Rolex 24 at Daytona: The Dark

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

And then it was dark. For half of the race, the drivers rely on Daytona's lights and the cars' headlights to find their way around 3.56-mile road course. The race used to go from noon Saturday to noon Sunday. I think I might prefer that if I was a driver because, when the sun came up, I knew the end of the race was near. Now, with the 3:30 start, there is still a lot racing to go once the sun comes up. Once it got dark, we headed over toward Lake Lloyd and the superstretch, where Matt used the available light and a slow shutter to get this photo (which is now my desktop at work -- love it!).

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

The dark reveals things that are not as easy to see in the light. Like the glowing rotors of a breaking car heading into the horseshoe. The #43 Sahlens BMW Riley finished 15th in the DP class.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Many of the images of the Rolex 24 include the Ferris wheel in the horseshoe. Here's the #50 Highway to Help DP zipping past the Ferris wheel. The car is owned in part by Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC. The Highway to Help team sought to raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease. The car finished 12th in the DP class.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

 Just a few more Ferris wheel shots. Here's the #57 Stevenson Camaro, which was driven by John Edwards, Robin Liddell, Jan Magnussen, and Tommy Milner. The car finished 23rd in the GT class.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

And then there's the AF-Waltrip Ferrari, driven by Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Rob Kauffman, and Rui Aguas. Not a bad showing for NASCAR boys. They finished eighth in the GT class.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

One last Ferris wheel shot. Matt caught this from the roof of the Champions Club. Yes, you can also see this as my cover photo on Facebook (good thing I know the photographer). And I agree with Matt -- the cars totally look like toys! And it's almost as if there's a spotlight on the leader at the time (and the eventual winner).

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

And to cap off our night? Fireworks over the superstretch, again captured from atop the Champions Club. This is where our night ended. As we drove out of the tunnel to head back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep, the drivers and crews continued on through the night. But we'd be back later to catch the sunrise.