Rolex 24 update: Kyle Busch’s car down six laps; Barbosa leads overall

By Jan 26, 2020, 9:30 AM EST
Courtesy of IMSA
0 Comments

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A few Rolex 24 at Daytona veterans are seeking to burnish their storied resumes while a famous newcomer’s team is struggling.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac was leading with just more than four hours remaining in the 58th running of the sports car endurance classic at Daytona International Speedway. Joao Barbosa, who is seeking his third overall title and his fourth win in the Rolex 24, had opened a 3.7-second lead on the defending champion No. 10 Cadillac of Wayne Taylor Racing, which suffered a setback with five hours remaining when knocked from the lead by a pit penalty to Ryan Broscoe.

Barbosa is teamed with Sebastien Bourdais, who is seeking his second overall and third win at the Rolex 24.

In the GTD class, the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 being shared by two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch was in ninth (28th overall) and six laps down after a 10-minute stop to change brakes.

Busch was back in the car for a triple stint at shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday after pulling a double stint around midnight.

He drove only 42 minutes in his debut Saturday nigtht but helped put the AIM Vasser Sullivan team back on the lead lap and had him begging for time behind the wheel.

As of 9:25 am ET under the sixth full-course yellow, here were the top three in each division with the current driver behind the wheel:

DPI:

  1. No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing, Cadillac DPI, Joao Barbosa
  2. No. 77 Mazda Team Joest, Mazda DPI, Olivier Pla
  3. No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing, Cadillac DPI, Ryan Briscoe

LMP2:

  1. No. 81 Dragonspeed USA, ORECA LMP2 07, Henrik Hedman
  2. No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, ORECA LMP2 07, Simon Trummer
  3. No. 18 Era Motorsport, ORECA LMP2 07, Nic Minassian

GTLM:

  1. No. 24 BMW Rahal Letterman Lanigan, BMW M8 GTE, John Edwards
  2. No. 912 Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR-19, Mathieu Jaminet
  3. No. 911 Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR-19, Fred Makowiecki

GTD:

  1. No. 48 Paul Miller Racing, Lamborghini Huracan GT3, Corey Lewis
  2. No. 88 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport, Audi RB LMS GT3, Dries Vanthoor
  3. No. 44 GRT Magnus, Lamborghini Huracan GT3, Spencer Pumpelly

Live coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona continues on NBCSN until 3 a.m. ET. Fans can also watch all remaining coverage on NBC Sports Gold’s Trackpass.

Ryan Hunter-Reay hired as replacement for Conor Daly at Ed Carpenter Racing

By Jun 8, 2023, 9:05 AM EDT
Ryan Hunter-Reay Carpenter
Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
0 Comments

Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”