Braun Out Front Heading into Final Six Hours

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

Colin Braun led the Rolex 24 at Daytona heading into the final six hours following a back-and-forth race between Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Braun, who was due a pit stop, held a 67-second lead over the No. 01 CGR Cadillac of Scott Dixon, who along with teammate Earl Bamber, just pitted for routine service.

The No. 60 Acura ARX-06 ran second to the No. 01 Cadillac prior to the pit stop sequence.

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s hopes of victory were dashed with 8 hours and 20 minutes to go when Nick Tandy spun at the kink after nearly hitting a LMP3 car, damaging the splitter and diffuser as the car went through the grass.

The No. 6 Porsche 963 lost three laps as the team had trouble installing a replacement rear deck following a nose change.

It promoted the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura of Ricky Taylor to fourth, ahead of the No. 24 Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 with Marco Wittmann at the wheel.

Action Express Racing’s Cadillac, meanwhile, returned to action after left-rear suspension damage from Pipo Derani’s clash with a GTD car, which cost the team 25 minutes in the garage.

The No. 27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Marco Sorensen paced the GT ranks with one-quarter of the race remaining.

Sorensen was just 7 seconds ahead of the GTD Pro class-leading No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jules Gounon following a stop for Daniel Morad in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes, which had led outright.

A mechanical issue for the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes, which had also been leading at stages, resulted in a lengthy garage spell.

The Heart of Racing’s hopes of a double class victory were dashed with 8 hours to go when Alex Riberas pitted with a left-rear suspension issue after contending for GTD Pro class honors.

LMP2 was led by the No. 35 TDS Racing Oreca 07 Gibson of Job van Uitert following a recent stop for the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR entry, while Sean Creech Motorsport emerged as the dominant force in LMP3.

Positions After 18 Hours

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John