When a driver does a double stint, it means they drive for two sessions in a row without switching out for another driver. This helps the team save time during the race.
A single stint means a driver only drives for one session before someone else takes over. This helps keep drivers fresh and focused during a long race.
The pace car is the car that leads the race cars when they need to slow down, usually because of an accident or bad weather. It helps keep everyone safe until the race can start again.
The Rolex 24 is a long car race that lasts for 24 hours. Teams of drivers take turns racing their cars, and it's known for being very challenging and exciting.
The GTP class is a type of race car that is built for speed and endurance in races like the Rolex 24. These cars are very advanced and are designed to perform well over long distances.
LMP2 is another type of race car used in endurance racing. It's not as powerful as the GTP cars, but they are still very fast and competitive in races like the Rolex 24.
Meyer Shank Racing is a team that participates in car racing. They compete in different racing series and are known for their strong performances in endurance races.
IndyCar racing is a type of car racing where cars have open wheels and can go very fast. They race on different types of tracks, making it exciting to watch.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is a car race that takes place on city streets in Long Beach, California. It's exciting because you can see fast cars racing right in the city, and it's a popular event every year.
IndyCar racing is a type of car racing where specially designed cars race on tracks. It's famous for events like the Indianapolis 500, where cars go really fast and compete for the win.
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Hey everybody, welcome back to the IndyCar Dad podcast.
This is a Rolex 24 results edition.
We're going to talk about the IndyCar drivers and how they did in the Rolex 24-hour race.
I'm just back from the race.
I'm here in Michigan now where it is freezing cold, like less than 10 degrees.
And yesterday I left Florida where it was 80 degrees and sunny.
So I'm a little upset about leaving the warmth of Florida.
Anyway, it was a great trip.
The weather was amazing.
The whole time I was there, it was partly sunny and warm.
And it was just a really great time to be in Florida.
The rest of the USA was freezing or getting snowed upon, but where I was was beautiful.
So it was perfect weather for a 24-hour race.
But I'll be the first to admit I did not make it all 24 hours.
To be honest, after about three hours of watching the race, I got confused.
Like, you know, some drivers do a double stint and some drivers do a single stint.
And the timing and scoring doesn't show you how many times the car's been in the pits.
It only shows you how many, if there's been a driver change.
So one lap coming by Alex Blow might be in second place in class.
And the next lap coming by, he might be in ninth place in class.
And you're wondering, like, did he go off?
Did he crash?
Was there a problem with the car?
Or did they just pit him for fuel and tires or just fuel or just tires or anything?
Please tell me what's going on because I have no idea.
And after an hour or two hours of this happening and
there are four classes out on the track, I mean,
I'm a pretty attentive guy with a head for details.
But even I lost the plot at that point.
So what do you do in that case?
You know, I wandered around the place.
I enjoyed the festival of it.
There was a meetup.
I have some people I know there.
So I visited them and people that knew of me came by.
So it was fun, like it's a fun party environment.
So that made me go like another three or four hours.
But honestly, once nightfall sets in, it got cold and damp and misty.
You know, I was like, I'm gonna go back to bed.
So I drove home, I went to bed and
I woke up in the morning and I woke up to find out that it was like a five hour
yellow flag period for fog.
Like it was so foggy that the cars just followed the pace car for
five hours long, five hours.
Like no one's mentioning this today, that for five hours,
everybody stood around with their hands in their pocket.
Well, the cars went 80 miles an hour down the banking.
It's insane.
So I get it that Imsa wants to control the message coming out of the race.
But let's be real, a five hour yellow flag is just a nightmare for
everybody involved.
And it certainly would be awful for spectators when it's already late into
the night, you've already been there for 18 hours long.
I'm not gonna convince you to go to the Rolex 24.
So I go to the races to have a good time.
It's supposed to be a fun thing.
I spend my money and I have a fun time.
If the race isn't fun, I'm gone, man.
There's plenty to do in Florida when it's 78 degrees out.
On Sunday, I went to the beach and went surfing.
Like I don't need to go back to the track to watch another hour or
two yellow flag followed by some racing.
So anyway, I promised you IndyCar results and
we're gonna talk about how our favorite drivers did in the Rolex 24.
So they didn't do that great, to be perfectly honest with you.
We sent a lot of talented guys there.
And a 24 hour race is a team effort.
There's a bunch of drivers in the car.
In the GTP class, you're gonna find top notch drivers in the cars.
But in like the LMP2 and the GTD classes,
you're gonna have an amateur on board with you.
Also, 24 hour races are more susceptible to team problems or car problems.
So our guys did not do that well.
In GTP, Alex Palau, his team, the 93 Meyer Shankwood, took fifth place.
