Rolex 24 at Daytona: Cadillac Takes Command as Night Falls
As dusk descended on Daytona International Speedway, the #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R, piloted by Earl Bamber, has surged to the lead of the 64th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona, maintaining a solid position with 20 hours remaining.
A significant incident involving Wright Motorsports’ Adam Adelson and AF Corse LMP2 driver Dylan Murry reshuffled the GTP standings. Julien Andlauer was leading in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 but dropped four positions following a pit stop mishap. The sister #6 car underwent a nose change and right sidepod repairs, forcing Andlauer to maneuver out of the way. Bamber capitalized on this misfortune, establishing his Cadillac at the front.
Currently, Andlauer has recovered to second, having initially run in third place before the #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06 suffered a puncture. In the ensuing pit stop, Kakunoshin Ohta took over from Álex Palou. The #24 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Dries Vanthoor, sits in third, while the #85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche (Kaylen Frederick) holds fourth. Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 Penske Porsche is in fifth.
In the LMP2 class, AO Racing’s Dane Cameron leads by over ten seconds in the #99 ORECA 07-Gibson, while Toby Sowery is in second for CrowdStrike Racing in the #04 car, followed by Chris Cumming in the #73 Pratt Miller Motorsports entry.
In GTD Pro, Antonio García leads the pack in the #3 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R. Andrea Caldarelli (Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini) is applying pressure in second place, followed closely by the Ford Racing Mustang GT3s in third and fourth positions.
In the GTD class, Albert Costa has propelled the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo to the lead, with Indy Dontje’s #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO closely behind. The #96 Turner Motorsport BMW faced a setback with an unscheduled pit stop due to a radiator blockage, dropping out of the top ten.
IMSA has confirmed that Adam Adelson has been transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation but is awake and alert following the earlier collision. Dylan Murry has been released from the infield care center. The #120 Wright Porsche has been officially retired from the race.
As the night stretches on, teams remain vigilant as the 24-hour endurance race unfolds.
