The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Target/TELMEX BMW Riley driven by Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya, Charlie Kimball and Scott Dixon leads the field at the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Saturday. — AFP
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Scott Pruett’s chase for the Rolex 24 at Daytona record got off to a strong start Saturday.
Pruett and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates were leading or near the front of the field during the early stages of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Pruett started the grueling endurance race on the pole and was the fastest in the 57-car field. It was the perfect way for Pruett to begin his pursuit of Hurley Haywood’s record of five Rolex victories.
Pruett, a five-time series champion, maneuvered the No. 01 BMW Riley around the road course without any problems — something few drivers could say in the early going.
A.J. Allmendinger, whose Michael Shank Racing team won the event last year, fell way behind in the first hour after breaking a left-front tie rod on the No. 60 Ford Riley. The part affected steering and suspension, and left the car seven laps back. Allmendinger was suspended by NASCAR last season for failing a random drug test and sent home hours before the July race at Daytona. He was hoping to make a triumphant return while defending his Rolex title.
Instead, Allmendinger and teammates Ozz Negri, Justin Wilson, John Pew and Marcos Ambrose could have a tough time catching up. Then again, anything can and often does happen in the twice-around-the-clock test that kicks off the racing season.
Fellow Daytona Prototype drivers Stephane Sarrazin, Ian James and Bruno Junqueira fell laps behind. Sarrazin had a transmission problem. James had a gearbox failure. Junqueira spun off the track. Emmanuel Anassis also had issues.
And considering that the six Corvettes in the field were so slow in qualifying that Grand-Am officials gave them an extra five horsepower Friday, the two Ganassi cars are the clear-cut favorites. — AP
