Live updates: Jimmie Johnson keeps No. 48 team in front at Rolex 24

Live updates: Jimmie Johnson keeps No. 48 team in front at Rolex 24

Staff Report

The 59th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona has gone green.

The twice-around-the-clock endurance race that kicks off IMSA’s season roared to life today at 3:40 p.m. under a sunny Daytona Beach sky and comfortable temperatures hovering around 70 degrees.

More:How to watch this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona on TV, live stream

Forty-nine entries from all legs of motorsports will do battle for the next 24 hours, with five different classes — DPi, LMP2, LMP3, GTLM, GTD — making up the star-studded field.

NASCAR champions Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott are in Cadillac DPis that figure to compete for the win, while IndyCar stars such as Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya should be in contention all weekend.

More:With a ‘stacked’ field and fast cars, the 59th Rolex 24 At Daytona could be a classic

While the pre-race pageantry didn’t look the same with the garage area, pit road and the paddock closed to fans, there was plenty of excitement in the air as the command to start engines took place.

12:40 a.m. | Johnson returns, keeps No. 48 team in front

Kamui Kobayashi entered Sunday morning as the Rolex 24 leader, and Jimmie Johnson has kept the No. 48 Ally Racing Cadillac in front.

Johnson, taking his second turn behind the wheel, was running about one second faster than Renger van der Zande in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Cadillac.

Cadillac occupies four of the top five spots; Alexander Rossi, in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura D, sits in third position.

Three cars have retired from the competition — the Nos. 29, 20 and 81 ORECAs, all in the LMP2 class.

For more overnight updates, you can follow IMSA’s live leaderboard at www.imsa.com/scoring.

Other class leaders:

LMP2: Thomas Merrill in the No. 11 ORECA

LMP3: Stevan McAleer in the No. 6 Duqueine

GT Le Mans: Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette

GT Daytona: Matteo Cressoni in the No. 21 Ferrari

11:40 p.m. | Kobayashi drives No. 48 to the lead before pit-stop

Going for his third straight Rolex 24 overall win, Kamui Kobayashi drove around the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Cadillac and put the No. 48 Ally Racing machine into the lead just after 11 p.m. He pulled away from Renger van der Zande before hitting pit-road, which thrust the Ganassi machine back to the lead.

Alexander Rossi and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Acura is second, followed by AJ Allmendinger in the No. 60 DPi. Kobayashi is now fourth, 42 seconds back.

Other class leaders:

LMP2: Thomas Merrill in the No. 11 ORECA

LMP3: Stevan McAleer in the No. 6 Duqueine

GT Le Mans: Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette

GT Daytona: Nicklas Nielsen in the No. 21 Ferrari

10:40 p.m. | Caution, frantic restart shuffles leaderboard again

After over three hours of green flag racing, a full course yellow was finally thrown just after the 10 p.m. hour.

That bunched the field back up and led to a frantic restart that saw Loic Duval overtake Scott Dixon on the restart and put the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac in front. However, after further review, IMSA ruled that Duval jumped the restart and was forced to serve a drive-through penalty.

The No. 48 Cadillac DPi briefly held the lead after that, but Dixon has since overtaken that car to go back out in front. Kamui Kobayashi in the No. 48 DPi is now second followed by the Wayne Taylor No. 10 Acura.

Other class leaders:

LMP2: Thomas Merrill in the No. 11 ORECA

LMP3: Lance Willsey in the No. 33 Ligier

GT Le Mans: Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette

GT Daytona: Patrick Long in the No. 16 Porsche 911

9:40 p.m. | Rolex 24 leaderboard continues to change as long run continues

Drivers in all five Rolex 24 classes continue to battle for spots as a 3-hour green flag run continues.

Sebastien Bourdais is the overall leader in the No. 5 Cadillac. Scott Dixon and the No. 01 Chip Ganassi machine is second, followed by the Wayne Taylor No. 10 and the No. 48 Cadillac.

