After the RRDC dinner, I stayed for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. For my entire life, this has been the real season opener, but I’ve never attended. Part of this was a deliberate decision because for decades the Rolex 24 was the best race that no one attended. It was not an event that was supported by fans and, for most of my life, the television coverage made the gigantic Daytona Speedway facility look closed.
I could not have been more wrong.
The infield was packed with activity from manufacturers, fans, and organizations. Some of the largest activations I’ve seen at a race were on site, rivalling the peak days of the IMSA Camel GT series. Almost every manufacturer was there including Mercedes AMG, Acura, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, and Lamborghini. Large fan activations were too numerous to count.
Even the professionalism and business climate felt strong.
Perhaps the most telling measure of the health of the sports car market is that infield parking was sold out for weeks before I started thinking of buying an airplane ticket to Florida.
It was great to see the factory and fan support back to the levels of the best years of my memory.