these two also joined the new leaders while continuing with their car. So Porsche managed to put 5 of 8 drivers on the center of the podium, plus Jo Schlesser and Joe Buzzetta finishing in third place, with only Mitter being left out.[8]

Lola finished 1–2 in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. The winning car was the Penske Lola T70-Chevrolet of Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons.[9] Few spectators witnessed the achievement as Motor Sport reported: "The Daytona 24-Hour race draws a very small crowd, as can be seen from the empty stands in the background."[10]

1970 saw the race with drivers strapped into their cars, and at the start, drove away. Since 1971, races begin with rolling starts.

In 1972, because of an FIA rule, the race was shortened to six hours, while the energy crisis led to the cancellation altogether in 1974.[11] The Sports Car Club of America sanctioning was replaced by the International Motor Sports Association in 1975.[12]

In 1982 the race continued on as part of the IMSA GT Championship instead of WSC.

In 2014, the race saw a dramatic crash involving Memo Gidley who was driving the pole-sitter DP and Matteo Malucelli, an amateur driver in a Ferrari 458 of the GTD category that has never won a race in North American Endurance. At the time of the impact, Malucelli was driving at less than 30 mph and keeping on the track while cars were passing him at 150 mph. Memo, who was side by side to another car couldn't have seen him and impacted front first. The race was subsequently red-flagged. Both drivers survived.

The regular teams were expanded to three drivers in the 1970s. Nowadays, four drivers compete typically because of the longer night driving. In the professional-based DPi Prototype and ACO GTE classes, all four drivers are usually professionals. In the ACO LMP2 and SRO Group GT3-based classes, many of these additional drivers are known as "amateur drivers," under current FIA specifications. Amateur drivers are sportsman drivers that have built a career in a non-motorsport related occupation. These type of drivers are typically eligible for IMSA's Jim Trueman and Bob Akin awards, awarded to the top driver who is not a professional at the end of season. These amateur drivers or overage professional drivers (FIA Silver or Bronze are typically for amateur drivers but professional drivers over 55 are automatically classified at this level) are required in the car for a specific number of hours. Most often, the fourth driver in all classes is a Daytona-only professional driver of renown that most often has won a major professional championship, such as Scott Dixon, Jeff Gordon, Fernando Alonso, Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Busch.

Unlike the Le Mans event, the Daytona race is conducted entirely over a closed course within the speedway arena without the use of any public streets. Most parts of the steep banking are included, interrupted with a chicane on the back straight and a sweeping, fast infield section which includes two hairpins. Unlike Le Mans, the race is held in wintertime, when nights are at their longest. There are lights installed around the circuit for night racing, although the infield section is still not as well-lit as the main oval. However, the stadium lights are turned on only to a level of 20%, similar to the stadium lighting setup at Le Mans, with brighter lights around the pit straight, and decent lighting similar to street lights around the circuit.[13]

Daytona Prototype

After several ownership changes at IMSA which changed the direction the organization followed, it was decided by the 1990s that the Daytona event would align with the Grand-Am series, a competitor of the American Le Mans Series, which, as its name implies, uses the same regulations as the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Grand Am series, though, is instead closely linked to NASCAR and the original ideas of IMSA and focused on controlled costs and close competition.

In order to make sports car racing less expensive than elsewhere, new rules were introduced in 2002. The dedicated Daytona Prototypes (DP) use less expensive materials and technologies and the car's simple aerodynamics reduce the development and testing costs. The DPs began racing in 2003 with six cars in the race.[14]

Specialist chassis makers like Riley, Dallara, and Lola provide the DP cars for the teams and the engines are branded under the names of major car companies like Cadillac, Lexus, Ford, BMW, and Porsche.

2017 saw the introduction of the DPi prototypes, these cars were based on LMP2 chassis with a custom engine and bodywork from a major manufacturer

For 2023, the race will adopt the LMDh prototype specification, although Le Mans Hypercars will also be permitted. The series will also return to the Grand Touring Prototype name from the 1980's.

