Second through fifth place were claimed by Cadillac #31, Acura #40, Porsche #6, and #5. The race saw the debut of BMW’s new Hypercar (the M Hybrid V8) as well as Porsche's, Cadillac's, and Acura's returns to the competition. The race was not without confusion however, as the checkered flag was waved for car number seven with 1 minute and 35.27 seconds left in the schedule - making this race the… Rolex 23.9775 hours at Daytona. An official statement was released on the 29th of January, with IMSA reporting an “Officiating error,” but one that will not change the outcome of the race, as by regulation it is deemed to have ended when the flag is displayed.
The race also saw a record breaking nine women make entries, including the all female Iron Dames squad reaching their best result yet, in 25th overall. The team consists of Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Doriane Pin, following on from their Second place success in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Gradient Racing had three women behind the wheel, with Katherine Legge making her 12th Dayona 24 Hour start, alongside her teammate from last year Sheena Monk and joined by Tatiana Calderon - however despite climbing to P7, the car had to be retired due to an electrical system issue. Ashton Harrison made her second Daytona start for Wayne Taylor Racing, coming P17 overall and the Ferrari contracted Lilou Wadoux made her Daytona debut with AF Corse, as the only female driver competing in the LMP2 class. Despite Wadoux’s solid performance, running as high as third on the grid, an engine failure led her back to the pits for an early retirement.
