Before 2014, the United States had two options for endurance racing: the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), and Grand-Am. Both series raced multiple classes at a time, and both series raced very similar tracks. The aspects where the divisions differed came mainly in the cars raced. ALMS used cars very similar to those used in Europe for the World Endurance Championship, namely the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Hence the name, “American Le Mans series.” Grand-Am, on the other hand, raced slightly different cars than ALMS. The headlining class was called the Daytona Prototypes, named after the series’ crown jewel race: the Rolex 24 at Daytona. As the name suggests, teams ran laps at the Daytona International Speedway road course for 24 hours, starting at 2:00 pm on Saturday and ending at 2:00 pm on Sunday. The sports cars debuted in 2003, with six entries. As the class evolved through three generations en route to becoming Daytona Prototype International (DPi), manufacturers came up with several memorable racers. For good reasons or bad reasons, depends on who you ask.
As a kid getting into racing around 2008, my first race was a Indycar/ALMS double-header at Mid-Ohio. As a result, I tended to follow that series more closely than Grand-Am. That was until 2010, when my dad and I discovered a Grand-Am race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), which was only a few hours away. We grabbed a tent and other supplies, as well as our tickets, and headed on our way to the track. There, I got my first glimpse of one of these clumsy beasts. Just watching them make laps, you could tell they were not nearly as planted as their ALMS counterparts. They were aerodynamically challenged, for lack of a better term. Their appearance birthed what I find to be a rather cute nickname, the Daytona Prototurtles. This nickname was mostly used by ALMS fans who did not support Grand-Am coming in trying to show them up. As a young fan getting the opportunity to experience both, I was a huge fan of both and could be swayed either way depending on what part of the day you asked me. I mostly saw Grand-Am in person, though, so take that for what you will. My dad and I went back to VIR in 2011, as well as New Jersey Motorsports Park the same year for Grand-Am again. My dad and I were Chip Ganassi Racing fans, so we rooted for the #01 Telmex BMW-Powered Riley. As a result, our arch-nemesis was the #99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet. 2011 was a fierce season between the two, and I enjoyed every minute of it. 2012 marked the last time I ever saw the Daytona Prototypes or Grand-Am in person, and we indirectly made it one of our biggest races to date.
Here’s me posing next to the 2011 Chip Ganassi Racing DP at VIR.
Just for good measure, here’s the #99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet that tormented my family’s beloved #01.
The 2012 Rolex 24 marked some big milestones in the series. That year, the 24 at Daytona celebrated its 50th anniversary, and multiple drivers entered to try and win it. Along with the usuals like Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, many non-Grand-Am drivers entered. Michael Waltrip and AJ Allmendinger from NASCAR, Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon from Indycar, and a host of other big names attempted to win one of the crown jewels in motorsports. 2012 also marked a milestone year for the beloved DP’s. The third-gen Daytona Prototypes arrived at Daytona and were a huge improvement over the previous two generations. Ford and BMW both utilized Riley chassis, and Chevrolet debuted the Corvette DP. I was able to witness one of the most exciting finishes to a Rolex 24, with AJ Allmendinger in the Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley DP making a three-wide pass for the lead in NASCAR Turns 1 and 2, and going on to win the race.
In my honest opinion, Daytona Prototypes provided more exciting racing most of the time compared to the ALMS. Perhaps it was due to the DP’s NASCAR-like durability, which allowed for closer, more physical racing. Maybe it was because they were slightly slower, or maybe it was just my nostalgia. I remember never being bored at a Grand-Am race, which I could not say for some ALMS races.
So, what happened in 2014?
Well, the two series merged.
IMSA, as it is known as now, took on its current form in 2014 when Grand-Am and ALMS merged to become the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Later on, the series would become the current WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Two years following the merging of the two series, IMSA would completely redevelop the Daytona Prototypes from the ground up in the effort to make a more unified top class. The result was Daytona Prototype International, which is what we have now. Corvettes became Cadillacs, Acura entered, Nissan came and left, Ford went to GTLM, Mazda joined, and 2023 looks to be the beginning of a new era for prototypes globally with the introduction of LMDh/Hypercar.
The 2022 Rolex 24 this month marks the 10-year anniversary of the last time I saw the true Daytona Prototypes in person, and I think there is no better time to say thank you to those funny looking race cars than now.
Thank you Daytona Prototypes, for sparking this young man's passion for endurance racing.
Sources:
ALL IMAGES ARE MY OWN
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