Rolex 24, Hour 8: Porsche in control

With 16 hours to go, the night hours feel well and truly underway at Daytona. Visibility is low, and getting lower. The mist has set in to the point where the spotters above the main grandstand are struggling to pick out cars on the back straight.

Despite the challenges that the conditions are creating, the drivers have been able to enjoy a long stretch of green. 

Up front, Porsche sat 1-2 with the No. 7 continuing to control proceedings at the end of the hour, but Nasr pitted just as the hour expired, handing the lead to the No. 6 for the start of the ninth hour.

The No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura is third, with the No. 10 and No. 31 Cadillacs completing the top five overall.

Further down the order, the No. 24 BMW has dropped to 10th and off the lead lap after an extended pit stop. Robin Frijns “reported a strange feeling while driving, and the team had to check. They made some resets – and now everything works normally again,” a BMW spokesperson said.

Elsewhere, AO Racing has retaken the lead in LMP2, as PJ Hyett has built an 8.6s lead over George Kurtz in the Crowdstrike APR. 

Daniel Goldburg is third, driving the No. 22 United Autosports machine, with Misha Goikhberg fourth aboard the Bryan Herta PR1 ORECA.

In GTD Pro Corvette remains out front with both factory cars seven seconds apart, and 90 seconds up the road from the GetSpeed Mercedes in third. 

Paul Miller Racing’s BMW sits just outside the top three in fourth, but Neil Verhagen remains confident they can stay in the fight for the remainder of the race.

“We pushed for Endurance Cup points at the six-hour mark; it was a goal and a target for us," he said after his most recent stint. "While Corvette was saving, we were pushing, now we sit a bit behind, but I feel we’ll be able to crawl our way back.

In GTD, Mattia Drudi is out front for Heart of Racing. AF Corse’s Ferrari is second.

There was bad news for one of the Fords that came through in the hour. Riley has officially retired its car due to a steering rack issue after 115 laps of the circuit. A disappointing start to the team’s journey with the Mustang GT3 Evo. But it’s a long season, and lessons will be learned.