Coble: Rolex 24 notes – Haywood remembers past; Zilisch looks to future
As one of the greatest endurance drivers of all time, he hasn’t quite grasped the concept of how a car’s success is governed as much by technology as a driver’s skill and tenacity.
As one of only two five-time winners of the most prestigious racing marathons in America, he recalled victories when drivers and crews slept in lawn chairs, snacked on lukewarm chili and drank warmed over coffee.
Now computers operate most of the car’s systems and team’s hire nutritionists and masseuses to keep team members fresh. Fuel mileage is calculated by computers; dashboards are computer screens; and gears are shifted with the thumb on the steering wheel.
“I was looking at the qualifying sheet, and when you look at the 11 GTP cars, they’re separated by less than a second – really almost a 10th of a second,” Haywood said two hours after the race started at the Daytona International Speedway. “When you look at the GT Daytona cars, whether they’re a Pro or a GT car, 25 of them or separated by less than a second. So, the rules are good and the cars are exciting to watch.
“But you know, I’m an analog kind of guy. I like having everything that’s going on in my control. These cars are so technical that you have an engineer talking to you on every lap. Do this, do that. You’ve got spotters telling when you’re clear. You’ve got a lot of chatter from the outside that disrupts your concentration level, but at the same time, they practice that while they’re in the simulator.”
Technology has helped create some incredible finishes. Last year, after 2,788.36 miles of racing, three cars finished within 4.4 seconds of each other. In 2024, there were five cars on the lead lap.
Haywood said some teams also have four or five drivers.
“Peter (Gregg) and I did this race with just the two of us in ‘73 and ‘75, and then in 1977, I was doing this race with some real amateurs, and I did an eight-hour shift at night,” Haywood said.
Haywood won all of those races. He also won in 1979 and again in 1991. The only other driver with five overall victories is Scott Pruett.
CONNOR ZILISCH CONTINUES TO FAST TRACK RACING
CAREER: After winning 10 times in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity Series) last year, 19-year-old Connor Zilisch earned rave reviews as one of four drivers for the Cadillac V-Series.S. GT Prototype with teammates Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.
Zilisch already earned a promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series next month to run for the Rookie of the Year for Trackhouse Racing. He won his Rolex 24 debut a year ago in the Le Mans Prototype 2 class with Era Motorsports, and now he’s considered one of General Motors’ biggest up-and-coming stars.
“It’s certainly been a wild ride,” Zilisch said.
Zilisch drove the fifth and sixth hours for the team that was once known as Action Express. He left pit road on older tires, while the other Prototype teams switched to newer tires. He ran in second place for about 40 minutes, but he faded to eighth once he lost grip.
“That was a lot of fun trying to hold them off and trying to hang with the guys that were on new tires, but certainly it was just a challenge to do so,” Zilisch said. “But I had a lot of fun.
“It was a little bit different when you were the fastest car on track. It's kind of the same when you just get into a rhythm and set it on autopilot. It’s pretty relaxing out there. It goes by pretty quick. You’re trying to hand the car off to the next guy without any damage. That's kind of my goal once I got settled in and started running consistent laps, not taking any risks.
“It's not easy to trust a 19-year-old with the Cadillac machinery that's under me, but I'm glad they do.”
Teammate Bamber said Zilisch may be 19, but he has the skills and demeanor of a driver who’s 30.
“He's very mature, but at the same time, humble,” he said. “You know, he knows that to win a race, you must be in the best car. For a young ago, he has a lot of maturity.”
At the eight-hour mark, Zilisch’s car was running in fourth place on the lead lap.