Bourdais' lead is up to nearly 11-seconds over Dixon and 47-seconds over fourth-place Mike Rockenfeller.

Other class leaders:

LMP2: Matthew Bell in the No. 11 ORECA

LMP3: Scott Andrews in the No. 74 Ligier.

GT Le Mans: Alexander Sims in the No. 4 Corvette

GT Daytona: Klaus Bachler in the No. 16 Porsche 911

8:40 p.m. | Dixon, Bourdais battle for lead

Cadillac holds the top three spots in the Rolex 24 At Daytona as Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais battle for the outright lead.

Bourdais inherited the lead from countryman Tristan Vautier in the No. 5 Cadillac DPi, but Dixon pulled ahead just before race’s fifth hour drew to a close. Dixon, in the No. 01 Cadillac, is aiming for his fifth career Rolex victory.

Mike Rockenfeller in the No. 48 Cadillac sits third, and Helio Castroneves is fourth in the No. 10 Acura. Castroneves was involved in a bus stop wreck less than four hours into last year’s event.

Other class leaders through three hours:

LMP2: Matthew Bell in the No. 11 ORECA

LMP3: Scott Andrews in the No. 74 Ligier.

GT Le Mans: Alexander Sims in the No. 4 Corvette

GT Daytona: Andrea Caldarelli in the No. 1 Lamborghini

Day 1 action:Rolex 24 filled with early drama as drivers fight for every inch of asphalt

More:Jimmie Johnson shakes off nerves during first stint in a decade

And:Rolex 24 takes on familiar tones at Daytona as marathon race goes into the night

7:40 p.m. | French Cadillac team maintains top spot

Tristan Vautier, one-third of the all-French No. 5 Cadillac DPi team, maintains the lead at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Cadillacs hold three of the top four spots. Kevin Magnussen, in the No. 01 Cadillac, sits about three seconds off the pace. Ricky Taylor breaks up the Cadillac stranglehold in third place in the No. 10 Acura.

Chase Elliott made way for Mike Conway after about an hour. The Rolex rookie, and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, exited the car in seventh.

Other class leaders through three hours:

LMP2: Tristan Nunez in the No. 11 ORECA

LMP3: Spencer Pigot in the No. 74 Ligier.

GT Le Mans: Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Corvette

GT Daytona: Indy Dontje in the No. 57 Mercedes

6:40 p.m. |Chase Elliott makes Rolex 24 debut

Chase Elliott took over for Felipe Nasr in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac shortly after 6 p.m. It’s the defending NASCAR Cup Series' champion’s first stint in the Rolex 24.

Elliott’s currently seventh, 16-seconds behind race-leader Tristan Vautier in the No. 5 Cadillac DPi.

Other class leaders through three hours:

LMP2: Paul-Loup Chatin in the No. 18 ORECA

LMP3: Wayne Boyd in the No. 33 Ligier.

GT Le Mans: Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Corvette

GT Daytona: Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 14 Lexus

5:40 p.m. | Nasr stays up front after 2 hours

A caution flag bunched the field together midway through the second hour, but after returning to green, the man up front was still Felipe Nasr in the No. 31 Cadillac DPi. However, he played some give-and-take with Renger van der Zande in the No. 01 Caddy owned by Chip Ganassi.

Simon Pagenaud replaced Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 Cadillac and was running third. Johnson batted leadoff for the No. 48 and ran two green-flag cycles before coming out.

“Although I did miss the fans being there, there was still a great energy,” Johnson said of the pre-race atmosphere on the starting grid. “Never had the honor to start this race before, so a lot of cool emotions.”

Other class leaders through two hours:

LMP2: Antonio Fuoco in the No. 47 Dallara.

LMP3: Rasmus Lindh in the No. 38 Ligier.

GT Le Mans: Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette was neck-and-neck with James Calado in the No. 62 Ferarri.

