24 H. Daytona - Why did the 62nd edition only last 23:58?

WHAT HAPPENED?

While the TV and timing screens indicated that there were still two laps to go, competitors and media alike were told that the N°7 Porsche 963 had already started its final lap. The confusion was total, as evidenced by the questioning faces of Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell and Josef Newgarden, who watched their team-mate Felipe Nasr try to resist the onslaught of Tom Blomqvist, at the wheel of the n°31 Cadillac V-Series.R. But the chequered flag was waved...

"We just had to keep pushing hard," explained the Brazilian afterwards. "This is what Tim Cindric (President of Team Penske) told me over the radio. The team told me it was the last lap. But I think it was the second time it was the last lap (Laughs. Editor's note). I was confused too. I don't even know if there were two white flags or not. I really don't know."

With good reason, he continued his race for another lap. But last night, the paddock was somewhat bewildered by this imbroglio that had cast a shadow over this 62nd edition. And with good reason: the official classification sheets show that the race of the winning 963 lasted 23h58'24''723. What went wrong?

WHAT ARE THE EXPLANATIONS?

The day after the race, IMSA gave us more information on the previous day's incident, via a press release which includes the following explanations:

Due to an officiating error in race control, IMSA inadvertently announced and subsequently displayed the white flag with under three minutes remaining in the race. At the end of the lap, the race-leading No. 7 GTP car then received the checkered flag with 1 minute, 35.277 seconds still remaining, ending the race short of the planned 24 hours by effectively one lap. 

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.

DID THIS AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE RACE?

As we'll explain in full in an article, the N°7 Porsche 963 failed to refuel on its final pitstop. It couldn't afford to restart behind the #31 Cadillac, so the strategists at Porsche Penske Motorsport waited until the #31 V-Series.R had left its slot before sending Felipe Nasr on his way.    Last night, some even suggested that had there been two more laps, the N°7 Porsche 963 would not have been able to take the chequered flag. We refuse to believe in this scenario, which, according to our information, is wrong.

Especially since, according to Tom Blomqvist, "in terms of fuel consumption, we had the least energy". And that's because of their attempted undercut during the previous stop at Action Express Racing, there's no question of hiding behind this ridiculous possibility.

"It was the last Full Course Yellow that wiped out our chances, and even more so because of our position in the pit lane," says Blomqvist, quite rightly so, since after getting the better of Nasr on track, he saw Nasr emerge from the pit lane ahead of him ⬆️. That really hurt us, it's always easier when you have the advantage of track position.

With Nasr back in front thanks to his position in the pit lane, it was impossible for the Briton to overtake him again, as he had done in masterly fashion earlier in the day (video below). It was finished...

WHAT A MOVE!@tom_blomqvist passes for the overall race lead in the #Rolex24 at @Daytona! 📺 : @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/tjMsz9vpKU

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 28, 2024