Daytona Beach, Florida - Daytona International Speedway

--NBC Broadcast--

A very high energy theme song began playing in the background as red and white graphics filled up the screen, eventually forming the word, 'IMSA'.

As the theme continued playing, the screen then switched to a live picture showing an aerial view of Daytona International Speedway before a voice speaking in an Australian accent began speaking.

"The off-season is over and now it's time to get the 2024 motorsports season underway. Welcome everyone to NBC Sports' coverage of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the 62nd annual Rolex 24 from Daytona International Speedway here in Daytona Beach, Florida."

The theme came to an end and the picture changed again. This time to three sports commentators in a commentary box.

"Hi folks, Leigh Diffey here, alongside Calvin Fish and Townsend Bell, and welcome to Daytona, where we will kick off this new season of American Sports Car Endurance Racing. We have so many major storylines coming into this season and Cal, there is so much to look forward to."

"There really is Leigh, so many changes have happened this off season. First off, Ford is returning to endurance racing for the first time since 2019, with they're brand new Mustang GT3, which they unveiled last year. There are three of them on the grid, two in GTD Pro and one in GTD. Second, Lamborghini will be joining the GTP grid with they're brand new SC63 Hypercar. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, it won't make it's debut here in Daytona, but rather at the FIA World Endurance Championship's season opening race in Qatar. It will then make it's IMSA debut at our next race in Sebring. And last of all, the biggest change from last year is that the LMP3 class is no more. IMSA has removed the LMP3 class from the WeatherTech grid, so now it's just GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro, and GTD, Townsend."

"Yeah, and with the removal of LMP3, a lot of teams have moved to other classes to stay in the WeatherTech grid. Riley Motorsports and Sean Creech Motorsports moved to LMP2, AWA moved to GTD, where they'll be running 2 Corvettes. And a lot of changes have also taken place within the grid. There are now 2 Corvettes in GTD Pro, AO Racing has a car in GTD Pro and in LMP2, Paul Miller Racing has moved to GTD Pro, Pfaff Motorsports will now be running a McLaren 720S, and with the removal of LMP2 in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the LMP2 grid has doubled in size as a lot of LMP2 teams have made the switch to IMSA. The most notable ones being United Autosports and Inter Europol."

"Such an exciting season ahead of us, let's head over to the 3 commentators who will take over for us in the night, Brian Till, Dave Burns, and Steve Letarte. Guys, it's the first race of the season, how are you three feeling?"

"Oh, we are feeling great Diffey, the off-season is finally behind us and we can now go back into business, let's talk about the LMP2 grid, as Townsend Bell mentioned it has doubled in size, thanks to the FIA World Endurance Championship removing LMP2 from they're grid. One thing worth pointing out is that all but one LMP2 car has an Oreca 07 chassis. The only LMP2 car that's not using the Oreca 07 chassis is the Sean Creech Motorsports 33. They're using a Ligier JS P217 chassis."

Rara walked through pit road in complete awe. She had never been to an event like this before. All around her, she could see many mechanics wheeling tires to the pit boxes, exercising for they're eventual tire changes, and some were out on the grid wiping the cars with a cloth. Rara then stepped out onto the grid and marveled at the site before her. A huge crowd consisting of both humans and ponies were all sitting in the grandstands waiting for the race to start. Rara's mouth gaped at how big the crowd was.

"Ya alright?" asked a voice from behind her.

Rara looked behind her and saw Mike in a white and black fire suit with a gold stripe around the middle. The suit also had the Cadillac Racing logo on the front with Mike's name around the waist with an American flag next to it. Many IMSA related logos were also plastered all over the sleeves and chest area. Rara couldn't help but feel nervous as this was the first time she was gonna see Mike perform his profession of race car driving. "Y-y-yes. I am," she said nervously.

"You don't sound alright," replied Mike.

"Well, it's just..." Rara looked at the crowd again. "This... this is bigger than any of my concerts."

