Race Resumes After Fog Delay at Rolex 24 At Daytona
Daytona Beach, FL – The 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona resumed racing early this morning after a prolonged safety car period lasting over six hours due to heavy fog. IMSA Race Control determined visibility had improved enough to restart the event at 7:19 AM, marking the beginning of the final segment of the race.
Laurin Heinrich led the charge in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, choosing to stay out while other competitors pitted before the green flag. Matt Campbell, driving the #6 Penske Porsche, executed a strong restart to set consecutive fastest laps, moving from fourth to second. The #24 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, piloted by Kevin Magnussen, now sits in third after a similar strategy.
However, the #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R incurred a 60-second stop-and-go penalty for a pit lane violation, pushing Frederik Vesti back to tenth place. Additional penalties affected the #24 WRT BMW and the #85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche for various infractions during pit work.
In the LMP2 category, Sébastien Bourdais is currently leading for Tower Motorsports in the #8 ORECA 07-Gibson, with Nick Cassidy closing in from second place in the #343 Inter Europol Competition entry. Both Inter Europol cars are performing strongly, also holding third with Tom Dillmann in the #43.
Ben Barker initially led GTD Pro in the #64 Ford Racing Mustang GT3, but Tommy Milner has since taken command in the #4 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R. Barker remains competitive in second, while Antonio García in the sister #3 Corvette is in third. Maro Engel executed a remarkable three-wide maneuver to secure fifth place in the #75 Express Mercedes-AMG, overtaking the #912 Manthey Porsche and the #1 Paul Miller BMW.
In the GTD class, Robby Foley has moved to the lead in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO, surpassing Lilou Wadoux in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Russell Ward rounds out the top three in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.
A collision between Conquest Racing’s Thierry Vermeulen and Magnus Racing’s Spencer Pumpelly at Le Mans Chicane was deemed incidental by race officials.
As the race heads into its final hours, teams will be focused on strategy and avoiding penalties to secure favorable finishes.