Ford Mustang GT car during the 2012 Daytona 24 hours

The Gran Turismo class cars at Daytona are closer to the road versions, similar to the GT3 class elsewhere. For example, the more standard Cup version of the Porsche 996 is used, instead of the usual RS/RSR racing versions. Recent Daytona entries also include BMW M3s and M6s, Porsche 911s, Chevy Camaros and Corvettes, Mazda RX-8s, Pontiac GTO.Rs, and Ferrari F430 Challenges. The Audi R8 and the Ferrari 458 Italia debuted in the 50th anniversary of the race in 2012.

From the era of the IMSA GTO and GTU until the 2015 rule changes, spaceframe cars clad in lookalike body panels to compete in GT (the new BMW M6, Chevrolet Camaro, and Mazda RX-8). These rules are similar to the old GTO specification, but with more restrictions. The intent of spaceframe cars is to allow teams to save money, especially after crashes, where teams can rebuild the cars for the next race at a much lower cost, or even redevelop cars, instead of having to write off an entire car after a crash or at the end of a year.

Starting in 2014 the GT Daytona class was restricted exclusively to Group GT3 cars. Alongside this came the GTLM class, using LM GTE cars, similar to the WEC. In 2022 the GTLM class was replaced by GTD Pro, using the same cars as GTD.[15] A single GTLM car, the Corvette C8.R, was also permitted to compete in the class with its performance adjusted to the GTD cars.

The 2013 race was the first and only year for the GX class. Six cars started in the event. The class consisted of purpose built production Porsche Cayman S and Mazda 6 racecars. Mazda debuted their first diesel racecar there which is the first time a diesel fuel racecar ever started at the Daytona 24. Throughout the race the Caymans were dominant, while all three Mazdas suffered premature engine failure and retired from the race. By a 9 lap lead, the #16 Napleton Porsche Cayman, driven by David Donohue, was the GX winner.