GT Daytona: Ian James in the No. 23 Aston Martin.

The No. 31 Cadillac DPi that started up front remained there at t h e 1-hour mark of the Rolex 24. With Felipe Nasr behind the wheel, the Action Express car was maintaining a lead of about 4 seconds through the first round of pit stops.

Another Cadillac DPi, the No. 5 driven by Loic Duval, was batting for second place overall with the No. 01 Cadillac DPi driven by Renger van der Zande. Seven-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, leading off for the No. 48 Cadillac sister car of the leader, was running fifth after the first hour.

Other class leaders:

LMP2: Ben Keating in the No. 52 Oreca.

LMP 3: Jim Cox in the No. 91 Ligier.

GT Le Mans: Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette.

GT Daytona: Daniel Morad in the No. 28 Mercedes-AMG.

So much for taking your time.

Seconds after the green flag for the 59th Rolex 24 was displayed, mayhem ensued for the No. 79 Porsche, which was sent spinning in the middle of the field by the No. 25 BMW of Bruno Spengler.

Somehow, the rest of the pack missed Kevin Estre, but less than 10 minutes later he lost the back bumper of his Porsche, bringing out a full course yellow.

The No. 25 received a penalty for the incident. Estre is still in the pits even though the racing has resumed.

3:40 p.m |Rolex 24 goes green

The clock is ticking.

The 59th Rolex 24 is underway, with the No. 31 Cadillac DPi leading the field of 49 into Turn 1 of Daytona’s 3.56-mile Road Course.

The No. 52 ORECA started on the pole in the LMP2 class, while the DeLand-based No. 6 Muehlner Motorsports team led the LMP3 field to green. A pair of Corvette’s started on the GTLM pole, while the No. 96 BMW started out front in the GTD class.

Jimmie Johnson will drive the opening stint in the No. 48 Cadillac DPi.

1:40 p.m. | Rolex 24 entry list

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering DPi will lead the field to green today after winning last weekend’s Motul Pole Award 100.

The rest of the DPi class looks like this:

Car number; team/sponsor; car type; drivers

01: Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing; Cadillac; Renger van der Zande; Scott Dixon; Marcus Ericsson; Kevin Magnussen

5: JDC-Miller MotorSports / Mustang Sampling Racing; Cadillac; Tristan Vautier; Sebastien Bourdais; Loic Duval

10: Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05; Acura; Ricky Taylor; Filipe Albuquerque; Alexander Rossi; Helio Castroneves

31: Whelen Engineering Racing / Cadillac / Lucas Oil; Cadillac; Chase Elliott; Felipe Nasr; Pipo Derani; Mike Conway; won overall pole

48: Ally Cadillac Racing; Cadillac; Jimmie Johnson; Kamui Kobayashi; Simon Pagenaud; Mike Rockenfeller

55: Mazda Motorsports; Mazda; Oliver Jarvis; Jonathan Bomarito; Harry Tincknell

60: Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian / SiriusXM / AutoNation / Acura Type S / Curb Records; Acura; Olivier Pla; AJ Allmendinger; Dane Cameron; Juan Pablo Montoya

More:Here’s the Rolex 24 At Daytona 2021 starting grid: 49 cars are full of racing’s stars

For 24 Hours, Daytona Is True Focus of Motorsports World

With 27 Countries Represented, the Rolex 24 Is Rich in International Appeal

By Jeff Olson

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - If you happen to find an entry list for the 59th Rolex 24 At Daytona featuring the flags of each driver’s home country, you’re in for a colorful geography lesson.

You’ll also realize just how international in scope the race is.

When the green flag flies Saturday shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET, you’ll be watching a race involving 49 cars driven by 195 drivers from 27 countries. While Americans make up the largest nationality, they are hardly the majority.

Almost two-thirds of the field hails from outside the U.S., including 18 drivers from Great Britain, 17 from France, 13 from Germany and 11 from Italy.

