Rolex 24 at Daytona 2023: 18 Hour Update
Acura, Meyer Shank Racing Lead with Six Hours to Go
Colin Braun in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 leads the field at the 18 hour mark of the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Michael Shank Racing's closest competitors are the duo of Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 01 and No. 02 Cadillac. All three cars have exchanged the lead over the course of the last six hours, battling back and forth on track and on the pit lane.
Disaster struck the No. 6 Penske Racing Porsche 963 when driver Nick Tandy spun the car in the kind of the infield portion of the course after nearly hitting an LMP3 class car. The spin resulted in the car suffering extensive damage to the diffuser and splitter after the car traveled through the grass during the spin. Following a three lap pit stop the replace the rear deck and nose of the Porsche 963, the car lost three laps to the leaders of the GTP class.
TDS Racing's dual effort to win the LMP2 class was reduced to just one as the No. 11 driven at the time by Steven Thomas made contact with a Ferrari 296 GT3 in the Le Mans Chicane. The contact between the two resulted in the No. 11 winding up in the tire barriers. This promoted the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07 Gibson to battle the No. 35 TDS Racing Oreca 07 Gibson to battle for the class victory with six hours to go.
In the GTD-Pro class, the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing AMG Mercedes GT3 leads over another GT3 Mercedes of Winward Racing. The No. 57 continues to stay near the top of the class after suffering a massive impact Thursday during practice. Another AMG Mercedes, fielded by Team Korthoff Motorsports in the GTD class, had held the lead throughout the opening hours. A mechanical issue for the car resulted in the car going behind the wall, putting them out of class winning contention. Leading all GT classes overall at the 18 hour mark is the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin GT3 of Marco Sorenson, who sits comfortably ahead of its nearest GTD competitor.
The LMP3 class, as it has been throughout the first 18 hours, has been dominated by the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport machine.
(Cover Image Courtesy of IMSA/Jake Galstad)