Mike smiled. ''My goodness what have we gotten into with this pony?' he thought. "Come on," he said as he walked over to her. "The pre-race ceremonies are about to start."

Rara smiled and followed Mike down pit road.

Up in the grandstands the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, and Coco were all sitting down on they're respective seats as the pre-race ceremonies wrapped up, they began looking for Mike.

"So, which car is he driving?" asked Starlight.

"That yellow one, right there," Twilight said as she pointed to the yellow and black Cadillac GTP that is second on the grid.

"Look, there he is," shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Where?" asked Coco.

"Over there," Rainbow replied while pointing at the yellow and black Cadillac GTP which is second on the grid. Rainbow gave Coco her binoculars and pointed in it's direction.

"Yeah, there he is," said Coco.

"Ha, time to get this show on the road," smirked Rainbow Dash.

Rara sat on top of the pit box as she watched Mike put on his helmet and get inside his car. She was shaking with nervousness. She was worried that Mike could get hurt while doing something as dangerous as this. She watched Mike fist bump one of the mechanics and the mechanic closed the door and secured it. Rara couldn't believe it. It was all becoming real now. She was about to witness Mike doing his profession.

Inside the car, Mike strapped himself in and took a deep breath. It's all come down to this.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! START YOUR ENGINES!"

The cars roared to life as the drivers waited for the pace car to set off. Mike looked to his right. The 01 Cadillac qualified 2nd on the grid, starting on pole is non other than Mike's biggest rival in IMSA, Pipo Derani, a Brazilian driver who races for Cadillac's other team, Whelen Engineering Action Express Racing. Mike then looked to his left. Starting behind him in third is one of the Penske Porsche 963s, the 7 of Felipe Nasr. Mike took another deep breath of gripped the steering wheel.

Soon, the pace car set off and the cars began they're formation laps. Since the 4 classes have a huge speed disparity, they will start off in an order. The GTP cars set off first, followed by the LMP2s, and then the GT cars.

After a few formation laps, it was go time. Mike closed his visor as he saw the pace car peel off the track.

Rara watched as the pace car dove out of the track and the cars began to make their way toward the green flag.

In the grandstands, everyone and everypony took out they're cell phones and cameras as they began filming or taking pictures of the cars taking the green flag.

"Here we go," Rainbow cried excitedly.

--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: "And Pipo Derani in the Action Express Cadillac Racing Whelen machine on the right there GETS THE JUMP! THIS IS THE 2024 ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA! WE SEE THE GREEN AND DERANI IS FLYING ALREADY!"

Calvin Fish: "Yeah his ex-teammate, other Brazilian, Felipe Nasr goes in the first of the Porsches. He looks to the high side as they hit the brake zone down into Turn 1."

Townsend Bell: "Further back there, the 01 Cadillac with Mike Rogers, he is no stranger to be aggressive on the start as HE looks to make a move. Now we've got the GT start coming."

Leigh Diffey: "That is Michael Christensen in that number 77 Porsche 911 on the right hand side, there's fighting at the front of the field in the GTP class. Meanwhile, right behind Christensen, Ben Barnicoat in the number 14 Lexus RCF, it's both of the Vasser Sullivan Lexus RCFs pouncing on that Porsche 911."

Calvin Fish: "Barnicoat with a big move to the outside, you see screen left there. Trying to take that Lexus RCF to the front, but Christensen fights him, in Rexy, that bright green number 77 Porsche 911."

Townsend Bell: "And right behind them, that's Aaron Telitz in the GTD class, the polesitter, the number 12 Lexus RCF, he falls back as he rolls to the outside."

Leigh Diffey; "Klaus Bachler in that number 86 Porsche 911 moved into 3rd there as we go back to the head of the field. The GTP class overall and stretching his legs is the dynamo. Pipo Derani, the reigning champion in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GTP class and look at that. That's some Cadillac power your hearing ROARING down the backstretch, TOWARDS FOR THE FIRST TIME, the Le Mans Chicane."

