Rolex 24 at Daytona: Brrrrrring on the 60th running of a sports-car classic

Three’s a crowd, they say.

That will become very apparent as the Rolex 24, an ultimate test of Man vs. Machine, moves from daylight to dark, toward a frigid Sunday dawn and becomes Man vs. Machine … vs. Mercury.

Below-freezing temps might not alter the eventual outcome of the 2022 season opener, but it will surely change its personality — and for those in the bleachers or on the fence line, the Rolex 24 is as much about vibe as it is competition.

As usual, there should be plenty of room in the grandstands, because the Rolex 24, for spectators, remains largely an infield hang-out.

And they’ll be hanging tight.

Big crowds even before race

The infield at Daytona International Speedway has already been elbow-to-elbow for two days. What’s that? A late parking request from a team member, racing official or media? You might just as well ask for a kidney.

Human nature tells you it has to be the most crowded it’s ever been. That may or may not be true, but it’s certainly busier than a year ago, when pandemic restrictions limited attendance.

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“If you were to compare this event to 2020, to look at year over year, we are pacing right now to exceed 2020,” says Frank Kelleher, whose Rolex week is his first as Speedway president. “That’s everything from admissions to hospitality to sponsorship to overall activation.”

Expect cold temps, high winds

Speaking of which, it’s time to activate the campfire. Given the official tire of the Rolex, it’s fitting that so many in the huddled masses will be dressed like the Michelin Man.

The 60th edition of the Rolex officially roars to life at 1:40 Saturday afternoon in a good news/bad news manner: Sunny skies and temps forecast in the mid to upper 40s. Yes, that’s the good. The bad: Wind. Not breeze, but wind — 15-20 mph with higher gusts. And remember, such things are magnified inside the Speedway’s tree-free, expansive infield.

The throbbing scene is the latest testament to what the Rolex 24 has become in recent years. Always big, always crowded, always unique, the Rolex’s reputation and cache began a noticeable acceleration in the previous decade, following the 2014 merger of two North American sports-car sanctioning bodies — Don Panoz’s old American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am, the former sports-car division of NASCAR.

That merger ushered in a modern IMSA (International Motor Sports Association), and without the top sports-car teams and manufacturers splitting their allegiances, IMSA and its marquee event found a whole new gear.

The expansion in all things Rolex is reflected in this weekend’s starting field of 61 cars, the largest since the merger, with those cars and teams representing a laundry list of international car makes. And no clunkers, by the way — the entry list includes Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari and practically anything else you may find in the driveways of the Haves.

Since this is the 60th edition, some added pomp is in order, and a big part of that will come immediately before the firing of engines, when a six-pack of Grand Marshals, including Mario Andretti — MARIO! — give the starting command.

'You've been haulin' the mail'

Among the six — all past Rolex 24 champs — is five-time winner Scott Pruett, whose two dozen Rolex starts came in all varieties of weather conditions. All things equal, he says, bring on the cold.

“I’ve seen fog and rain and cold and hot and everything in between,” Pruett says. “When you talk about cold, as a driver, it’s exciting because you have a lot of downforce, a lot of grip, and the cars are nice to drive.”

Pruett goes on to explain the aerodynamic advantages of cold air as opposed to hot, why both planes and cars perform better in the cold. Talking about it, he begins to look like a man ready to shake off his retirement and return to the cockpit, but after singing the praises of freezing temps, he tosses out a “however.”

“The most treacherous part of that is the out-laps,” he says, referring to the first lap a driver makes upon speeding off the pit lane. “The first lap on track, you’ve got new tires on, you’ve been haulin’ the mail … it’s really easy to run into the barrier as you exit the pits where you make that left. There’s just no grip in the tires. You’ve got these cold slick tires on this really cold surface, and there’s zero grip.

“Once the tire temps come up, man, then it’s awesome.”

So there you have it. At any given time, from 1:40 Saturday afternoon to 1:40 Sunday on the track, 61 people will be loving life. Everyone else will be doing their best to warm up to the idea — an idea hatched 60-some years ago by the man who built the place.

“For six decades, people have been coming to this race from all over the world,” says IMSA president John Doonan. “That’s what Bill France’s original vision was, to bring people here and put human and machine to the ultimate test.”

Rolex 24 Schedule

Today: Start of 60th Rolex 24 at 1:40 p.m.

Sunday: Rolex 24 conclusion at 1:40 p.m.

Tickets

• Sat-Sun Adult Tickets At Gate: $75 (Infield/Frontstretch/Garage Access); Kids 12-and-under FREE

• Sat-Sun Adult Tickets At Gate: $50 (Infield, Frontstretch Access): Kids 12-and-under FREE

• Sat-Sun Adult Tickets At Gate: $50 (Unreserved Frontstrech Seating): Kids 12-and-under FREE

More info: DaytonaInternationalSpeedway.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rolex 24 at Daytona: 60th edition will be an automotive 'cold war'