Angelelli Paces Field Before 16-Hour Mark at Daytona

Max Angelelli has placed the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP in lead position with the 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona two-thirds of the way through, just before the race ticked off 16 of 24 hours complete.

Angelelli passed Jamie McMurray in the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford on Lap 462, in the 16th hour, to regain the lead from the Ganassi entry driven primarily in the overnight hours by Kyle Larson and McMurray.

The lead changed again just before the 16-hour mark as Angelelli and Joey Hand in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford cars took the opportunity to pit, with McMurray then regaining the point.

The No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE and No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR entries took their turn at the top of the GT Le Mans field, while the pair of Corvette Racing Corvette C7.Rs remained on the lead lap. Despite its earlier unscheduled stop for a right rear tire change, the No. 4 car held steady.

The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia became an official retirement in the 16th hour due to an electrical engine misfire. It ended a strong effort turned in by the quartet of Giancarlo Fisichella, Pierre Kaffer, Olivier Beretta and Davide Rigon.

GT Daytona’s lead has ebbed and flowed between the No. 33 Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R driven by Ben Keating and the No. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Andrea Bertolini, with four other cars (Nos. 48, 63, 22, and 93) all still on the lead lap.

CORE autosport held onto the Prototype Challenge lead with the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entry still second, more than a lap back.

The other notable retirement in the overnight hours was the No. 1 Tequila Patron ESM after a promising debut, with a gearbox issue determined as the cause of retirement. BAR1 Motorsports’ No. 61 PC car has also retired with engine issues.

The 13th and most recent full-course caution flew when the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America stopped on course in-between oval turns 1 and 2. That took that car out of contention and sent it to the garage.