WeatherTech 240
The WeatherTech 240, also previously known as the Paul Revere 250, is a 250-mile sports car support race held on the road course at Daytona International Speedway on or around Independence Day, the same weekend of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Coke Zero 400. It has been held off-and-on over the history of that event, either the same night, or a couple days before. The traditional date meant the race was usually held late at night, and finishes in the early morning hours of the next day. The theme of the race is based on the famous "Midnight Ride" of Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere.
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series | |
---|---|
Venue | Daytona International Speedway |
Corporate sponsor | WeatherTech |
First race | 1967 |
First Grand-Am race | 2000 |
Last race | 2020 |
Distance | 249.2 Miles |
Laps | 70 |
Previous names | Brumos Porsche 250 (2005-2010) Paul Revere 250 (1967-2004) |
From 1967 to 1968, the race was sanctioned by the SCCA. From 1969 to 1972, it was held as part of the NASCAR Grand American tour. Starting in 1973, it became part of the IMSA circuit, and continued through 1983. In 1984, it switched to an SCCA Trans-Am event for one season. For 1985–1986, it was a motorcycle race, then it was discontinued.
In 2000, the event was revived by the Grand Am series. The tradition of starting late at night, however, was muted somewhat. The event was scheduled as a Thursday or Friday night event, held immediately following NASCAR pole qualifying and/or final practice. The start time would be roughly 10 p.m. eastern. Attendance for the weeknight races was very sparse. NASCAR's typical weeknight qualifying crowd is normally small, and most of those that were in attendance left as soon as qualifying was over. In 2009, the race was moved to Saturday afternoon as part of a Grand Am/Sprint Cup day-night doubleheader.
The race was removed from the schedule after 2010, and went on hiatus for a decade. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IMSA reorganized their schedule. They announced they would be resuming their season at Daytona with an evening race on July 4, marking the return of summer sportscar racing at Daytona. The race was named the WeatherTech 240, with a duration of 2 hours and 40 minutes, and was to be held in front of a limited number of spectators.
Past winners
Date | Overall Winner(s) | Entrant | Car | Distance/Duration | Report | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCCA Trans-Am | ||||||
July 4, 1967 | Parnelli Jones | Bud Moore | Mercury Cougar | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
NASCAR Grand Touring/Grand American | ||||||
July 4, 1968 | Lloyd Ruby | Bud Moore | Mercury Cougar | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1969 | Pete Hamilton | Chevrolet Camaro | 250 mi (400 km) | report | ||
July 4, 1970 | Jim Paschal | AMC Javelin | 250 mi (400 km) | report | ||
July 4, 1971 | Buck Baker | Pontiac Firebird | 250 mi (400 km) | report | ||
July 4, 1972 | Vince Gimondo | Chevrolet Camaro | 250 mi (400 km) | report | ||
IMSA GT Championship | ||||||
July 4, 1973 | Gene Felton | Gene Felton | Chevrolet Camaro | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1974 | Hurley Haywood | Applejack Racing | Porsche Carrera RSR | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1975 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | BMW Motorsport | BMW 3.0 CSL | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1976 | Al Holbert | Holbert Racing | Chevrolet Monza | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1977 | George Dyer | George Dyer | Porsche 934 | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1978 | Peter Gregg | Brumos Porsche | Porsche 935 | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1979 | Charles Mendez Hurley Haywood | Porsche 935 | 250 mi (400 km) | report | ||
July 4, 1980 | John Fitzpatrick | Dick Barbour Racing | Porsche 935 K3 | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 5, 1981 | Mauricio de Narvaez Hurley Haywood | Dick Barbour Racing | Porsche 935J | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 3, 1982 | Ted Field Danny Ongais | Interscope Racing | Lola T600-Chevrolet | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 1983 | A. J. Foyt Hurley Haywood | Preston Henn | Porsche 935 | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
SCCA Trans-Am | ||||||
July 3, 1984 | Willy T. Ribbs | Jack Roush | Mercury Capri | 157 mi (253 km)A | report | |
AMA Championship Cup Series | ||||||
July 3, 1985 | Larry Shorts Gregg Smrz | Dr. John's Team Moto Guzzi | Moto Guzzi Le Mans | 250 mi (400 km)[1] | report | |
October 19, 1986B | Merrill Moen Otis Lance | Team Lockhart | Suzuki GSX-R1100 | 250 mi (400 km)[2] | report | |
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series | ||||||
June 29, 2000 | James Weaver Andy Wallace | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 2002 | James Weaver Chris Dyson | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 3, 2003 | Forest Barber Terry Borcheller | Bell Motorsports | Doran JE4-Chevrolet | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 1, 2004 | Wayne Taylor Max Angelelli | SunTrust Racing | Riley Mk XI-Pontiac | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
June 30, 2005 | Butch Leitzinger Elliott Forbes-Robinson | Howard Boss Motorsports | Crawford DP03-Pontiac | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
June 29, 2006 | Colin Braun Jörg Bergmeister | Krohn Racing | Riley Mk XI-Ford | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 5, 2007 | Alex Gurney Jon Fogarty | GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing | Riley Mk XI-Pontiac | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 3, 2008 | Memo Rojas Scott Pruett | Chip Ganassi Racing | Riley Mk XX-Lexus | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
July 4, 2009 | Max Angelelli Brian Frisselle | SunTrust Racing | Dallara DP01-Ford | 250 mi (400 km) | report | |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | ||||||
July 4, 2020 | Jonathan Bomarito Harry Tincknell |
Mazda Motorsports | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 2 hours, 40 minutes | report |
Double Duty
In the earlier years of the event, a number of NASCAR drivers who participated in the Firecracker 400 also drove in the Paul Revere 250 in the same day or same weekend. In recent years, some drivers have also dabbled in the "double duty." In 2009, Scott Speed and Kyle Busch raced in both events in the same day, teaming up at Chip Ganassi Racing for the '250.'
References
- Assoc, American Motorcyclist (September 1985). "Paul Revere's fastest ride". American Motorcyclist. 39 (9). Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- Wood, Bill (January 1987). "First to last". American Motorcyclist. 41 (1). Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- Assoc, American Motorcyclist (September 1986). "Parade Lap: Revere rained out". American Motorcyclist. 40 (8). Retrieved April 3, 2010.