Year	Date	Drivers	Team	Car	Tire	Car #	Distance	Championship
1966	February 5 February 6	Ken Miles Lloyd Ruby	Shelby-American Inc.	Ford GT40 Mk. II	G	98	2,583.178 mi (4,157.222 km)	International Championship for Sports-Prototypes International Championship for Sports Cars
1967	February 4 February 5	Lorenzo Bandini Chris Amon	SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Ferrari 330 P4	F	23	2,537.460 mi (4,083.646 km)
1968	February 3 February 4	Vic Elford Jochen Neerpasch Rolf Stommelen Jo Siffert Hans Herrmann	Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 907LH	D	54	2,564.130 mi (4,126.567 km)	International Championship for Makes
1969	February 1 February 2	Mark Donohue Chuck Parsons	Roger Penske Sunoco Racing	Lola T70 Mk.3B-Chevrolet	G	6	2,385.060 mi (3,838.382 km)
1970	January 31 February 1	Pedro Rodríguez Leo Kinnunen Brian Redman	J.W. Engineering	Porsche 917K	F	2	2,758.440 mi (4,439.279 km)
1971	January 30 January 31	Pedro Rodríguez Jackie Oliver	J.W. Automotive Engineering	Porsche 917K	F	2	2,621.280 mi (4,218.542 km)
1973	February 2 February 3	Peter Gregg Hurley Haywood	Brumos Porsche	Porsche Carrera RSR	G	59	2,552.700 mi (4,108.172 km)	World Championship for Makes
1975	February 1 February 2	Peter Gregg Hurley Haywood	Brumos Porsche	Porsche Carrera RSR	G	59	2,606.040 mi (4,194.015 km)	World Championship for Makes IMSA GT Championship
1976	January 31 February 1	Peter Gregg Brian Redman John Fitzpatrick	BMW of North America	BMW 3.0 CSL	G	59	2,092.800 mi (3,368.035 km)	IMSA GT Championship
1977	February 5 February 6	Hurley Haywood John Graves Dave Helmick	Ecurie Escargot	Porsche Carrera RSR	G	43	2,615.040 mi (4,208.499 km)	World Championship for Makes IMSA GT Championship
1978	February 4 February 5	Peter Gregg Rolf Stommelen Toine Hezemans	Brumos Porsche	Porsche 935/77	G	99	2,611.200 mi (4,202.319 km)
1979	February 3 February 4	Hurley Haywood Ted Field Danny Ongais	Interscope Racing	Porsche 935/79	G	0	2,626.560 mi (4,227.039 km)
1980	February 2 February 3	Rolf Stommelen Volkert Merl Reinhold Joest	L&M Joest Racing	Porsche 935J	D	2	2,745.600 mi (4,418.615 km)
1981	January 31 February 1	Bobby Rahal Brian Redman Bob Garretson	Garretson Racing/Style Auto	Porsche 935 K3	G	9	2,718.720 mi (4,375.355 km)	World Endurance Championship IMSA GT Championship
1982	January 30 January 31	John Paul Sr. John Paul Jr. Rolf Stommelen	JLP Racing	Porsche 935 JLP-3	G	18	2,760.960 mi (4,443.334 km)	IMSA GT Championship
1983	February 5 February 6	A. J. Foyt Preston Henn Bob Wollek Claude Ballot-Léna	Henn's Swap Shop Racing	Porsche 935L	G	6	2,373.120 mi (3,819.167 km)
1984	February 4 February 5	Sarel van der Merwe Tony Martin Graham Duxbury	Kreepy Krauly Racing	March 83G-Porsche	G	00	2,476.800 mi (3,986.023 km)
1985	February 2 February 3	A. J. Foyt Bob Wollek Al Unser Thierry Boutsen	Henn's Swap Shop Racing	Porsche 962	G	8	2,502.680 mi (4,027.673 km)
1986	February 1 February 2	Al Holbert Derek Bell Al Unser Jr.	Löwenbräu Holbert Racing	Porsche 962	G	14	2,534.720 mi (4,079.236 km)
1987	January 31 February 1	Al Holbert Derek Bell Chip Robinson Al Unser Jr.	Löwenbräu Holbert Racing	Porsche 962	G	14	2,680.680 mi (4,314.136 km)
1988	January 30 January 31	Raul Boesel Martin Brundle John Nielsen Jan Lammers	Castrol Jaguar Racing (TWR)	Jaguar XJR-9	D	60	2,591.680 mi (4,170.905 km)
1989	February 4 February 5	John Andretti Derek Bell Bob Wollek	Miller/BFGoodrich Busby Racing	Porsche 962	BF	67	2,210.760 mi (3,557.873 km)A
1990	February 3 February 4	Davy Jones Jan Lammers Andy Wallace	Castrol Jaguar Racing (TWR)	Jaguar XJR-12D	G	61	2,709.160 mi (4,359.970 km)
1991	February 2 February 3	Hurley Haywood "John Winter" Frank Jelinski Henri Pescarolo Bob Wollek	Joest Racing	Porsche 962C	G	7	2,559.640 mi (4,119.341 km)
1992	February 1 February 2	Masahiro Hasemi Kazuyoshi Hoshino Toshio Suzuki	Nissan Motorsports Intl.	Nissan R91CP	G	23	2,712.720 mi (4,365.700 km)
1993	January 30 January 31	P. J. Jones Mark Dismore Rocky Moran	All American Racers	Eagle MkIII-Toyota	G	99	2,484.880 mi (3,999.027 km)
1994	February 5 February 6	Paul Gentilozzi Scott Pruett Butch Leitzinger Steve Millen	Cunningham Racing	Nissan 300ZX	Y	76	2,516.609 mi (4,050.090 km)
1995	February 4 February 5	Jürgen Lässig Christophe Bouchut Giovanni Lavaggi Marco Werner	Kremer Racing	Kremer K8 Spyder-Porsche	G	10	2,456.400 mi (3,953.192 km)
1996	February 3 February 4	Wayne Taylor Scott Sharp Jim Pace	Doyle Racing	Riley & Scott Mk III-Oldsmobile	D	4	2,481.320 mi (3,993.298 km)