The international appeal isn’t limited to drivers. The race also has an international audience.

“Everywhere around the world, they are watching this race like they are watching Le Mans,” said Renger van der Zande, a two-time Rolex 24 winner from the Netherlands. “Daytona has a name, and it’s the only race in January. It’s something that the whole world watches because everybody is waiting for the first race of the season. All of that together makes it very appealing for fans and drivers around the world. To win this race is the highlight of my career, for sure.”

The international appeal of the race leads to some widely varied lineups. One of the cars favored to win, the No. 48 Action Express Ally Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, is co-driven by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson from El Cajon, California, Simon Pagenaud from France, Mike Rockenfeller from Germany and Kamui Kobayashi from Japan.

Circumstances and opportunities brought the four accomplished drivers together, and the result is an international all-star team with global appeal.

“I think Jimmie is still motivated by racing – maybe not by NASCAR, but just by racing different cars,” Kobayashi said. “I’m very happy to be part of his program with the Ally Cadillac. With Simon and Mike, it’s great because we have someone who won the IndyCar championship (Pagenaud) and someone who won the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Rockenfeller). With people coming from all these categories, it shows what a big and competitive championship the IMSA WeatherTech (Championship) has become.”

Two reasons for the appeal to drivers around the globe: The race’s history and its place on the calendar. Sebastien Bourdais, who was born in Le Mans, France, and lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, has won both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24.

“(The Rolex 24) has a huge appeal internationally because of history,” Bourdais said. “It’s a race that every race car driver wants to put on their résumé. Also, it’s so early in the season that there’s really no conflict with other series. There’s such a wide variety of cars and entries and one-offs.

“It allows people to come here just for this specific event. Deep in the season, when they’re all tangled in their own championships, they can’t do it. That’s why you see all nations and backgrounds coming together and kick-starting the season. That’s what’s so unique about Daytona. No other series starts racing at the end of January.”

And the weight of a win in the famous race carries itself around the world. When he makes appearances in the Netherlands, van der Zande is introduced with mention of his Rolex 24 victories.

“They always refer to me as a two-time Daytona winner,” van der Zande said. “On top of that, the biggest newspapers are always asking me for interviews around this time of the year about the Daytona 24 Hours. It’s an endurance classic, and it’s one of the biggest races in the world if you are in endurance racing. I feel it at home in Holland, for sure. People recognize this race.”

They also show up for it. Most of the spectators watch from the infield of the giant facility, which might mask the numbers, but drivers notice how many fans – and how many from around the world – show up for the race. That may not be the case quite as much this year, with travel and attendance limited by the global pandemic. But it’s still special for the foreign drivers to see the international fan representation.

“There are a ton of race fans that show up on site from all around the world,” Bourdais said. “It’s not a huge number, but it’s impressive. Even if it’s a decent number, because of the size of the venue, it doesn’t look crowded. But the racing community gathers together for a party that starts the season every year.”

Live U.S. coverage of the 24-hour race begins at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC. After the first hour, the flag-to-flag coverage moves to NBCSN, TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App before returning to NBC at 2 p.m. Sunday for the conclusion. Complete IMSA Radio coverage may also be found at IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio (Sirius channel 216, XM 202 and Internet 972).

Tickets for the Rolex 24 At Daytona are available HERE.

Viewer’s guide 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona live stream: Watch the full 24 hours Race Coverage

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we recommended

Originally known as the 24 Hours of DAYTONA, the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually that kicks off the new IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar Championship season at Daytona International Speedway. There are traditionally around 60 cars in the field competing for the overall victory as well as four different classes. Each team trades shifts between three and five drivers.

How to Watch the Rolex 24 At Daytona

With the 2021 season officially underway, the stage is set for IMSA’s longest and most challenging race of the season, the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Whether you plan to watch the full 24 hours or just get social media updates, you can count on coverage being plentiful, and available on all platforms.

