Given the pick of any driver in history to take the wheel for a last dash to the checkered flag, the Rolex 24 field leaned toward a current great.
In an informal poll conducted by NBC Sports, Max Verstappen was the most popular choice as the dream closer at Daytona International Speedway.
And some hinted an appearance by the four-time defending Formula One champion on the famous banking of the World Center of Racing eventually could become a reality.
“I’d like to see what Max Verstappen would do,” Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Mathieu Jaminet told NBC Sports. “I know he’s interested by the sport. He might maybe be here in a few years. Who knows? He’s watching this race.
“He seems to be extremely good and he’s extremely good in Formula One so why not give him a shot last stint? Okay go ahead Max and bring home a Rolex.”
Though he has no starts in the IMSA WeatetherTech SportsCar Championship, Verstappen has experience with the LMDh hybrid prototype of the top category. The Red Bull Racing superstar turned laps during a brief test with an Acura ARX-06 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November.
After helping Verstappen with the Grand Touring Prototype car, Meyer Shank Racing driver Colin Braun was curious how the Dutchman would fare in the final stint of the Rolex 24.
“He’d be a guy that would be awesome to come in and finish the race,” Braun told NBC Sports. “I’m sure he’d do a killer job.”
James Hinchliffe, a racing driver and TV analyst who has worked on F1 broadcasts, also is intrigued.
“Obviously you’d want to see what Max could do,” Hinchcliffe said. “That’s a tough one, man. I could spend a lot of time going over the merits of a lot of different drivers you’d want to be the anchor at the end of a 24 -hour race.”
Here were some of the varied responses NBC Sports received when surveying this year’s Rolex 24 field on picking any driver in racing history to take the final stint:
Kyle Kirkwood, Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus and two-time IndyCar winner: “Anybody in history? I’m going to go with Dan Weldon. Yeah, I would love to do a race with him. He’s somebody I grew up around in the karting scene, and I know his kids very well.”
Jack Hawksworth, Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus: “My favorite driver growing up was Michael Schumacher, right? So he was kind of my hero So sharing a car with him would be cool from that perspective.”
Filipe Albuquerque, Wayne Taylor Racing: “My buddy, Ricky Taylor, of course. It’s a simple one. There’s no question about it.
Jordan Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing: “It’s hard to go against Ricky as a closer. I think he’s got that killer instinct where Daytona is make or break. It doesn’t matter if you want to bring the car home for points. You’re just here to win the race. And Ricky’s got that killer instinct that if he’s second or third, he’s going to do whatever it takes to try and win the race, so he’d probably be the one that I’d want in the car.”
Hinchcliffe, Pfaff Motorsports: “Any driver in history? You’re given a very broad range here, but I’m looking at guys like Scott Dixon to bring it home. I’m looking at Fernando Alonso. I’m looking at Filipe Albuquerque. That guy has brought it home a couple of times. He’s had some impressive drives.”
Earl Bamber, Whelen Action Express: “That is honestly a really hard one because it’s such a specialized thing around sports car racing. Probably a previous teammate would be Nick Tandy. If you talk about non-sports car drivers, Max Verstappen. That guy would be a demon in one of these things.”
Mike Shank, Meyer Shank Racing co-owner: “That’s like picking your best kid, right? AJ Almendinger has done an incredible job for us, and I hope to have him back in our car someday. Some of the most impressive stuff I’ve seen has always been with AJ Allmendinger and what he’s done at the end of our races, or even during the middle of the race. He probably would top my list.”
Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing: “If I go back to my era of watching F1, I’d pick Mika Hakkinen. I was a big fan of him growing up.”
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing: “I would say Tom (Blomqvist). He’s my buddy, known him for a long time. I know he’s one of the best in IMSA. He’s won the race before. I feel like it’ll be in good hands if he took over the last stint.”
Scott Dixon, Meyer Shank Racing: “Any one of my teammates could finish off the race here. I’ve had some amazing teammates throughout the years, whether it was Kyle Larson to Juan Pablo Montoya to Scott Pruett. Any one of those guys, they’ll nail the finish, man.”
Renger van der Zande, Meyer Shank Racing: “I had Fernando Alonso finishing the stint in the rain here (in 2019), and I think he was the right guy, and we won it. So I’ll ask him again.”
Austin Cindric, Ford Multimatic: “That’s a tough question. Why am I not finishing? I ran out of drive time? It’s tough. There’s only one right answer. But if it can’t be me. I just remember watching this race so many times as a kid when Scott Dixon pulled off some quadruple stint to finish and win. The guy is just always finishing races at the top class, so I guess I would pick Scott Dixon. I would still pick me, but if I had to choose we’ll go Scott Dixon.”
Colton Herta, Crowdstrike Racing: “I am going to choose Malthe Jakobsen, my teammate. He is so fast in these LMP2 cars and I don’t know that there’s anybody better and quicker than him.”