1997	February 1 February 2	Rob Dyson James Weaver Butch Leitzinger Andy Wallace John Paul Jr. Elliott Forbes-Robinson John Schneider	Dyson Racing	Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford	G	16	2,456.400 mi (3,953.192 km)
1998	January 31 February 1	Mauro Baldi Arie Luyendyk Giampiero Moretti Didier Theys	Doran-Moretti Racing	Ferrari 333 SP	Y	30	2,531.160 mi (4,073.507 km)	U.S. Road Racing Championship
1999	January 30 January 31	Elliott Forbes-Robinson Butch Leitzinger Andy Wallace	Dyson Racing Team Inc.	Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford	G	20	2,520.480 mi (4,056.319 km)
2000	February 5 February 6	Olivier Beretta Dominique Dupuy Karl Wendlinger	Viper Team Oreca	Dodge Viper GTS-R	M	91	2,573.880 mi (4,142.258 km)	Rolex Sports Car Series
2001	February 3 February 4	Ron Fellows Chris Kneifel Franck Fréon Johnny O'Connell	Corvette Racing	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R	G	2	2,335.360 mi (3,758.398 km)
2002	February 2 February 3	Didier Theys Fredy Lienhard Max Papis Mauro Baldi	Doran Lista Racing	Dallara SP1-Judd	G	27	2,548.960 mi (4,102.153 km)
2003	February 1 February 2	Kevin Buckler Michael Schrom Timo Bernhard Jörg Bergmeister	The Racer's Group	Porsche 911 GT3-RS	D	66	2,474.200 mi (3,981.839 km)
2004	January 31 February 1	Christian Fittipaldi Terry Borcheller Forest Barber Andy Pilgrim	Bell Motorsports	Doran JE4-Pontiac	G	54	1,872.80 mi (3,013.98 km)A
2005	February 5 February 6	Max Angelelli Wayne Taylor Emmanuel Collard	SunTrust Racing	Riley MkXI-Pontiac	H	10	2,527.924 mi (4,068.300 km)A
2006	January 28 January 29	Scott Dixon Dan Wheldon Casey Mears	Target Ganassi Racing	Riley MkXI-Lexus	H	02	2,613.38 mi (4,205.82 km)
2007	January 27 January 28	Juan Pablo Montoya Salvador Durán Scott Pruett	Telmex Ganassi Racing	Riley MkXI-Lexus	H	01	2,377.970 mi (3,826.972 km)
2008	January 26 January 27	Juan Pablo Montoya Dario Franchitti Scott Pruett Memo Rojas	Telmex Ganassi Racing	Riley MkXI-Lexus	P	01	2,474.200 mi (3,981.839 km)
2009	January 24 January 25	David Donohue Antonio García Darren Law Buddy Rice	Brumos Racing	Riley MkXI-Porsche	P	58	2,616.600 mi (4,211.009 km)
2010	January 30 January 31	João Barbosa Terry Borcheller Ryan Dalziel Mike Rockenfeller	Action Express Racing	Riley MkXI-Porsche	P	9	2,688.14 mi (4,326.15 km)
2011	January 29 January 30	Joey Hand Graham Rahal Scott Pruett Memo Rojas	Telmex Chip Ganassi Racing	Riley MkXX-BMW	C	01	2,563.53 mi (4,125.60 km)
2012	January 28 January 29	A. J. Allmendinger Oswaldo Negri John Pew Justin Wilson	Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian	Riley MkXXVI-Ford	C	60	2,709.16 mi (4,359.97 km)
2013	January 26 January 27	Juan Pablo Montoya Charlie Kimball Scott Pruett Memo Rojas	Chip Ganassi Racing	Riley MkXXVI-BMW	C	01	2,524.04 mi (4,062.05 km)
2014	January 25 January 26	João Barbosa Christian Fittipaldi Sébastien Bourdais	Action Express Racing	Coyote-Corvette DP	C	5	2,474.200 mi (3,981.839 km)A	United SportsCar Championship
2015	January 24 January 25	Scott Dixon Tony Kanaan Kyle Larson Jamie McMurray	Chip Ganassi Racing	Riley MkXXVI-Ford	C	02	2,634.400 mi (4,239.656 km)
2016	January 30 January 31	Ed Brown Johannes van Overbeek Scott Sharp Pipo Derani	Tequila Patrón ESM	Ligier JS P2-Honda	C	2	2,620.160 mi (4,216.739 km)	IMSA SportsCar Championship
2017	January 28 January 29	Max Angelelli Jeff Gordon Jordan Taylor Ricky Taylor	Wayne Taylor Racing	Cadillac DPi-V.R	C	10	2,346.34 mi (3,776.07 km)
2018	January 27 January 28	João Barbosa Filipe Albuquerque Christian Fittipaldi	Mustang Sampling Racing	Cadillac DPi-V.R	C	5	2,876.85 mi (4,629.84 km)
2019	January 26 January 27	Jordan Taylor Fernando Alonso Renger van der Zande Kamui Kobayashi	Wayne Taylor Racing	Cadillac DPi-V.R	M	10	2,011.08 mi (3,236.52 km)A
2020	January 25 January 26	Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon Kamui Kobayashi Renger van der Zande	Wayne Taylor Racing	Cadillac DPi-V.R	M	10	2,965.48 mi (4,772.48 km)B
2021	January 30 January 31	Filipe Albuquerque Hélio Castroneves Alexander Rossi Ricky Taylor	Wayne Taylor Racing	Acura ARX-05	M	10	2,872.92 mi (4,623.52 km)
2022	January 29 January 30	Tom Blomqvist Oliver Jarvis Hélio Castroneves Simon Pagenaud	Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian	Acura ARX-05	M	60	2,709.16 mi (4,359.97 km)
2023	January 28 January 29	Tom Blomqvist Colin Braun Hélio Castroneves Simon Pagenaud	Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian	Acura ARX-06	M	60	2,787.48 mi (4,486.01 km)
[16]

