Where did 2013 go? I was brought abruptly up to date while deleting 97% of my inbox. Hidden among the Viagra dating, money from nothing and rock solid offers from a variety of cellular providers was a shocking revelation from the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship. The ROLEX 24 is this weekend!
Now, just in case you’ve spent the last few months chasing something trivial, (such as… shall we say… football) you may not know that there have been changes in sports car racing. The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón have combined under the International Sports Car Association (IMSA) banner. 2014 is the opening season for the new TUDOR United Sports Car Championship.
The ROLEX 24, however, is still the grand open race showcasing drivers from several disciplines coming together to chase laps for a full 24 hours. The “24” drops the green flag for the racing season in America. Daytona hosts two months of wheel to wheel fun from the “Roar before the 24” in early January to the Daytona 500 in late February. The new TUDOR series and NASCAR both open in Daytona.
I may have deleted an email about hotel investments in north-eastern Florida…
Beyond my own distractions over the dawn of a new year, shocked aside briefly by a full html message highlighting the upcoming weekend, I’m rapidly absorbing the reality of racing into 2014. I can’t make Daytona as much as I would like to. My cash flow and time allowances simply won’t open wide enough. It may open just enough to keep the pizza and liquid refreshment readily available as I watch the ROLEX 24 from the small corner of the couch the greyhound hasn’t taken over.
While the hottest sports cars from around the world are driven to their limits by some of the hottest drivers in the world I’ll be racing my own clock to close out some of these distractions. Computer on, TV on, racing on!
The ROLEX 24 is more than the sports car opener. The doors are open to other series to share the seats and the laps. NASCAR names include Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson and A.J. Allmendinger. IndyCar is sharing names like Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Throw in some drivers that make a firesuit look really hot such as Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen and add movie star Patrick Dempsey and the show grows a bit more. Eye candy, perhaps, but that takes a back seat to their skill in the driver’s seat.
The ROLEX 24 is more than a car race. The personalities that come together, the high speed exotic technology and elite automotive badges, the mechanical and physical challenge of 24 hours, the color, the lights, the sounds… This event raises the curtain on the motorsports stage with style. Once the checkered flag waves on the winners the other series start charging on to their own green flags. The NASCAR season, of course, keeps the Daytona pavement warm with the Sprint Unlimited and Budweiser Duels leading up to the Daytona 500.
I may be on the couch for the ROLEX 24 and the Daytona 500 but that won’t always be as the race schedules for these series bring them practically to my front door. The folks at NASCAR are kind enough to put races in Martinsville and Richmond. These are great facilities full of history and speed and just down the road. Yes, Virginia, there is also Bristol. Fun racing and a NASCAR mainstay but I’ve been informed by my wife that my attendance is required elsewhere.
For the new TUDOR Sports Car Championship, I’ll be able to catch up with the series on their visit to Virginia International Raceway.
For now, I’m ready for the ROLEX 24. Following that, it will be another race to catch up with what’s new in NASCAR this year. I have a feeling I may require a bit more liquid refreshment…