Thursday, January 25, 2024 – Highlands, NJ – Vasser Sullivan driver Frankie Montecalvo, alongside co-drivers Parker Thompson, Aaron Telitz, and Ritomo Miyata, will start the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona from the pole position.
After a successful two days of testing at the Roar Before the 24, Thompson took on qualifying duties for the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3. The qualifying session was cut short due to another competitor having an incident shortly after the green flag, but Thompson was able to make the most of his few minutes on track and qualified the Lexus machine on pole in the GT Daytona class and third overall in both GT categories.
“We had a productive weekend at the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona. We felt competitive early in the weekend, but you never really know where you shake out among the competition until qualifying,” said Montecalvo.
“Hats off to the engineers and the crew for getting our car set up so well ahead of qualifying. The qualifying session was red flagged in the beginning, so it was essentially a two-lap shoot out for the thirty-five remaining cars in both GTD and GTD Pro classes.”
“Jack [Hawksworth], in the sister car, and Parker did a phenomenal job getting some space on track and working with the spotters to make their way through traffic and get the laps done when it really counted. It was Parker’s first qualifying session, so it was awesome to have him get the car up front which will hopefully help us stay out of trouble at the start of the Rolex 24.”
“I’m looking forward to getting back on track this week for the final practice sessions and going for the win at Daytona. I’ve had a second place at the Rolex 24, which is a feat in itself, but you’re never fully satisfied until you get the win… and the watch. It’s going to be an extremely competitive field with twenty-three cars in the GTD class alone. With our Vasser Sullivan crew, the drivers we have in the car with myself, Parker, Aaron, and Ritomo, I think we have a solid chance of crossing the line first when the checkered flag flies on Sunday.”
On track action for the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona begins on Thursday, January 25 and continues through the weekend. You can watch Frankie race live with flag-to-flag coverage on the Peacock app beginning at 1:30 PM ET on Saturday, January 27. You can also watch the first and final hours on NBC Network beginning at 1:30 PM ET on Saturday. USA Network will also pick up coverage throughout the twenty-four hours. Don’t forget to follow Frankie on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with current broadcast times and all of Frankie’s racing news.
