IMSA releases statement explaining early checkered flag controversy in Rolex 24 at Daytona

After almost 24 hours of great racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the checkered flag came out to the surprise of everyone watching. The broadcast booth didn’t know what was happening, and it appeared the teams in the IMSA event didn’t know, either.

Today, IMSA released a statement to explain what went wrong in the Rolex 24. The white flag was shown with less than 3 minutes to go. Then, the checkered flag came out with about one minute and 35 seconds on the clock.

In other words, the race ended a lap too soon due to human error. None of the races looked like they were going to come down to a photo finish. Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche Penske GTP had a comfortable lead on Tom Blomqvist in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering car.

“Based on Article 49 of the 2024 IMSA Sporting Regulations and Standard Supplementary Regulations, should the checkered flag be inadvertently or otherwise displayed before the leading car completes the scheduled number of laps or before the prescribed time has been completed, the race is nevertheless deemed ended when the flag is displayed.”

Here is the full statement from Jenna Fryer of the AP.

I’m not sure @tom_blomqvist could have caught @FelipeNasr anyway, but….. pic.twitter.com/1rK6QdfHvg

— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) January 29, 2024

So, IMSA owned up to the mistake. Good news, this race was not as close as it had been in recent years. I don’t think any team feels they were robbed of a chance to win. The categories were going to play out the same way barring a wild wreck or mistake in the final lap.

Porsche Penske wins IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a great event. It is historic, requires incredible endurance, and a great display of sports car racing. While it is always exciting to see which team wins at the end of the 24 hours, this year was a little more special.

Like seeing Ferrari win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, seeing Penske take the win at Daytona was a long time coming. The fact that Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden was part of the team makes it even more cool for fans.

This year was a record crowd at the Rolex 24. Racing is in good hands right now in America and it seems to be growing in popularity once again. If all of those people are going to turn out to the IMSA season-opener, then I know they are going to show up for NASCAR.

Speaking of NASCAR, this week is Busch Light Clash race week. It is an exhibition, but it means that the season is officially here. Two weeks to Daytona and then we are in it full-time from February to November.

Before we know it, we’ll be talking about the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Time marches on.