Mike was cursing at himself. Derani and Nasr had better starts which caught him off guard.

"Deep breath, now. Deep breath. We've just got started," Mike's race strategist told him over the radio. Mike sighed as he concentrated on what's ahead of him.

"Don't you think he's jumped the start?" Mike asked.

"No, remember this is not NASCAR. They don't start on that Geico Restart Zone," his race strategist replied.

Mike sighed and decided to let it go.

Meanwhile up in the pit box, Rara was watching a TV screen in the roof with great interest. Mike was currently in 3rd place and seemed to be holding his own. "Well, it does seem like he knows what he's doing," she said to herself.

Hour 3

When it comes to endurance racing, a driver has to race a certain number of hours especially when it comes to a 24 hour race. Already 3 cautions have happened due to 3 GT cars stopping on track with mechanical problems. Speaking of which the race was about to end it's 3rd caution as the pace car dived off the track.

--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: "Let's get ready to go. Green flag back out here in Daytona."

Calvin Fish: "OOOH!!! DERANI MAKES A MISTAKE GOING INTO TURN 1, BUT HE KEEPS THE LEAD!!!"

Townsend Bell: "HOW LONG WILL HE KEEP IT THOUGH, AS HERE COMES RICKY TAYLOR IN THAT NUMBER 10 ACURA!!!"

Leigh Diffey: "TAYLOR TAKES THE LEAD, DERANI LOSES POSITIONS!!! NASR GOES BY! AND HERE COMES MIKE ROGERS!!!"

"DERANI SPUN THE TIRES, DERANI SPUN THE TIRES!!!! GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!!!!" Mike's race strategist shouted over his radio. Mike floored it and passed Derani for 3rd.

--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: ROGERS GOES FOR 3RD!!! DERANI HAS SETTLED IN 4TH!!! HE HAS LOST 3 POSITIONS IN A SINGLE TURN AS THEY HEAD FOR THE INTERNATIONAL HORSESHOE!!!"

Calvin Fish: "Big, costly mistake by Pipo Derani as Ricky Taylor now takes the lead in that blue and black Konica Minolta Acura. SIDE BY SIDE FOR 2ND AS THEY COME OUT OF THE INTERNATIONAL HORSESHOE AND HEAD TOWARDS THE KINK!!!"

Leigh Diffey: "MIKE ROGERS SIDE BY SIDE WITH FELIPE NASR!!! PORSCHE AND CADILLAC!!! NASR AND ROGERS!!! FELIPE NASR FOR PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT CLEARS THE CHIP GANASSI CADILLAC AND KEEPS THAT 2ND SPOT WITH FORCE!!!"

Townsend Bell: "It is an absolute swordfight on a tightrope. When your doing a restart in GTP, all these drivers will tell ya, it's so tricky to manage rear grip on the brakes."

"There you go, good job," Mike's race strategist called on the radio.

Mike smiled to himself as he continued.

Hour 5

Mike's first stint was over and it was now time for the first relay. Sure enough, the other GTP cars were performing they're own relays as well. Mike came onto pit road and stopped in his pit box. Sebastien Bourdais was putting his helmet on and was ready to go. "Alright, Seb. Good luck out there," said Mike.

Sebastien got in the car and once the pit stop was over and done with, Bourdais took off. Mike took off his helmet and immediately flinched. The sun was starting to set and it was right in his eyes. He managed to quickly regain his vision and walked into his pit box. When he did, he saw Rara climbing down the pit box. Rara walked over and hugged Mike.

"You did very well out there," said Rara.

"Thanks," said Mike. Mike then looked around. "I asked for the girls to come and join us for dinner."

"I think that's a great idea," replied Rara.

The two smiled as they walked away hand-in-hand.

Hour 12

It was now nighttime and Mike, Rara, Coco, the Mane 6, Spike, and Starlight were eating dinner. Or more specifically, eating food from food trucks in an outdoor patio in the track's infield area.