This year’s Rolex 24 has featured a frenetic run-up to a prestigious season opener that will have a formidable lineup top to bottom across the largest field in the sports car endurance classic since 2018.

The Speedway is planning to safely host a reduced, limited number of fans in the venue and the infield for the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA weekend in accordance with current guidelines from state and local government, medical professionals, and public health officials.

Saturday, January 30th

3:30-4:30 p.m. ET – NBC

4:30-8 p.m. ET – NBCSN

8-11 p.m. ET – NBC App

11 p.m.-12 a.m. ET – NBCSN

Sunday, January 31st

12 a.m.-3 a.m. ET – NBCSN

3-6 a.m. ET – NBC App

6 a.m.-2 p.m. ET – NBCSN

2-4 p.m. ET – NBC

Streaming and PPV:

-Commercial free, flag to flag coverage is available on NBC Sports Gold TrackPass and also International viewers can watch all 24 hours here

In addition to seating adjustments, for the safety of the competitors and staff, the garages, paddock and pit road will be closed to fans, and the grid walk and ballfield access will also be closed to fans during pre-race activities. Detailed event and safety information is available at .

Rolex 24 At DAYTONA Schedule

For more than five decades, Daytona International Speedway’s 24-hour race has proved a fun-filled adventure for race fans and all other Daytona Beach area visitors. √

In the DPi division, Wayne Taylor Racing has switched from running the No. 10 Cadillac (which has won three of the past four Rolex 24s) to Acura, which also has added Meyer Shank Racing (which is moving up from the GTD division) to replace the former two-car effort from Team Penske.

