How does Tom Blomqvist find the stuff for the end? Keep focused. Be picture perfect. Don't make a mistake. Watch out for the braking. Dig deep and go for it. Porsche has to be first in, first out. Nasr is going to push. This seems like a two-man race. The small issues can add up. Blomqvist has to stay focused, have the pace, and execute going after Nasr. Josef Newgarden at Penske Porsche wants this win as well, after winning the Indianapolis 500 last May. It is Penske Porsche vs. Action Express Cadillac. 56 minutes now remaining. Is Matthieu Jaminet playing games? Rasmussen 12 seconds ahead of Jakobsen in LMP2. Winward, AF Corse, Conquest and more in GTD while in GTD Pro the gap is one lap between Risi Competizione and AO Racing.
Nasr closing the gap. 1.8 seconds. 53 minutes to go. Can, and will, Action Express triumph? It is not over yet. Trouble for the #12 Lexus! Parker Thompson, on fire, after leaving the pit lane! Oh my word! 50 minutes to go. Lexus have had a horrendous race. This is the sixth or seventh season for the Lexus RC F GT3. In this replay, out of the pit lane, dense smoke fills the cockpit and the flames lick from underneath the bonnet. The spotter is yelling on the radio, "get out of the car!" The corner marashal hands him a fire extinguisher but the electronics on that car are fried.
In the old days, you could win this race by four or five laps. Not anymore. It is so close! It is a 24-hour sprint. AXR in the pit lane. The final pit stop, for the #31 and the same for the Penske Porsche #7. Four fresh Michelin tires. Nasr leads off pit lane! Give us 39 minutes to see what is going to happen. No more pit stops. This is the final restart. Watch for the traffic. Christian Rasmussen, who will begin racing IndyCar is at the top in LMP2. Daniel Serra is going for the GTD Pro win, his dad, Chico Serra, raced Formula 1.
Winward Racing and Daniel Morad lead GT Daytona. Green flag! Jaminet gets touched by Deletraz. Here comes Blomqvist. Thw BMW spins, the #24 of Jesse Krohn! He is backwards with cars bearing down on him, head on. Nasr holding the lead. Deletraz slammed the door on Jaminet. The #04 tagged the BMW. What will the stewards say? Jakobsen at the wheel. Half an hour to go. Nasr jumped Blomqvist but he eats the Porsche like a Pac Man in the braking zones. Nasr could be struggling on heating pavement. The Cadillac works well in the heat.
Five cars on the lead lap in LMP2. Ten seconds between Serra and Heinrich in GTD Pro and it is between Morad and Molina in GTD. Blomqvist running down Nasr with 25 minutes to go. Blomqvist is reeling in Felipe Nasr. He is a man on a mission. Is he watching Nasr burn up the tires, saving stuff for the end? Warning for the collision between #04 and #24. Daniel Morad has to do a double stint to the finish to get a win for Winward Racing. CrowdStrike Racing and APR are trying to win after losing last year in LMP2./
Tom Blomqvist going for the hat trick and cut the fastest lap of the race! Blomqvist all over Nasr like a rash. Traffic might decide this race. Tom's dad, Stig is a World Rally Champion. Nasr in GTD traffic. The hybrid racers have tools for systems to get them to work. Offsets, differential systems, and more. 16 minutes to go. Porsche going for 19 wins at the Rolex 24. Action Express going for their fourth Rolex 24 win. Six tenths of a second is the gap. 15 minutes left. Blomqvist will make a move, likely in a handful of laps to try and see about the traffic, or, will they do all they can to hope something goes wrong.
Both cars on 35% energy. 1:35.9 for Nasr. Blomqvist still digging. Molina only 8/10ths of a second between Morad and Molina. Mercedes vs. Ferrari. Penske and Action Express both located in Charlotte, North Carolina. They fire it through the first apex of the chicane. Don't be to rough over the curbs and hurt the front splitter. But it is go time. Throw caution to the wind. Louis Deletraz in third could reel in the leaders. Deletraz ten and a half seconds down. Into the trioval again. The GTP cars at 200 miles an hour.
Blomqvist deep on the brakes rotating into the apex using the differential. Running on minimal sleep, these two drivers are supposed to be at their best. They are pulling everything out of themselves. Half a second in it between the top two. Five minutes to go. Traffic ahead. Nasr's tires getting squirmy. Nasr gains through traffic. Calm waters in the other classes. It is for the big win. Two laps to go. White flag. Traffic playing it's part. Nasr, Porsche and Penske win. I'll give you the results and class winners in a wee while. We will talk later about the outcome. I don't feel too good right now. We'll see you next year, for another Rolex 24. So long, from Daytona Beach, Florida. Take care, everybody. Adieu. Farewell. Auf wiedersehen, and goodbye, for now.
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