Unique Point System Announced for North American Endurance Championship
The three-race series encompasses the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29; Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on July 1; and the Super Weekend at the Brickyard, the first Rolex Sports Car Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.
Points will be awarded on a 5-4-3-2 basis for drivers and teams in both the Daytona Prototype and GT classes. The first finishing position earns five points, with four for second, three for third and two for fourth and each following position in the field. The events will be scored differently so that drivers and teams can earn a maximum of 20 points at each of the three races.
For the Rolex 24 At Daytona, points will be awarded based on the standings in each class at six hours, 12 hours, 18 hours and the finish. At Watkins Glen International will award points at the three-hour mark and finish, with points multiplied by two. At Indianapolis, points will be awarded at the finish of the three-hour race, which will be multiplied by four.
"We wanted to come up with a point system that was different from the regular Rolex Series," said GRAND-AM Managing Director of Competition Mark Raffauf. "We feel the new system will be fun for both fans and participants, while at the same time promoting close competition."
Drivers must drive the minimum 30 minutes to score points at each event. Team points will be awarded for the highest-finishing car from multiple car entries, with the team's additional cars not counted in the standings.
Ties will be broken per the 2012 Rolex Series regulations, based on number of victories, second-place finishes, etc.
The championships will be awarded on the Victory Podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, July 27, following the historic inaugural race on the 2.605-mile road course.