Multiple cars wreck in first hour of Rolex 24 at Daytona including 2023 GTD Pro winners

The Rolex 24 at Daytona started with some chaos. At the end of the first hour, a couple of wrecks collected five cars in total. Those incidents included the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus, the 2023 GTD Pro winners.

First, we had a wreck in the LMP2 category that collected three cars. Ultimately, there wasn’t major damage to either of the vehicles. They just stopped short of colliding with the tire barrier and made it back onto the track. Albeit with some flat spotted tires, more than likely.

Watch the slide here.

The official's reaction when the third car joins the fray is perfect. #Rolex24 pic.twitter.com/437XuSx3HW

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) January 27, 2024

Then, almost immediately after this moment, in another part of the track, the GTD Pro car of Vasser Sullivan was in the wreck below. This No. 14 team won this event a year ago and now, they will work hard just to get back on the track.

HEARTBREAK for the defending GTD Pro champions.

The @VasserSullivan 14 car was involved in this incident in the opening hour of the #Rolex24.

📺 : @Peacock pic.twitter.com/x1Bclehhao

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) January 27, 2024

Vasser Sullivan has another car in the race that narrowly avoided the incident. Perhaps that team can pull off the win for the organization after such a devastating moment in the early going.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona can be chaotic in the beginning. Cars are close together, there are a lot of nerves in the early going. Drivers make mistakes, and sometimes the cars have a flaw that teams don’t know about until it is too late.

At Daytona, anything can happen. Unfortunately for the GTD Pro defending champions, it’s going to be a long 24 hours, and ultimately, it might not amount to much.

Record-breaking crowd for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Good news, there is a record crowd at Daytona for this 24-hour race. This is the largest crowd the event has seen in its 62-year history. You could see on the broadcast and on social media the large audience that had gathered.

Pit road was covered with fans. The Ford Mustang is back in GTD Pro and that’s a big deal. There has been an increase in motorsports interest in recent years. This seems to back that and make it seem that it is ongoing.

Perhaps Drive to Survive fans wanted to see this race. Maybe it’s the fact Brad Pitt was spotted at Daytona earlier this week. Or, it’s the success of Garage 56 at Le Mans that has led fans to come out for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Whatever the reason, the folks at NASCAR and Daytona International Superspeedway are happy. This is shaping up to be a great season for IMSA and for NASCAR. In just a few weeks the Daytona 500 will be here and millions will turn their attention to The Great American Race.

If the Rolex 24 at Daytona is a sign of what to expect this season in IMSA and NASCAR, then we are in for a great season with plenty of great crowds.