Only 2 cars on lead lap in 24 Hours of Daytona
January 31, 2010
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Engine problems gave the 24 Hours of Daytona a twistSunday, with the Chip Ganassi Racing car that dominated the first day fallingout and the organization’s second entry one of two cars on the lead lap morethan 18 hours into the sports car endurance race.
Scott Pruett was guiding Ganassi’s No. 01 BMW Riley about 10 seconds behindMike Rockenfeller of Action Express Racing.
But some of the biggest names were far out of contention come sunrise.
The most startling development came shortly after midnight, when Ganassi’sNo. 02 car had a piston failure in the engine. Drivers Juan Pablo Montoya, DarioFranchitti, Scott Dixon and Jamie McMurray had led a combined 132 of the opening247 laps.
Then suddenly, stunningly, they were out.
Ganassi had three straight wins in the prestigious endurance race untilfinishing second last year in the closest finish in the event’s history. Theorganization might still recapture the top spot this time around.
Just not with the car everybody expected.
Pruett, Max Papis, Justin Wilson and Memo Rojas were powering ahead towardthe lead. But the wear-and-tear of the twice-around-the-clock race offers noguarantees of a strong finish.
A.J. Allmendinger was in the lead to begin the 18th hour until the No. 6Ford Riley punctured a tire after contact with a slower GT class car, losing alap. Ryan Hunter-Reay of NPN Racing was also a lap back, and the rest of thefield was at least five behind the leader.
For others, time to catch up was running out.
Four-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and the Gainsco/Bob StallingsRacing team were off to a fast start after the first day. But they lost aboutseven laps in the 13th hour with engine problems, and remained about seven lapsbehind after 18 hours.
Conditions were much better than the rain-soaked start.
There were 16 cautions, including at the beginning Saturday with rain stillfalling, before the green flag was waved five laps into the race. DaytonaInternational Speedway was slick Saturday and kept the track even cooler overnight.
Overcast and cool Sunday, the limited sun was expected to change the tracktemperature slightly.
But most of the 44-car field that began—that included 29 of the slower GTclass cars—were out of contention. Still, the 3.56-mile road course thatencompasses about three-fourths of the NASCAR oval would get warmer with the sunrising, perhaps giving others more traction and time to catch up.
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