Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona
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| Venue | Daytona International Speedway |
|---|---|
| Corporate sponsor | Rolex |
| First race | 1962 |
| Duration | 24 hours |
| Previous names |
Daytona 3 Hour Continental (1962–1963) Daytona 2000 (1964–1965) 24 Hours of Daytona (1966–1971, 1973, 1975–1977) 6 Hours of Daytona (1972) 24 Hour Pepsi Challenge (1978–1983) SunBank 24 at Daytona (1984–1991) Rolex 24 At Daytona (1992–) |
| Most wins (driver) |
Hurley Haywood (5) Scott Pruett (5) |
| Most wins (team) | Chip Ganassi Racing (6) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Porsche (18) |
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield road course. Since its inception, it has been held the last weekend of January or first weekend of February, part of Speedweeks, and it is the first major automobile race of the year in the United States. It is also the first race of the season for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The race has had several names over the years. Since 1991, the Rolex Watch Co. is the title sponsor of the race under a naming rights arrangement, replacing Sunbank (now SunTrust) which in turn replaced Pepsi in 1984. Winning drivers of all classes receive a steel Rolex Daytona watch.
In 2006, the race moved one week earlier into January to prevent a clash with the Super Bowl, which had in turn moved one week later into February a few years earlier.
The race has been known historically as a leg of the informal Triple Crown of endurance racing, although it suffers from an increasing isolation from international Sports Car racing regulations, which have been eased in recent years (Prototypes include P2 Prototypes and an IMSA-spec open engine class with aero kits, and the two Grand Touring classes are now divided between ACO GTE, and FIA/SRO Group GT3 classes).
Shortly after the track opened, on April 5, 1959, a six-hour/1000 kilometer USAC-FIA sports car race was held on the road course. Count Antonio Von Dory and Roberto Mieres won the race in a Porsche, shortened to 560.07 miles due to darkness. The race utilized a 3.81-mile layout, running counter-clockwise.
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