AUTOS
STARS APLENTY FOR ROLEX 24
DAYTONA BEACH — Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso is a draw in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, though IMSA wasn’t exactly struggling to draw a crowd to the twice-round-the-clock endurance race that begins this afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. It was already a star-studded affair:
• Scott Pruett, the top driver in American sports car history, is retiring after the race.
• Team Penske will make its debut in a new Acura prototype program that has Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor and Graham Rahal on one team, and Juan Pablo Montoya, Dane Cameron and Simon Pagenaud on the other.
• Wayne Taylor Racing is trying to defend its Rolex victory from a year ago with a new lineup. Only Jordan Taylor is back, and Renger van der Zande replaced Taylor when he left for Team Penske. Their Cadillac is on the pole, next to Team Penske, after van der Zande bumped Castroneves in qualifying.
• Chip Ganassi Racing will try for its eighth Rolex victory. The team has six overall wins, and its seventh came last year in the GT Le Mans class. Its entries this year are Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and St. Petersburg’s Sebastien Bourdais in one Ford GT, and Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Scott Dixon in the other.
• Cadillac teams still seem to have the upper hand in the prototype division and qualified four cars in the top seven. IMSA has made rules changes to try to close the competition, but the program still appears to be superior.
• Corvette Racing is celebrating its 20th anniversary and will do so with Jan Magnussen leading the GTLM class at the start.
"I’ve never seen a field with this many talented drivers and teams," said Joao Barbosa of the Action Express Racing team that will start third.
Alonso is competing in the top races in the world one by one in his quest to prove he’s the most versatile driver in motorsports.
ET CETERA
youth football: The Pop Warner youth program said it doesn’t agree with banning football for young people after legislation was unveiled in Illinois prohibiting tackle football for those under 12. A spokesperson said the organization "can’t imagine elected officials mandating to parents which sports their children can play."
soccer: David Beckham appears ready to have a Major League Soccer team take form. The soccer icon and his group of partners announced a news conference for Monday, to make "an important announcement on the future of soccer in Miami."
ALPINE skiing: Wendy Holdener won a World Cup combined race in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, setting herself up as the favorite for Olympic gold next month. First-run leader Lindsey Vonn led Holdener by 0.71 seconds after the opening super-G but dropped back to fourth.
Times wires