Notes:

• ^A Races were red flagged during the event due to inclement weather, or a serious accident.
• ^B Race record for most distance covered.

3-hour duration

Year	Date	Drivers	Team	Car	Tire	Car #	Distance	Championship
1962	February 11	Dan Gurney	Frank Arciero	Lotus 19B-Coventry Climax	G	96	312.420 mi (502.791 km)	International Championship for GT Manufacturers
1963	February 17	Pedro Rodríguez	North American Racing Team	Ferrari 250 GTO	G	18	307.300 mi (494.551 km)	International Championship for GT Manufacturers

2000 km distance

Year	Date	Drivers	Team	Car	Tire	Car #	Championship
1964	February 16	Pedro Rodríguez Phil Hill	North American Racing Team	Ferrari 250 GTO	G	30	International Championship for GT Manufacturers
1965	February 28	Ken Miles Lloyd Ruby	Shelby-American Inc.	Ford GT[17]	G	73	International Championship for GT Manufacturers

6-hour duration

Year	Date	Drivers	Team	Car	Tire	Car #	Distance	Championship
1972	February 6	Mario Andretti Jacky Ickx	SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Ferrari 312 PB	F	2	739.140 mi (1,189.531 km)	World Championship for Makes

1000 km distance

Year	Date	Drivers	Team	Car	Tire	Car #	Distance	Championship
1959	April 5	Roberto Mieres Antonio von Döry	Porsche	Porsche 718 RSK	?	86	620 mi (1,000 km)	USAC Road Racing Championship

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 24 Hours of Daytona.

• Rolex 24 at Daytona Archived 2017-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
• United SportsCar Championship official site