There are numerous driver and manufacturer changes in the premier DPi division, starting with the two-time defending Rolex 24 at Daytona winner. Wayne Taylor Racing has switched from Cadillac to Acura and also brought in new full-time drivers Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque. Joining the No. 10 at Daytona will be Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi. Daytona 24 Hours final practice result Pos Class Driver Team Gap 1 DPi T.Vautier, L.Duval, S.Bourdais JDC-Miller Motorsports 1m35.085s 2 DPi R.van der Zande, K.Magnussen, S.Dixon Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing 0.012s 3 DPi O.Jarvis, H.Tincknell, J.Bomarito Mazda Motorsports 0.047s 4 DPi R.Taylor, F.Albuquerque, A.Rossi, H.Castroneves Konica Minolta Acura 0.053s 5 DPi F.Nasr, M.Conway, P.Derani, C.Elliott Whelen Engineering Racing 0.667s 6 DPi J.Johnson, K.Kobayashi, S.Pagenaud, M.Rockenfeller Ally Cadillac Racing 0.732s 7 LMP2 J.Farano, G.Aubry, T.Buret, M.Vaxiviere Tower Motorsport by Starworks 1.363s 8 LMP2 D.Andersen, F.Habsburg, A.Fjordbach, R.Kubica High Class Racing 1.487s 9 DPi D.Cameron, O.Pla, J.P.Montoya, A.Allmendinger Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian 1.669s 10 LMP2 S.Thomas, T.Nunez, T.Merrill, M.Bell WIN Autosport 1.786s 11 LMP2 R.Hodes, G.Grist, R.Van Kalmthout, B.Hanley Dragonspeed USA 2.020s 12 LMP2 R.Lacorte, A.Fuoco, A.Belicchi, G.Sernagiotto Cetilar Racing 2.670s 13 LMP2 E.Lux, D.Defrancesco, F.Schiller, C.Mies Dragonspeed USA 2.807s 14 LMP2 D.Merriman, K.Tilley, R.Dalziel, P-L.Chatin Era Motorsport 3.019s 15 LMP2 C.Ware, S.Yoluc, A.Dillon, S.Muller RWR Eurasia 3.711s 16 LMP2 F.van Eerd, G.van der Garde, J.van Uitert, C.Milesi Racing Team Nederland 3.718s 17 LMP2 B.Keating, M.Jensen, S.Huffaker, N.Lapierre PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 4.103s 18 GTLM J.Calado, A.P.Guidi, J.Gounon, D.Rigon Risi Competizione 7.499s 19 GTLM C.MacNeil, K.Estre, R.Lietz, G.Bruni WeatherTech Racing 7.518s 20 GTLM T.Milner, N.Tandy, A.Sims Corvette Racing 7.641s 21 GTLM C.De Phillippi, P.Eng, T.Glock, B.Spengler BMW Team RLL 7.825s 22 GTLM J.M.Edwards, J.Krohn, A.Farfus, M.Wittmann BMW Team RLL 7.835s 23 GTLM A.Garcia, J.Taylor, N.Catsburg Corvette Racing 7.937s 24 LMP3 J.Cox, D.Murry, A.McCusker, J.Bleekemolen Riley Motorsports 7.987s 25 LMP3 R.Lindh, C.Cassels, M.Llarena, A.Ori Performance Tech Motorsports 8.624s 26 LMP3 M.Kranz, L.Horr, K.Koch, S.McAleer Muehlner Motorsports America 9.115s 27 GTD M.Goikhberg, F.Perera, A.Costa, T.Zimmermann GRT Grasser Racing Team 10.498s 28 GTD R.Ineichen, M.Bortolotti, S.Schothorst, M.Mapelli GRT Grasser Racing Team 10.652s 29 GTD S.Mann, N.Nielsen, D.Serra, M.Cressoni AF Corse 10.902s 30 GTD M.Root, C.Eastwood, B.Keating, R.Westbrook TF Sport 10.926s 31 GTD T.Hindman, P.Long, J.Heylen, K.Bachler Wright Motorsports 11.009s 32 GTD R.Ferriol, E.Bamber, K.Legge, C.Nielsen Team Hardpoint EBM 11.326s 33 GTD B.Sellers, M.Snow, C.Lewis, A.Caldarelli Paul Miller Racing 11.340s 34 GTD R.Megennis, Z.Veach, T.Bell, F.Montecalvo Vasser Sullivan 11.390s 35 GTD J.Potter, A.Lally, S.Pumpelly, M.Farnbacher Magnus with Archangel 11.426s 36 GTD R.Ward, P.Ellis, I.Dontje, M.Engel Winward Racing 11.961s 37 GTD D.Morad, M.De Quesada, B.Johnson, M.Buhk Alegra Motorsports 11.976s 38 GTD Z.Robichon, L.Vanthoor, L.Kern, M.Campbell Pfaff Motorsports 12.188s 39 GTD B.Auberlen, R.Foley, A.Read, C.Herta Turner Motorsport 12.690s 40 GTD I.James, R.De Angelis, D.Turner, R.Gunn Heart of Racing Team 13.674s 41 LMP3 M.Kvamme, R.Norman, G.Chaves, T.Estep Forty7 Motorsports 13.724s 42 LMP3 G.Robinson, S.Pigot, S.Andrews, O.Askew Riley Motorsports 13.740s 43 LMP3 L.Willsey, J.Barbosa, W.Boyd, Y.Clairay Sean Creech Motorsport 28.812s 44 GTD A.Telitz, O.Gavin, K.Kirkwood, J.Hawksworth Vasser Sullivan – 45 GTD A.Metni, A.Davis, J.Hildebrand, D.Yount NTE Sport – 46 LMP3 J.Bennett, G.Kurtz, C.Braun, M.McMurry CORE Autosport – 47 GTD E.Jones, B.Curtis, R.Briscoe, M.Gomes Scuderia Corsa – 48 GTD T.Giovanis, O.Trinkler, H.Plumb, M.Plumb Team TGM – 49 GTD K.Habul, R.Marciello, M.Grenier, L.Stolz Sun Energy 1 –