There were, Penske won the race, but
there were no Penske IndyCar drivers in the car.
Colton Herda, who I still consider an IndyCar guy, his team finished sixth.
So Palau was fifth, he was sixth in the number 40 Cadillac.
And Scott Dixon and the other Meyer Shank entry, the number 60, was ninth.
I believe there were 10 or 12 GTP cars.
So to be ninth is not really that good.
In LMP2, Nolan Siegel's team finished third place.
So he was at least on the podium.
Razorison's team finished fifth.
And Kiffin Simpson's team finished eighth.
Now, I watched Kiffin race, I'm invested in Kiffin these days.
Because he's the only driver to answer my podcast email at one time.
So, but he did well.
He was out there passing cars in his class, but the team didn't do that well.
It just didn't work out in the end.
In GTD Pro, Will Power of active IndyCar drivers, he had the best finished.
He finished second in class.
Their car was 20th overall, but it looked fast the whole time.
And Kyle Kirkwood was the other driver in GTD Pro.
He finished 10th, which is 43rd overall.
There's 60 cars in the race, so 43rd is not so good.
Scotty Mack, he finished 17th in his class GTD, which is lower than GTD Pro.
And finished 54th out of 60 cars.
So they did not have a good weekend in their Corvette.
And Callum Isla, he finished 58th overall.
So third to last and 20th in class in their Porsche.
They also had some problems.
As far as other IndyCar related drivers in the race,
Toby Sowery, who I don't know if you remember, but he raced a couple races for
Dale Coyne and he was Indy White.
He was in the winning car in LMP2.
So of all the guys out there, he went past champs like Sebastian Bourday,
AJ Almondinger, people like that.
And Toby Sowery looked the best of all the past and
present IndyCar drivers.
The only other driver that might be active this year,
Roman Grosjean, finished 19th in the GTD class.
So he finished 56th overall.
So that's not good.
I mean, that was worse than Scotty Mack and better than Callum Isla.
So overall, our IndyCar guys did not magically make their teams win the race.
And I'm kind of sad about that, honestly.
I'm really looking forward to St. Pete.
I'll be there at the races.
It's two hours long and I will follow the whole thing every bit of it.
So thanks for watching my podcast and I appreciate any followers I can get.
I'm just starting out and I'm trying to do my best to bring you
information you can use in a digestible format.
And I'm trying to keep it fun.
So my long term advice for you is the Rolex 24 is an endurance event for
spectators as well.
Watching something for 24 hours is not quite your thing.
Like I should have known better.
I don't have that attention span, then I might avoid it.
And choose something more intensely awesome like an IndyCar race,
where it's over and done in two hours and it's exciting from start to finish.
And there's passing and angry driving the whole time.
Like these guys, like they talk about how, oh, we're just gonna make it through
the night now in the Rolex 24.
They get set in position and they're just gonna drive it at nine tenths.
And you go down to the corners and you watch.
And they're not sliding through the corners.
They're not loose at exit.
They're not breaking hard.
They're just pacing themselves.
Well, guess what?
That ain't fun to watch, you know?
It's 11 p.m. I'm getting tired.
I don't want to see cars going around the horseshoe without anybody sliding.
That's just not what I'm here for.
I probably will go back to the Rolex 24 next year.
My wife and I own a house that's one hour away.
So it's very convenient for me to get there.
But when I travel across country to see it, absolutely not.
The Long Beach Grand Prix provides you IMSA racing and
IndyCar racing in short digestible chunks.
And it's a way better event.
The party's better.
The weather's just as nice as the best Florida weather.
So if I had to choose between Long Beach Grand Prix and the Rolex 24,
there is no question I would choose the Long Beach Grand Prix.
But then again, there's a reason why I call myself IndyCar Dad,
because I'm an IndyCar super fan.
Thanks again for watching.
Bye.
About this episode
The latest episode dives into the performance of IndyCar drivers at the Rolex 24-hour race, sharing firsthand experiences from the event. The host reflects on the challenges of following the race amidst confusing pit strategies and a lengthy five-hour yellow flag due to fog. While some drivers like Alex Palau and Will Power had decent finishes, overall results were disappointing for the IndyCar contingent. The host contrasts the endurance race with the excitement of IndyCar events, emphasizing the preference for shorter, more thrilling races.
In this episode of the IndyCar Dad Podcast, I share my experiences and insights from attending the Rolex 24, focusing on the performance of IndyCar drivers, the challenges of watching a 24-hour race, and comparisons to IndyCar racing. I discuss the difficulties of following the race due to the complex nature of endurance racing and the impact of weather conditions on the event. The episode concludes with reflections on the overall experience and a preference for shorter, more intense races like IndyCar events.
