GRAND-AM: Impressive DP Grid Set For COTA

The Rolex Series will see more Daytona Prototypes at the inaugural Circuit of the Americas race than it had on its Indianapolis debut last year.

Marshall Pruett | Posted February 25, 2013

The CoTA grid will be flush with Daytona Prototypes. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

Grid numbers for the GRAND-AM Rolex Series Daytona Prototype class have fluctuated over the years, with the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona often providing the biggest car count.

DP numbers tend to decline after the Rolex 24, but it appears a pleasant surprise will be in store for those attending Round 2 at Circuit of The Americas this weekend as 16 cars are expected to compete in Austin, TX (Saturday, SPEED, 5:30 p.m. ET).

Provided the car count remains at 16, it would mark the largest turnout of DPs since the 2009 season finale at Miami-Homestead.

Tandem entries from Action Express Racing, Michael Shank Racing, Staworks Motorsports and Team Sahlen account for eight cars, while single entries from Bob Stallings, BTE Sport, Doran, Ganassi, Krohn, Spirit of Daytona, Wayne Taylor and 8Star complete the other half of the field.

“I think it’s probably two things working together here,” said GRAND-AM managing director of competition Richard Buck. “I think there’s renewed interest in the Daytona Prototype class with the changes on the horizon and the ALMS and GRAND-AM coming together, and the Circuit of The Americas track is also an amazing facility. Put them together and you’re going to get the kind of response we’ve seen.”

The increased DP figures would also serve as an encouraging boost for the series.

With DP numbers falling below 10 at some of the regular rounds, GRAND-AM would obviously benefit by delivering a healthy field for the inaugural Rolex Series event at CoTA. 2013 is by no means a lame duck season for the ALMS or the Rolex Series, but with unification less than a 12 months away, getting a head start on expanding 2014’s combined DP and P2 class with a larger turnout of DPs at CoTA and beyond is what Buck’s hoping for.

“That’s a trend we hope to see continue, of course,” he continued. “I think there’s a growing interest in where sports car racing is headed in America, and with some of the other developments that could be taking place with the DP cars next year, we’re hoping this is the direction things continue to go.”

Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. Now in his 27th year in the sport, Pruett was an open-wheel mechanic, engineer and manager before joining SPEED. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.