Daytona International Speedway announces that the 1969 Penske Racing's winning No.6 Lola T70 Chevrolet championship car will be displayed at 50th Anniversary event on 28 - 29th January 2012.
The No. 6 Lola T70 Chevrolet fielded by legendary car owner Roger Penske and driven to victory in the 1969 Rolex 24 At Daytona by Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons will join the display of past overall Rolex 24 At Daytona championship cars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the twice-around-the-clock challenge on 28th & 29th January 2012.
This victory represented the first for Chevrolet in an international endurance race and also the first time Penske Racing celebrated a triumph at the Daytona International Speedway.
The No. 6 Lola T70 Chevrolet joins the growing field of prestigious championship cars in the display:
- The No.96 Arciero Racing Lotus-Climax 19B from the inaugural Rolex 24 (known as the Daytona Continental) in 1962
- The Porsche 907 from the 1968 Rolex 24
- The No. 98 Eagle GTP from the 1993 Rolex 24
- The Preston Henn Porsches from the 1983 and 1985 Rolex 24s.
Additional cars will be announced in the coming months as they are secured to be part of this one-of-a-kind display.
History of the 1969 race
Race strategy was the key to victory in the 1969 Rolex 24 for the No. 6 Lola T70 of Donohue and Parsons, who was a last-minute replacement in the car for injured Ronnie Bucknum. Entering the race, Penske believed the difference in winning would be attrition and directed his drivers to run a conservative pace.
Penske made the right call.
Despite the No. 6 Lola T70 experiencing a wide-range of problems from a fuel pick-up issue to exhaust system and starter motor failures, Penske's drivers were the last men standing as accidents and mechanical failures took out the pre-race favourites such as the Porsche 908s and Ford GT40s.
Despite having to spend a combined two hours, 10 minutes and 12 seconds in the pits on 31 stops, the No. 6 Lola T70 won by a margin of 30 laps and covered 626 laps, 2,382.63 miles.
2012 Event - 28th-29th January 2012
The Rolex 24 At Daytona, the kick-off event to Speedweeks 2012 as well as the international motorsports calendar, showcases the world's best drivers competing against each other lap after lap for 24 hours on Daytona International Speedway's challenging and demanding 3.56-mile road course.
What to see the 2012 event live?
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