"You know, when you said that we were going to have dinner with the girls," Rara said while looking at her plate which had a slice of cheese pizza on it. "This is not what I had in mind."

"Well, Rara, Mike has to get back in his car sometime in the night," replied Applejack.

"Let's just hope Scott Dixon keeps it in one piece," said Rainbow Dash.

"I wouldn't worry," said Mike. "He's a really good driver. Remember he's a 6-time IndyCar champion."

Just a few minutes earlier, another relay was performed. Sebastien Bourdais got out of the 01 Cadillac and Scott Dixon took over.

--NBC Broadcast--

Brian Till: "Dixon trying to get in front of Aitken. HE GOES TO THE OUTSIDE ON THE BACKSTRETCH! SCOTT DIXON TO THE LEAD IN DAYTONA!!!"

Dave Burns: Jack Aitken fighting back as they head to the Le Mans Chicane."

All 3 commentators: "OHHHH!!!"

Brian Till: "No, no, no. That's a very tight corner, and Aitken thought better of it."

Steve Letarte: "And not helping is the fact that they are surrounded by GT cars. Dixon stays in front of Aitken."

"Excellent. Nice job," said the race strategist. "Now be careful, there's still a lot of GT cars in front of you."

Back in the infield, the group were watching the race via a huge TV screen in the infield.

"See, what did I tell you," said Mike smugly.

"Huh, I guess you're right," said Rainbow.

Suddenly a crashing sound was heard, followed by a swarm of gasps. "Uh, oh," said Mike. "What happened?" The TV screen then showed a massive pileup on the backstretch.

"Whoa, geez. That's big," said Applejack.

--NBC Broadcast--

All 3 commentators: "WHOA!!!!"

Dave Burns: "BIG CRASH!!!"

Brian Till: "MASSIVE CRASH ON THE BACKSTRETCH!!!"

Steve Letarte: "Looks like it's mostly comprised of LMP2 cars!"

Brian Till: "Yeah, it looks like it does."

Dave Burns: "The 33 of Lance Willsey, the 20 of Seth Lucas, the 11 of Mikkel Jensen, the 74 of Gar Robinson, and the 99 of Paul-Loup Chatin are all in that. That makes 5 cars involved in that."

Brian Till: "Caution is out for the 6th time in this race as 5 LMP2 cars lay totaled on the backstretch."

Dave Burns: "Let's take a look at what happened."

The screen changed to the NBC Sports logo before showing a replay of the crash.

Steve Letarte: "You see the LMP2 cars coming up to some GT traffic. Oh!"

Dave Burns: "OH, the 65 Ford Mustang of Joey Hand moved up the track right when Mikkel Jensen was coming up behind him."

Brian Till: "Yeah, and that caused a domino effect on the other cars involved. As you can see, after Joey Hand and Mikkel Jensen made contact, Jensen immediately lost control of his car and spun right into Lance Willsey and Seth Lucas. Sending them both into the outside SAFER barrier."

Steve Letarte: "And as you see, there was absolutely nowhere to go for Gar Robinson and Paul-Loup Chatin, who both just piled in there."

Brian Till: "Ugh!"

Dave Burns: "Those were MASSIVE hits."

The screen then returned to the live picture.

Brian Till: "And there's the 5 drivers all getting out of their cars and walking away."

Steve Letarte: "That is such a relief to see."

After the clean up was completed, the cars lined up behind the pace car ready for the restart. The flagman waved the green flag and the cars accelerated away. During this time, Mike was getting ready to get back in the car for his 2nd of three stints in the 24 hour race.

Soon, the GTP cars began performing their relays. When the 01 Cadillac came to it's pit, Scott Dixon got out and Mike got onboard. Putting on his helmet, strapping himself in and gripping the wheel, he took off.

Hour 16
--NBC Broadcast--

Brian Till: "We are 16 hours into the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and it's the Cadillacs that are dominating in GTP. Mike Rogers is currently in the lead in the Chip Ganassi 01 Cadillac. He currently has a 3 second lead over the Action Express Whelen Engineering Cadillac of Pipo Derani."

