Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teammates Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray scored their first win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, teamming with IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan.
Dixon drove the No. 02 Ford EcoBoost DP in the final stint and took the checkered flag, on the 740th lap, by 2.267 seconds over Sebastien Bourdais in what came down to a seven-minute, 30-second sprint to the finish.
“You know, you’re out there, we’re watching Scott Dixon for the last three hours there drive, and you know, the focus is on Dixon and the focus was on what’s going on on track,” Ganassi said. “It takes a team of people. It takes a team of drivers, a team of great drivers to be paired with McMurray and Larson and Kanaan, to pair those guys with Dixon, that was a great grouping, but again, Mike (Hull) picked the grouping, not me, and he picked the grouping of drivers.”
McMurray, who raced in his seventh Rolex 24, joined AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24. His previous best finish came in 2011, second.
“I saw Chip walk in here just a second ago, and I told him after the race was over, I’m like, we have got to share some of the most special memories of my life together, some of the greatest days, with the exception of getting married and having kids, I’ve shared with Chip Ganassi and Felix,” McMurray said. “It’s been great. Victory Lane at Daytona has been very special for us with the Daytona 500, and this is a big deal for me because these cars are so much different than what Kyle and I typically drive.”
Larson’s win came in his second start, and it followed up victories already this season in the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown at Cocopah Speedway and the opening qualifying night of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla.
“I never thought I would have the chance to race this race growing up,” Larson said. “Everything I did was on oval tracks, and my goal was to make it to NASCAR. I never thought about racing a sports car. Being teamed up with Chip, you have all these different avenues you can hopefully get the opportunity to run, and thanks to him for picking me to get on this 02.
“Yeah, it feels great. It’s a long race, and I thought I did a good job last night and then got to do a quick stint earlier today, and then Scott was in it for the last three and a half hours, which was amazing. We all had tons of confidence in Scott, and he pulled it out for us. It was a really, really good day for us.”
The Rolex 24 win was the second for the No. 02 car (2006) and it gave the team the overall record for most Rolex 24 At Daytona wins in the 53-year history of the race (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015) – recently tied with Brumos Racing.
