Advertisement

Rolex 24 at Daytona practice recap: Cadillac tops leaderboard in second practice

Ken Willis, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·7 min read

DAYTONA BEACH — Good morning from Daytona and the start of the four-day Rolex 24 weekend.

And the 2023 racing season, for that matter.

We’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day.

And man oh man, what a day it looks to be. Bright Florida sunshine and temps inching a tad above 60, with just enough northwest wind to get you reaching for the chapstick. No wonder I-95 South looks like the drafting train of a Daytona 500.

While all the campers and car geeks get comfortable and start wondering if they packed  enough food and beverage, here’s your on-track menu …

ABC's OF ROLEXHEY, WILLIE! Why does Rolex 24 at Daytona have to be so confusing?

ADVERTISEMENT

HELIO EYES THIRDCan Castroneves perform the three-peat in upgraded Acura at Daytona's Rolex 24?

Mazda MX-5 Cup practice at 9 a.m., followed by Michelin Pilot Challenge practice, the big boys of the Rolex 24 WeatherTech Championship, Mazda qualifying, Michelin qualifying, WeatherTech practice, Mazda race (45 minutes) and the day’s nightcap, literally: nearly two hours of practice, beginning at 7:15 under the lights, for the Rolex 24 cars.

Drop back in periodically. We’ll keep you posted at various points throughout the day, and as events dictate.

All of this points toward Saturday afternoon at 1:40 and the start of the 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona.

For racers and race fans, it’s now officially “Happy New Year” time. But hold the champagne until Victory Lane is unlocked.

With the Michelin Pilot Challenge series on track today and racing Friday, guess who's on hand at Daytona.
With the Michelin Pilot Challenge series on track today and racing Friday, guess who's on hand at Daytona.

Howdy, Cap'n!

The Captain has finally cleared his throat and made his presence known.

One of Roger Penske's two Porsche-powered prototypes took over the top spot in the final practice of the opening day of Rolex weekend, pacing the field Thursday night a click ahead of the Acura from Wayne Taylor Racing.

With Aussie Matt Campbell at the helm, the No. 7 Porsche turned a quick lap of 1:35.802, an average of 133.776 mph around the 3.56-mile course.

The Rolex cars, which make up IMSA's WeatherTech Championship series, get the track again Friday morning at 11:20 for a one-hour session. The GTP class of prototypes get a 20-minute stand-alone practice Friday evening, beginning at 6:25.

Roger Penske
Roger Penske

Gonzales holds off Zilisch in Mazda MX-5, four-wide finish

Tyler Gonzales used the middle lane to hold off the field, beating 15-year-old Connor Zilisch by .015 seconds in a four-wide finish to the first race of the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series on Thursday evening.

Gonzales, a 17-year-old driver for Copeland Motorsports, made a move to the outside on Sam Paley as the field came out of Turn 4 and into the trioval. As Gonzales surged ahead, Zilisch went up a lane higher as Aaron Jeansonne dove to the bottom but neither could to the lead as the cars crossed the line. Paley came home third with Jeansonne settling for fourth.

The dramatic finish capped a race full of tight racing and bump drafting. The top four finishers came home less than a tenth of a second apart and the top nine was separated by less than a half second.

The second race in the Mazda weekend doubleheader is set for 10:15 Friday morning.

Cadillac takes three of top four spots in afternoon practice session

Richard Westbrook, piloting the GTP No. 02 Cadillac Racing entry, turned in a lap of 1:35.185 on his fifth lap, accounting for the fastest time in the second of three scheduled practices ahead of Saturday's Rolex 24.

Until the final lap, Cadillac had accounted for the top three times but Louis Deletraz, in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura, crossed the line in 1:35.423 just under the wire, to come in second. Renger van der Zande was third with a 1:35.427 in the No. 01 Cadillac with Pipo Derani, wheeling the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac entry to a time of 1:35.465, good enough for fourth.

The No. 02 Cadillac prototype, put together by Chip Ganassi Racing, speeds through the infield course Thursday during Rolex 24 practice at Daytona. With Richard Westbrook driving, the No. 02 was fastest in Thursday afternoon's second practice session.
The No. 02 Cadillac prototype, put together by Chip Ganassi Racing, speeds through the infield course Thursday during Rolex 24 practice at Daytona. With Richard Westbrook driving, the No. 02 was fastest in Thursday afternoon's second practice session.

"It's always nice to be at the top, but I don’t really think it means too much," said Westbrook, the 47-year-old British racer. "We had a good run. The car is really enjoyable to drive now. I definitely wasn’t saying that a month ago, to be honest. It really does feel good now."

Westbrook said early testing of the new LMDh prototype focused on durability, but now, "finally we can work on performance."

"So far, so good, but you just don’t know," he added. "I’m not going to get excited or carried away, but so far, so good."

Other class leaders in Thursday's second of three practice sessions.