Mike looked in his rear view mirror and saw Derani right behind him. He focused ahead, trying to keep his rival behind him. On the tri-oval, he split between two GT cars, which shut the door on Derani just as he reached them. This caused Derani to take evasive action by going to the bottom of the track and passing the 2 GT cars.

In the pit box, Rara watched on, as her human was in the lead. Though given how fast the 2nd place runner was, it did look like Mike was gonna loose the lead any second. Sure enough, when the cars got back around the tri-oval, the 31 was right behind the 01.

--NBC Broadcast--

Brian Till: "Mike Rogers is locked in a fierce battle with Pipo Derani as they pass the grandstand."

Dave Burns: "Derani is taking the lower line to get pass the rival Cadillac. AND HE DOES!!! PIPO DERANI TAKES THE LEAD IN THE ROLEX 24!!!"

Derani smirked at the fact he was in the lead. Suddenly, he forgot where he was on the track and turned left into Turn 1 at the last second causing him to make contact with a GT car, sending it spinning.

"WHOAAAA!!!!" yelled Mike as the GT car crashed into the tire barrier and burst into flames. It then came back across the track barely missing him. "Whoa!" he cried.

In the pits, Rara watched in shock. "Oh, my! Did you see that?" she asked the race strategist.

"Yeah," he replied.

--NBC Broadcast--

All 3 commentators: "WHOA!!! OHHHH!!!!"

Brian Till: "DERANI SENDS THE NUMBER 9 MCLAREN 720S OF ALEXANDER ROSSI INTO THE WALL AND IN FLAMES!!! MIKE ROGERS DOES A GREAT JOB TO MISS HIM!!! CAUTION IS OUT FOR THE 8TH TIME IN THIS RACE!!!"

Mike sighed as he headed towards the pit lane for another relay as it was time for Renger van der Zande to take the wheel. He pulled into his pit box and got out of his car. Renger van der Zande was already putting his helmet on and was ready to go. Mike walked to him. "Derani is RIGHT up our ass," he told him.

"Well, if I can just get out of the pits ahead of him," Renger said as he got in the car.

Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi was walking over to the 31 pit box. There he saw Action Express Racing's team principal, Bob Johnson. "Hey there, Bob. Good to see ya," said Chip.

"Yeah, after we get out of this pit Chip, it's the last time you will," Bob retorted.

"Ah, don't worry. We've got rear view mirrors," Chip retorted back. The 2 team owners then chuckled at each other as they shared some friendly banter.

Meanwhile, Mike took off his helmet and was climbing up his pit box to talk to his race strategist. "What happened to that McLaren he took out?"

"Rossi just climbed out of the car. He seems alright," the race strategist replied. Mike looked up at the TV screen near the pit box's roof and to his relief, the words the race strategist gave out was true.

--NBC Broadcast--

Brian Till: "Alexander Rossi climbs out of the car and walks away under his own power."

Steve Letarte: "That is such a relief to see."

The TV screen showed Alexander Rossi walking with the medical team and declining they're help as he took off his helmet. Meanwhile, the fire marshals were extinguishing the fire that engulfed the McLaren 720S. Mike sighed in relief and looked back at Rara, who was also in relief. "Come on, I think we should go get some rest," Mike said while offering his hand. Rara blushed and the two climbed down from the pit box and walked towards the garages.

Inside, there were rooms with makeshift beds for the drivers. Of course, they were separate. Rara couldn't help but notice how small the bed is compared to Mike's bed in his house and her own bed in Coco's apartment. "Umm, are you sure we can fit on this?" she asked.

Mike smiled and got on the bed. "Well, it is quite comfy. Especially, if you spent multiple 4 hour stints in a race car," he replied as he patted a small spot next to him. "Come on, there's just enough room for one more."

