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Rolex 24 at Daytona Turns Into a Scrapyard as Fans Scavenge Wrecked Race Car Parts—Some Without Permission

Simon Monroy by Simon Monroy
January 29, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Rolex 24 at Daytona Turns Into a Scrapyard as Fans Scavenge Wrecked Race Car Parts—Some Without Permission
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For racing fans, few things are more treasured than race-used car parts—the ultimate souvenirs from a high-octane weekend. But at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, what started as a fun tradition of taking home wreckage turned into outright looting, leaving teams questioning how to balance fan engagement with security.

DXDT Racing’s Burnt-Out Corvette Becomes a Hotspot for Memorabilia Hunters

The most infamous casualty of the 24-hour endurance race was DXDT Racing’s Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which caught fire with Charlie Eastwood behind the wheel. The inferno forced the team to retire, and while Eastwood escaped unharmed, the Corvette was left a smoldering wreck.

Rather than letting the burnt-out rear-engine car go to waste, DXDT Racing let fans pick through the remains, handing out destroyed bodywork, crispy bumpers, and a scorched diffuser.

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“Fans were treated to a bevy of large and burnt bodywork,” reported those at the scene, as people gleefully walked away with charred pieces of the Corvette.

For some, this was the ultimate memento of motorsport chaos.

From Souvenirs to Straight-Up Theft—Teams Sound the Alarm

But not every team was on board with the free-for-all scavenging.

AO Racing, which fielded the fan-favorite No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 “Rexy” and No. 99 ORECA 07 LMP2 “Spike”, fell victim to overzealous fans who stole broken car parts without permission.

“People generally at the racetrack seemed way more emboldened than they were five or ten years ago,” said AO Racing team principal Gunnar Jeannette, frustrated by the rising trend of uninvited guests helping themselves to team property.

“Track services dropped off the remnants of Rexy’s bumper in our garage, and all of a sudden, it just disappeared.”

The problem wasn’t just scavengers—there were full-blown intrusions into team trailers and pit boxes.

Jeannette recalled a surreal moment when an unauthorized fan wandered into their pit box mid-race.

“I walked up to him and said, ‘Hi, excuse me, but who are you with?’ And he said, ‘Oh, I’ve got this pit pass, I thought I could just go anywhere.’”

“Then, he straight-up asked me, ‘Do you have any parts I could have?’ I just looked at him, disgusted, and said, ‘No, man, we’re in the middle of a race.’”

IMSA’s Open Access Comes with a Price—Will Security Measures Follow?

Unlike Formula 1 or IndyCar, IMSA prides itself on unparalleled fan access, letting attendees get up close and personal with teams, drivers, and the action.

But now, with pit areas being overrun and parts going missing, teams are seriously reconsidering their open-door policies.

“It’s great being able to give people access that doesn’t exist in other series,” Jeannette admitted. “But we’re absolutely seeing the negative side of that.”

With IMSA set to return to Daytona in 2026, expect to see tighter security measures—possibly including track-provided security staff or teams hiring their own protection.

From Fans to Opportunists—Has the Culture Shifted?

Stealing race-used parts was once a wholesome fan tradition, but outright theft of valuable components and tools has teams worried that enthusiasm is crossing the line into entitlement.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona may have provided thrills on the track, but it also exposed a new dilemma for motorsport teams—how to embrace passionate fans without being robbed blind.

The question remains: Is NASCAR and IMSA fan culture evolving into something teams can no longer control?

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