Welcome back to my Rolex 24h Hour-by-Hour series. I’m combining Hours 5 and 6 for this edition because I quite literally shot for a combined 7 minutes over the two hours. I’ll explain why that happened later.
A sense of calm washes over the track as we reach Hour 5. The sunset scramble is over. The teams are settling into their night routines while the crowds start to thin out in search of dinner. I’m left standing outside Turn 5 in the cooling air, annoyed that I missed the shot I wanted.
Hours 5 + 6: Dinner Time
5:40PM - 7:40PM
The chaos of golden hour has ended. Around this time, I turn toward the West Horseshoe and see that the track is completely in shadow. As I look around, I realize I’ve missed my window for the photo I wanted. In my mad dash to make it around the outside of T5 before sunset, I’d left Jackie behind. So instead of taking photos, I started the much less glamorous task of retracing my steps to find the girlfriend I’d abandoned.
I found her in the middle of the corner, where we immediately began discussing where to shoot next. We could continue around the loop toward the exit of T5, where we’d shot earlier during Hour 2, or we could gamble on the twilight sky flaring a brilliant red like it had the night before. We took the risk and turned towards the banking, once again shooting towards the setting sun.
By a stroke of luck, we found an unclaimed trackside RV spot. The renters never showed up. They were probably scared off by the cold snap. These spots can sell for $2500+ for the full weekend, which is a lot to throw away because of a bit of cold, especially when you have an RV to keep warm in. And, of course, the first car through the frame was the Vasser Sullivan Lexus again. That livery somehow always fits the scene, even if it's not my favorite. The light wasn’t quite gone yet, so the neon yellow caught just enough glow to separate it from the grey of the banking.
Settings: 1/30s | 200mm | ƒ/4 | ISO 125 | 5:52:22PM
Within seconds of setting up at the banking, the race was neutralized as the yellow flag waved. The #93 Acura suffered a rear suspension failure as it entered the oval. It rolled to a stop on the apron, completely dead stick, waiting for a recovery truck. Under yellow, IMSA reshuffles the field, so every class is back in proper order, which leads to the pass-around. This prevents the leaders from gaining an unfair advantage, and it’s when I caught this little moment: a GT3 technically passing an LMDh on track.
Settings: 1/30s | 200mm | ƒ/4 | ISO 125 | 5:52:26PM
With speeds reduced, I felt confident enough to try zooming in again. I was still fighting the sharpness issues from earlier in the race, and now that the direct sunlight had faded, I was going to have to drop my shutter speed, which would hurt my hit rate. I love what a tight focal length does along NASCAR 1-2. With the 31-degree banking, the entire background compresses into a smooth expanse of asphalt. It’s a simple angle, but one that always feels fast.
Settings: 1/30s | 200mm | ƒ/4 | ISO 125 | 5:52:37PM
With the first group of cars past us, I figured I should start getting the photos I actually came here for. The sunset glow was still a familiar yellow-orange, and a lack of cloud cover meant we’d probably never get that deep red twilight color I’d hoped for. Still, I kept shooting. This was our last chance to see the cars illuminated by natural light until the sun returned at 7AM the next morning.
The images turned out almost exactly as I envisioned, other than the color of the sky. The sunset from Friday’s HSR Qualifying Race was much prettier, with bands of scarlet and indigo dancing in the clouds. The slower speed of the cars actually helped keep the background blur in check, giving the sky enough texture to not dissolve into an orange and yellow haze.
Settings: 1/50s | 114mm | ƒ/6.3 | ISO 100 | 5:52:58PM
We come to the final photo from the hour. The Inception Racing Ferrari’s brilliant yellow paint scheme matched the setting sun perfectly. The headlights, the livery, and the last bit of sunlight all came together in this moment of unity before the color drained away for the night.
Side note: They were my favorite team for the weekend because they gave me a bucket hat on Wednesday, and it’s the first bucket hat I’ve ever had that fits my giant head.
Settings: 1/50s | 114mm | ƒ/6.3 | ISO 100 | 5:53:10PM
And now for Jackie’s photo. She didn’t shoot during hour 6 and instead focused on eating dinner and staying warm as the sun disappeared. Here are her thoughts:
This one tells a story, and that story is sad. During the #93 Acura’s suspension failure, we were shooting the beginning of the banking and trying to get photos with all the cars centered under the “Daytona” sign, but I enjoy the framing of this photo much better. The story about racing that this photo tells encapsulates just how quickly riding high and fast on a banking can turn into a slow slog behind a tow truck in just an instant.
Settings: 1/125s | 70mm | ƒ/2.8 | ISO 160 | 5:50:12PM
At this point, we realized that with the sun going down, the temps were about to drop rapidly. With the on-track action put on hold, it was the perfect time to return to our car and prepare for the night. Our abandoned RV spot was located right next to one of the stops for the purple tram line, which also has a stop near our car. We wound up saving close to a 3/4 mile walk by taking the tram.
Now it's time to explain why I wouldn’t pick up my camera again until 7:39PM.