Rara blushed deeper, but went along with it. Climbing on the bed, she was surprised to see that there was enough room for her. She laid down on the bed next to Mike. The two looked at each other with adoring looks on their faces before Rara suddenly realized something. "Wait, how are we going to be able to sleep with how loud those race cars are?" she asked.

"Well, do you hear them?" asked Mike.

Rara listened carefully and suddenly realized that she couldn't here anything at all. Just outside, the noise of the cars going around the track was deafening, but inside this makeshift bedroom, it was completely quiet. "N-no, I don't hear the cars at all?" she replied. "But how is that possible?"

"Simple, it's these walls. They're made of a noise-resistant material. That way, whoever is lucky to sleep here, gets all the quiet they need."

Rara was impressed. The fact that whoever designed these buildings knew how loud race cars were and built these walls out of noise resistance was a really smart move. Rara then yawned and snuggled up to Mike. Mike watched as Rara slowly closed her eyes and mere seconds later, began letting out quiet, delicate snores. Mike smiled in amusement as he laid back on the pillow before falling asleep himself.

"I love you, Rara," he whispered. "Goodnight."

Hour 20
--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: "First light, here at Daytona International Speedway. There are 4 hours to go in the Rolex 24."

Rara stirred awake as sunlight peeked through a crack in the door, followed by the sounds of the race cars outside. "Hey Rara, good morning," a voice said. Rara looked over and saw Scott Dixon walking over to her with a cup of coffee. "Oh, good morning, Scott," said Rara. "Where's Mike?"

"He's getting ready for his final stint in the race," Scott Dixon replied while giving Rara her coffee. "Here, I've made you a coffee."

"Oh, thanks. How is the car doing in the race?"

"Well, we're running 5th, but I think Renger's body is starting to give out."

--NBC Broadcast--

Calvin Fish: "Renger van der Zande is clearly struggling there."

Townsend Bell: "Yeah, he's loosing more positions. He's just lost two more to the 2 BMWs of Connor De Phillippi and Augusto Farfus."

In the bathroom, Mike was splashing water in his face. He had just gotten done as Chip Ganassi entered the room. "Mike, come on. Renger's coming in next lap," he said.

"What? Already," Mike exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's sounding rather exhausted and sleepy on the radio. So I think it's time you take over for the final stint right now."

"Alright, let's go."

After walking to the pit box and putting his helmet on, Mike made one final move to wake up his body as the 01 Cadillac pitted for it's final relay. Renger van der Zande stumbled out of the car as the other GTP cars came into pit road for their last relays. Mike got in the car, strapped himself in, and waited for the pit stop to be completed. However, luck would not be on they're side on this pit stop. The fuel was taking a while to fill up as Renger drove the car for quite a distance without refueling. This caused a slow stop, as some of the other GTP cars completed their pit stops and headed back out.

"LET'S GO, LET'S GO!!!" shouted Mike. But unfortunately, it was futile. As the 7 Porsche went by, followed by the 31 Cadillac, and the 40 Acura. "DAMMIT!!! GO, GO, GO!!! COME ON!!!"

--NBC Broadcast--

Townsend Bell: "ROGERS HAS A SLOW STOP!!!"

Calvin Fish: "OHHH!!!"

Townsend Bell: "THIS IS COSTLY FOR THE 01 CADILLAC!!!"

Leigh Diffey: "OH, NO!!!"

Finally, the car was fully fueled up and was dropped off the jack. "GO, GO, GO!!!" shouted the pit crew members as Mike accelerated off. However, he had already lost more positions.

"GOD DAMMIT!!! SON OF A BITCH!!!"

"Now Mike, uhh," stuttered the race strategist, only to be silenced by Mike's continuous cursing and swearing.

"We come into the pits and we were in 7th place. We go out and we're in 10th with 4 hours to go," Mike said angrily.

"Alright, first of all, take a chill pill. Second of all, we can make up positions in these 4 hours," said the race strategist.

"There is no way we would be able to make up 5 positions in 4 hours," Mike said bluntly.

"Yes, you can. If you use your NASCAR experience on a track like Daytona."

