Shank wins first Rolex 24 at Daytona
Underdog team’s Fords finish 1st, 3rd
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The little team with no pedigree knocked off the big boys with all those championships.
Michael Shank Racing did it with a pair of drivers hoping Sunday’s victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona is the kickoff to their career comebacks.
NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger closed out the twice-around-the-clock win by piloting the No. 60 Ford Riley for the final stint, a nearly three-hour drive that included some door-to-door banging with Allan McNish for the lead.
It was Allmendinger’s first win in a major series in almost six years, and comes about a month after he landed the job of a lifetime with Roger Penske’s NASCAR team.
“I feel very fortunate,” Allmendinger said. “It’s such a prestigious race. It’s one of those races you want on your résumé and you want to say that you were part of a victory.”
IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson, meanwhile, turned in his own strong performance with a three-hour drive during the morning hours after a six-month layoff because of a broken bone in his back. Wilson announced recently he’s reuniting with Dale Coyne Racing for the upcoming IndyCar season.
The two paired with Grand-Am regulars Ozz Negri Jr. and John Pew to give Shank its first win in one of the most prestigious sports car races in the world.
Ryan Dalziel was at the wheel for Starworks Motorsport’s second-place finish, and Felipe Nasr was driving for Shank when he crossed the line in third. Ford swept the top three spots of the Daytona Prototype class, and won the race for the first time since 1999.
It required holding off the vaunted teams from Chip Ganassi Racing, which finished fourth and sixth after both cars had mechanical issues.