It’s more than a 24 hour race. It’s much more. For a team competing in this epic undertaking, it’s months of handwork and preparation. And as far as race day… it’s easily a 40 hour day. Arriving at the track at 6:00AM have only left a few hours before, the long laundry list of “things to do” efficiently gets checked off… and when the green flag drops at 2:40PM, the day is already nearly 9 hours in. Now it’s all on the line. Months of preparation… long days and equally long nights… the 24 hours begins.

For BAR1 it was a two car effort. That effort paid off. It is often said, it’s a victory just to finish this race. BAR1 wanted more than that. Their hard work paid off. After two full rotations of the clock, BAR1 saw their No. 20 Zoolander 2 / Southwest Realty Advisors / South Point Casino prototype rise to the third position on the podium. The sister car, No. 26 Southwest Funding / Case-it / Edvisors.com car finished 5th.

“It’s a pretty emotional day,” said team owner, Brian Alder. “You’re in the trenches with these guys for the better park of a week. Everyone shares the same goal… get this car home and get it to the front. To do that, everyone has to do their job. I’ve done a bunch of these… and I have to say, these are the guys I want to do it with again. This was great. I’m proud to have been one part of it.”

Johnny Mowlem: “Daytona has been very kind to me, including having started my professional career here with a podium finish in my first ever 24 hour race. This year, once again, we had an opportunity to potentially win. I have to say, however, the JDC team had the best car this time and fully deserved their victory. Nevertheless, the entire PC class became a war of attrition. Our car was one of the few not to suffer any serious mechanical issues. I am really happy for Brian [Alder] and our team. This is a strong way and the right way to start our championship run.”

Tomy Drissi: “This was a tough race for all. BAR1 did a great job. I felt early in the race, we missed a bit on the set up… compared to last year, where we new we had hit the set up just right. But make no mistake, the car was good and kept getting better. Personally, I felt that I could have done better. I pushed as hard I a could but I had a little difficulty really attacking and feeling comfortable. Unfortunately, that’s the compromise that happens when you have multiple drivers. You have to work with the best setup… and that’s the one that works for all. I was happy that I didn’t make any mistakes. I kept it clean and pushed as hard as I possibly could.”

Marc Drumwright: “This was a great weekend for the No. 20 BAR1 Zoolander 2 / Southwest Realty Advisors / South Point Hotel & Casino prototype. We were just trying to stay out of trouble and get to the end. We stayed to our plan and we were there at the end… P3 Podium! We had our share of moments through out the race, but we were able to stay in there as the hours passed. It was a long, well earned result. We’ll be working hard preparing for Sebring next, and another podium finish! We’ve got 2 podiums in a row with Petit  and the Rolex 24, so now on to Sebring!”

Brendan Gaughan: “I was so honored to return to the Rolex 24 … man, what a way to do it. I had an amazing time and learned so much about these cars in such a short time. It was great to be teamed with such a fantastic group and to come home 3rd was awesome. I have to thank Brian and the whole BAR1 team for welcoming me and especially our team drivers for helping me get up to speed! Two 24 hour races and 2 podiums, I’ll take that any day!”

Ryan Eversely: “A 5th place finish in this grueling race doesn’t really capture the effort our team put forward this week. I thought all of our drivers did a great job and did what was asked of them. But in a race like this, all it takes is a few issues to put you on your back foot. I want to thank Case-It for helping make this race happen and look forward to doing more races with them in the future. Also, a big thank you to Brian Alder for letting me put the Children’s Tumor Foundation on the race car. That made a lot of people very happy!” 

Adam Merzon: ”We certainly had an emotional roller coaster of an event. Ryan [Eversley] did a good job at the start and brought the car to me sitting in the top 3 … that was really cool! I thought I drove well and was happy with my performance. Unfortunately a series of mechanical issues forced us to lose some laps. Though our pace was good as a team, eventually we went behind the wall to change 3rd gear. The stop was lengthy and we were relegated to 5th place at the finish. Thanks to the BAR1 Motorsport mechanics who worked very hard all week giving us a great race car.” 

Don Yount: “We had a good run going and ran as high as second going into Sunday morning. Thanks especially to all the BAR1 mechanics. Those guys worked through some challenging mechanical issues during the race. It was pretty eye opening and impressive the way they worked tirelessly… even at the 22nd hour, to get us back out so we could finish the race.  I learned a lot and know I’ll be a better driver and more prepared for the next one. I’m ready to get back in the car and realize I want that watch more than ever!”

John Falb: “We were able to push the No. 26 into P2 and maintain it as the dawn broke. Just as we moved into happy hour, we unfortunately ran into two big mechanical issues. Those final hours took us out of contention for the podium. I was pumped knowing that the team never gave up and seeing their hard work getting the car back out there to finish the race take the checkered flag. These guys rule!”

The team now begings preparation for the 64th running of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. America’s greatest enduring racing tradition runs March 16-19, 2016.