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Trouble in the 18th hour for front-running RX-8
Just after 8:30 a.m., the 2.5-hour Caution Lap flag was lifted, and the #40 Visit Florida RX-8 of Dempsey Racing resumed racing speed as GT class front-runner. At this point, the margin stood at more than a lap. This would be their first Daytona victory, as they carefully pounded round, counting down the laps. However, just after 9 a.m. driver Tom Long suddenly spun out in the infield and went off track. He had trouble restarting the engine, and not only did he give up the lead position, but fell behind by 3 laps. While being towed back to the pits, the engine started running again and the car was able to return under its own power for inspection. Due to this loss, the #40 RX-8 fell to 4th place. At around the same time the sister machine, the #41 RX-8 had problems and entered the pit, exchanged the water pump in the garage, and returned to the race.
The #40 RX-8 took the lead in the middle of the night and maintained that position for about 9 hours, but once the fog lifted and the sun appeared as it had the previous day, it lost the top spot. It appeared to encounter electrical problems thereafter. If they pressed on without losing hope, it may have been possible to take a position on the podium. The temperature was around 5 degrees Celsius in the morning, suddenly rising to above 20 degrees within 2-3 hours.
The wounded #70 RX-7 had by this time settled into 8th place, while the #42 Team Sahlen RX-8 was running in 10th.
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