ROLEX 24 at Daytona starts with 44 cars in the rain Saturday, January 30. Under leaden skies with disagreeably warm and humid weather today, the infield of Daytona International Speedway was full of spectators right from the morning. Amidst the smoke of the campers' BBQs, the heritage parade run and drivers' autograph session took place. Rain began to fall approximately two hours before the start, becoming heavier with about one hour to go. The grass run-off areas were submerged when the cars assembled on the starting grid. Under these conditions, the ROLEX 24 at Daytona started after five laps behind the Safety Car.