Daytona: Experiencing the Rolex 24 and 24 Hours of Racing

A Bit of Our Racing History

For those who don’t follow car racing, the 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24, is one of the world’s premier endurance sports car races. The race is sanctioned by IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) and sponsored by Rolex.

The race is held each January at Daytona International Speedway. It runs continuously for 24 hours, challenging drivers, teams, and cars through changing weather conditions and temperatures. Day turns into night, temperatures rise and fall, and the drivers keep pushing until the checkered flag drops.

When Pete and I started dating in 1971, he introduced me to the world of car racing, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday… You could usually find us at Lebanon Valley Dragway, where Pete raced his 1967 Corvette. Then came the month of May, and with it, the Indianapolis 500. The Indy Cars and the Andretti family became forever embedded in my soul, and our yearly family Indy 500 party became nothing short of epic.

In the 1990s, we joined SCCA, and our Saturdays took us to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. I worked in the tower with Timing & Scoring, while Pete was out on the track as a corner worker.

Racing wasn’t simply something we watched—it became something we lived.

Over the years, we attended many live Indy Car races at tracks within driving distance—Toronto, Cleveland, Nazareth, and New Hampshire. But eventually, two races rose to the top of our bucket list: the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The Indy 500 remains on our Bucket List, but in January 2022, we finally checked the Rolex 24 off that list. After decades of loving racing, we were about to experience the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona in person—and we couldn’t wait.

Daytona Rolex 24 Day 1

Let me start by saying, strap on your step tracker, because you’re going to do a LOT of walking!

The Daytona Rolex 24 is a four-day event that kicks off on Thursday, and over those four days, we walked a total of 31 miles—including a whopping 10 miles on the first day alone. And we hadn’t even gotten to the racing yet!

Our first day got off to a frustrating start when we arrived at the Infield Fan Center and discovered they wouldn’t allow our GoPro inside. Not in my coat pocket. Not in my purse. Not even in my backpack. Nope! So, back to the car we went—about 1½ miles each way—just to stash the darn thing. Ugh!

Of course, we eventually figured out a way to sneak it in. After all, we had come to Daytona to experience the Rolex 24, and there was no way I was leaving my GoPro behind!

We spent the day exploring the track and getting the feel of the place. We figured out where the garages were, where we could find the drivers, how the shuttles ran, and, most importantly, where to find the beer and the restrooms.

Thursday evening brought the night practice we had been looking forward to. Mother Nature decided to join the party and sent some rain our way. We grabbed a front-row spot in the infield, and the action took our breath away.

The cars attacked the horseshoe turn at full speed, their tires spinning and throwing huge rooster tails of water into the air. The combination of speed, rain, noise, and darkness created an incredible spectacle.

Another dimension to the show are the neon lights that display their car numbers and positions within their classes. Lights across the tops of the cars help spotters and pit crews identify them as they scream around the track at night. Watching a sea of brightly lit race cars blast through the darkness and rain gave us our first real taste of what the Rolex 24 had in store.

Saturday – Race Day!

Temperatures hovered in the ’40s under a clear blue sky at Daytona Raceway, with a brisk breeze adding a little bite to the air. But nothing could dampen our excitement.

Before the green flag, the teams pushed the race cars into their starting positions on the grid. Then the gates opened, and fans poured onto the track. We had the chance to get up close to the cars, meet some of the drivers, and soak up the excitement before the 24-hour marathon began.

And if you carried a Sharpie, you could even sign your name on the start/finish line. Of course, we did!

Daytona: 1:40 p.m. Saturday—the moment we had been waiting for!

The start of the race absolutely thrilled us. No words can describe the roar of 61 race cars as they took the green flag at speed, tires smoking while drivers jockeyed for track position.

The cars completed each lap in roughly 1½ to 2 minutes, reaching speeds of 120–140 mph around the 3.81-mile course. To put that into perspective, if you drove the same lap at 60 mph, it would take you almost four minutes!

Five different classes of race cars shared the track, each competing for its own class victory. That mix created some incredibly interesting racing, with cars of different speeds and capabilities weaving through the field.

Once the drivers settled into their race pace, we started moving around the grandstands, searching for different vantage points. Every section offered a new view of the action, and we couldn’t resist chasing the best spots to watch the race unfold.

Cold Weather at Daytona in Florida!

As the afternoon wore on, the sun dropped toward the western horizon, the temperature plummeted, and a cold wind swept in from the ocean. The combination made for a miserably cold evening.

We had come prepared—hats, gloves, Under Armour, sweatshirts, and winter coats—but even all those layers couldn’t compete with a 27-degree wind chill. We finally admitted defeat.

We felt disappointed that we wouldn’t get to experience the night racing we had anticipated, so we retreated to our hotel for the night. From there, we followed the race on an app on our phones, watching the positions change and keeping track of the action from the warmth of our room.

Daytona Day 3 – Sunday

Sunday brought a much better day, with temperatures in the 60s climbing into the 70s. We arrived at the track ready to soak up every remaining minute of the Rolex 24.

Much to my delight, my favorite driver and his team had moved into first place in their class! Pete’s favorite team hadn’t fared nearly as well. A rough night had left them struggling to recover.

Then came 1:40 p.m. Sunday—the finish of the 24 Hours of Daytona. The final laps had us on the edge of our seats as the leaders battled back and forth for the overall victory. After 24 hours of racing, Helio Castroneves crossed the finish line first and took the overall win.

And then came the moment I had been hoping for all weekend: my team took first place in their class!

After decades of following racing, we had finally experienced the Rolex 24 in person—and watching my favorite team take a class victory made the long-awaited dream even sweeter.

Last but not least

Unfortunately, Romin never made it anywhere near the track. Daytona rules meant he had to sit and wait for us in the parking lot, about a mile and a half away.

So, sadly, we have no pictures of Romin at Daytona International Speedway. Poor Romin—he made the trip to Daytona but never got to see the race!