By the time we reached our car, the temp felt like it had dropped at least 10º. We immediately jumped in and cranked the heater for a brief respite from the cold. Once we were fully bundled, we were each wearing at least 3 layers on top, 2 pairs of pants, plus beanies, gloves, and some emergency Hot Hands. We’re from Colorado, so we’re used to a dry cold, not Florida’s humidity. The wet air down in Daytona is extra effective at wicking heat away from your body and soaking your clothes.
Jackie decided that we should just be spectators for a bit and enjoy dinner without the weight of our camera bags. Navigating the food trucks with all of our gear was difficult on Thursday and Friday, so we knew it would be impossible during the main race. I still brought along my GoPro and R6 with the 70-200, just in case something interesting happened in front of us.
The line for dinner was insane. Everyone wanted something warm, and every year the event gets busier. We found some really good Chinese food at one of the trucks. We also brought the stools we’d been using all race to see over the fence and instead used them as seats. The exit of T3 was the perfect spot to sit and watch the race while we ate. The stools were great because we didn’t have to sit on the freezing cold metal bench, and we got to be closer to the action.
Naturally, as soon as we got in line, the race was yellow-flagged, this time for the #44 Magnus Racing Aston having a major drivetrain problem. They evacuated that car via the T3 service gate, right in front of where we would have been sitting, if we hadn’t been stuck in line. I can’t exactly blame everyone for wanting the same thing as us, though, given the alternatives were sad hamburgers with cold fries or a salad.
Between going to the car, getting changed, waiting in line, and then eating, our break lasted 1h45m. And that is why I only shot for less than 2 minutes in hour 6. In a normal year, we wouldn’t have had to spend time bundling up, and we would’ve probably only stopped for dinner and maybe to change out the film in my camera bag. This year, a blast of arctic air dropped down all the way to the Gulf, bringing 10+ inches of snow to the panhandle and parts of northern Florida the week before the race. By Saturday, the storms had cleared, but the arctic air mass lingered, bringing temperatures below seasonal for the race.
I finished up my dinner as the track returned green and racing resumed. The almost 2-hour break left my fingers a bit stiff, and a full stomach meant my pans were a bit slow until I got back into the groove. We’d picked our dinner seats intentionally — it was a spot I’d been wanting to photograph once we wrapped up.
The exit of T3 is good during the day, but if you set up in the north end after dark, you’ll understand why this spot is one of my favorites at night. When you drop your shutter speed, the lights from the cars streak across the infield and make the subject look like it’s entering warp speed. It’s also one of the few places as a spectator where you can get truly ground-level, without the blue catch fence blocking half the car.
Settings: 1/25s | 200mm | ƒ/2.8 | ISO 320 | 7:39:38PM
The best framing from this angle is to zoom out and let the grandstands sit in the background. Under the lights, the seats turn into a checkerboard of bright patches and deep shadows, and a slow shutter speed turns those patterns into streaks that feel painted.
I once again was attempting to recreate a shot I made in 2024 at 1/20s. In that image, I focused on the car entering the braking zone, capturing it as it passed behind the car closest to me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite nail the shot I wanted, but I still left the spot with a few photos I liked.
Settings: 1/25s | 149mm | ƒ/2.8 | ISO 320 | 7:39:47PM
As the cars continue through the corner, the scoring tower takes center stage. It was replaced in 2022. Gone is the old and iconic red dot matrix display. The new one is full color, which means it blurs towards white in most photos. It’s much more informative, even though it doesn’t quite look as good on camera. It was what initially brought me to this spot last year.
I started shooting this spot at 1/25s despite the long break, and it shows in my early results from this hour. My 8% keeper rate this hour stands as a testament to that fact. As I continued into hour 7, my hit rate improved, but that’s a story for next time.
Settings: 1/25s | 149mm | ƒ/2.8 | ISO 320 | 7:39:58PM
Hour 5 By the Numbers
Race Conditions:
Temp: 51º | Cautions: 2 | Retirements: 1
Miles walked: 5.40mi (Total) / 0.56mi (This Hour)
Hourly Shooting Breakdown:
230 Photos Taken | 49 Keepers | 21.30% Keeper Rate
Most Photographed Car: #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus - 10 shots
Hour 6 By the Numbers
Race Conditions:
Temp: 50º | Cautions: 3 | Retirements: 2
Miles walked: 6.0mi (Total) / 0.60mi (This Hour)
Hourly Shooting Breakdown:
265 Photos Taken | 23 Keepers | 8.68% Keeper Rate
Most Photographed Car: #22 - United Autosports LMP2 - 6 shots
Cumulative Photo Stats:
5170 Photos Taken | 1046 Keepers | 20.23% keeper rate
Most Photographed Car: #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus - 53 shots
End of Hour 6 Bonus Stats:
Least Photographed Car: #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW - 5 Photos in 6 hours
Jackie’s Photos Taken: 2172 Photos | Jackie’s Keepers: 672 Photos | Jackie’s Rate: 30.94%
This hour is a bit shorter, even though it's technically 2 hours. I’m only sharing 8 photos this time because I honestly didn’t have enough good ones worth sharing. If I’m being completely fair, I probably shouldn’t have even shared that last photo of the 50. It’s not up to my standards for sharpness, but the framing and lighting redeemed it enough to be one of the bonus images for this hour.