Rolex 24 under way

Racing is under way at the 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona. Event

Grand Marshal Scott Pruett gave the familiar command to start the engine -- prefaced with his signature, “Hi to my family back home.”

Oliver Jarvis duly led the field to the green flag, two days after erasing P.J. Jones’ 26-year-old track record in winning the pole in the No. 77 Mazda DPi with a lap of 1m33.685s. Jarvis led the Penske Acuras of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ricky Taylor. No one won the race on the first lap; fortunately, no one threw it away, either, although half of the LMP2 field (the No. 52 of Gabriel Audry and the No. 38 of Kyle Masson) had side-to-side contact in the infield.

The weather for the start was 56 degrees, very chilly and overcast, with an occasional sprinkle. It’s expected to be cloudy and cool for the remainder of the afternoon and overnight. Sunday could be very different, with precipitation possible as early as 7 a.m., and then picking up at 10 a.m. and continuing well past the checkered flag.

Stay with RACER.com for hourly updates and significant developments as they happen.