Welcome to a new recurring segment here at The IndyCar Afterburn. Crossovers between IndyCar and the IMSA SportsCar Championship are nothing new, from the multiple joint weekends they share to the multitude of Indy stars who pull up for the endurance races. However, with Callum Ilott running full seasons in both IndyCar and IMSA this year, it’s no longer appropriate to call these things mere excursions. So throughout the year, we’ll be on IMSA Watch to cover his exploits, as well as those of anyone else in American open-wheel racing who decides to come along. Ready? Let’s get into it.
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Today’s theme music: “Let’s Go Away” by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
It was a massive weekend in motorsport, as for the 64th time, stars from around the world assembled on Florida’s east coast for the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona. IndyCar connections ran absolutely rampant through the field, as current stars, recent departees, Indy NXT prospects, and a Split-era legend all chased glory across the four classes of cars. With both the largest crowds and longest caution in the event’s history, it was certainly one to remember for all involved, and hopefully it’ll mark the start of a great IMSA season too.
We start, as usual, in the green-sticker ranks of GTD. Callum Ilott’s parallel seasons got off to a rough start when teammate Adam Adelson drove the Wright #120 Porsche right into the tire smoke of a spinning LMP2. Adelson bounced off the car and straight into the wall, ending the team’s day early in 58th out of a 60-car overall field.
Romain Grosjean, the betting favorite to take the last full-time IndyCar seat at Dale Coyne, had an improved outing compared to his last Daytona, in that he actually got to drive the Meyers Riley #16 Ford. Unfortunately, that was all the upside, as he retired the car in 56th with mechanical issues.
Scott McLaughlin hopped in the DXDT #36 Chevrolet with a lot more success, including personally leading the GTD class at points in the night. Unfortunately, with four hours to go, any hope of fighting for the win ended with a race-ending gearbox breakdown, sending Scotty Mac home in 54th.
Of the Indy connections that actually finished in class, Marcus Ericsson’s Wayne Taylor #45 Lamborghini got the bigger taste of spotlight, with Danny Formal managing to cycle it into the lead in the final two hours. However, the best finisher in these ranks would be Indy NXT super-senior James Roe, whose Lone Star #80 Mercedes finished 6th in class and 32nd overall.
Moving up to GTD Pro, Indy NXT prospect Nikita Johnson got his first taste of the big time in the RLL #59 McLaren, but an early trip to the garage put it dozens of laps down before he could even get in the car. Thus, the whole thing was an exercise in seat time and seasoning ahead of his NXT debut in his hometown. The McLaren ultimately became the second-to-last car across the line in 48th.
Kyle Kirkwood returned once again to the Vasser Sullivan #14 Lexus, and he reaped a slight improvement over last year’s red-sticker run, but the car showed its age as it finished 10th in class and 43rd overall.
However, color commentator James Hinchcliffe went home a very happy man. After over a decade of failing to even finish the race, Hinch finally saw the checkered flag, and the Pfaff #9 Lamborghini enjoyed a fairly solid run. The podium threat wouldn’t materialize, but at 5th in class, it’s easily the best endurance result he’s ever been part of.
The LMP2 class is sometimes the fastest comedy relief on the planet, and the Pratt Miller #73 didn’t exactly dispel those allegations. Indy NXT debutante Enzo Fittipaldi could only watch from the paddock as his brother, IndyCar and F1 alum Pietro, stopped the car multiple times and nearly caused yellow flags with it. Ultimately, the power issues were too much, and the car DNF’d in 51st overall.
Recent IndyCar departee Jacob Abel almost didn’t even get to drive the Era #18, which got involved in the chaos of the race’s first turn. The #18 also had another big incident when Kyffin Simpson, driving the Tower #8, made contact while ex-F1 driver Logan Sargeant was in the #18. Ultimately, Abel and company would finish 9th in class and 18th overall, while Simpson, four-time Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais, and the rest of the #8 crew did one spot better.
Meanwhile, the AO #99 looked like a major threat to win the class in the early going, and Christian Rasmussen personally led the class for a chunk of the night. However, Dane Cameron couldn’t keep it in the podium running on the final stint, so AO’s golden dragon came home 4th in class and 14th overall.
In the flagship GTP class, a penalty to the Whelen #31 Cadillac meant Álex Palou and the Meyer Shank #93 Acura inherited the overall pole position. Renger van der Zende held that opening lead for about twenty minutes before the Porsche Penskes overtook him, but with Palou’s help, the #93 was the biggest threat to break up the threepeat bid in the first half of the race. Unfortunately, right after one of Palou’s stints, a rear wheel detached from the car entirely, forcing Super Formula star Kakunoshin Ohta to limp it back around for repairs.
That left a bit more shine for Scott Dixon’s Meyer Shank #60 Acura, as well as for Colton Herta’s first Cadillac ride since joining its F1 team in the Wayne Taylor #40, but between the two, only the latter showed any hint of being a podium threat down the stretch. Ultimately, a splash and dash for the #60 in the final five minutes meant this trio finished out with Palou in 5th, Herta 6th, and Dixon 9th, all while Felipe Nasr personally clinched a Porsche overall win for the third straight year.
Sadly, no IndyCar drivers left with a win, but two took home something for their hard work. In LMP2, Nolan Siegel reminded us what he’s capable of in a closed cockpit, and was even named on air as a potential last stint taker for the Inter Europol #343. Ultimately, though, Formula E’s current World Drivers’ Championship leader Nick Cassidy would get that nod, and the Kiwi brought it home 12th overall in the class bronze. This marks Siegel’s fifth career IMSA podium, his first in the series since 2023, and his second at Daytona. The question now is if he can finally translate this form to his main gig at McLaren.
However, no one from our world came closer to a Rolex than Will Power. He and his 75 Express #75 Mercedes teammates pulled up for race day in blue mullet wigs and Australian flag race suits, and they made an even stronger impression on track. Power, defending Supercars champion Chaz Mostert, and IGTC Independent Cup winner Kenny Habul each played their part in a reunion from their Indianapolis 8 Hour run last fall, then stepped aside to let Mercedes factory driver Maro Engel handle the rest. Engel continued their front-running ways, and he held the lead in GTD Pro coming into his final stop of the race. While he couldn’t close the gap to the Paul Miller #1 BMW, Engel still brought the team home 2nd in the red-sticker ranks, giving Power his first ever endurance racing podium. It’s a massive statement to open his year, and he’ll hope to make it the first of many in his first year as an Andretti driver.