"Alright, how?"

"Use the draft, on the cars in front of you. If you do that, you'll be able to get more speed to pass them."

"Alright, when it comes to the race, I'll take your word for it."

The race had gone on for 3 more hours, and by now, everyone was exhausted and the cars in all 4 classes were really worn out. Rara had made her way to the pit box and saw on the TV screen that Mike was in 8th place. "How has he been doing?" she asked the race strategist.

"We lost 5 spots due to a slow pit stop, but now he's really moving," the race strategist replied as he pointed at the TV screen.

Mike drafted up to the 25 BMW, trying to take it's spot for 7th. "Come on, come on," he cried as he soon made his move around the outside.

--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: "HERE COMES ROGERS!!! AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF RENE RAST!!!"

Calvin Fish: "HE DOES IT!!! HE'S UP TO 7TH NOW!!!"

"Hahaha, YES!!!" he cried excitedly.

"Yes, alright come on Mike, we've only got a few more minutes to go.

Up in the grandstand, the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, and Coco all watched as Mike made up more positions going all the way back to 5th.

"Haha, yes," cheered Rainbow. "That's how it's done."

"Yeehaw, that's it Mike," shouted Applejack.

--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: "With the clock now reaching 24 hours, the white flag is now in the air, and we now find ourselves, ON THE FINAL LAP!!!"

Mike saw the white flag being waved. "Come on, come on. We're almost home," he said to himself as he soon caught up to the 4th place runner.

--NBC Broadcast--

Calvin Fish: "Mike Rogers has caught up to Louis Deletraz, CAN HE MAKE UP ONE MORE POSITION BEFORE THE CHECKERED FLAG!!!"

Leigh Diffey: "HERE HE COMES, HE GOES TO THE OUTSIDE ON THE BACKSTRETCH!!!"

Townsend Bell: "There are some GT cars up ahead, how is that gonna affect them?"

Leigh Diffey: "DELETRAZ FIGHTS BACK ON THE INSIDE, BUT ROGERS HAS THE DRAFT AS THEY HEAD FOR THE LE MANS CHICANE FOR THE FINAL TIME!!!"

Calvin Fish: "OHHHH!!!!!"

Townsend Bell: "DELETRAZ GETS BLOCKED BY A GT CAR, THE 55 FORD MUSTANG OF COREY LEWIS!!! ROGERS SENDS IT!!! HE'S PASSED DELETRAZ!!!"

Leigh Diffey: "OH, MY GOODNESS, HOW DID THEY NOT CRASH RIGHT THERE!!!!"

"YEEEES!!!" YES!!!" Mike shouted in joy as he was now in 4th and on track for a good points finish. In the pit box, the pit crew cheered, and so did the race strategist and Rara. Up in the grandstands, the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, and Coco were letting out their own cheers of joy.

--NBC Broadcast--

Leigh Diffey: "The checkered flag is out. AND THE NUMBER 7 PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT 963 WINS THE ROLEX 24!!! Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, and Josef Newgarden will be in victory lane in GTP. Meanwhile in LMP2, it's the number 18 Era Motorsports car who will win. Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, Christian Rasmussen, and Connor Zilisch will be in victory lane in LMP2. Now, the GT classes, in GTD Pro, it's the number 62 Ferrari 296 from Risi Competizione with Daniel Serra behind the wheel who will go to victory lane, alongside James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Davide Rigon. And finally, in GTD, it's the 57 Mercedes AMG GT3 from Winward Racing, with Daniel Morad behind the wheel. He and Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, and Russell Ward will be in victory lane."

Calvin Fish: "Beautiful job there by all of those drivers in all four of those cars."

Townsend Bell: "How about that? After 24 hours of hard racing and eventful shenanigans, lot's of teams will leave this track happy."

Mike, happy with his 4th place finish, parked his Cadillac GTP in pit road, got out, and took off his helmet. There he is met by a huge wave of cheers from his team. He gave a fist pump in the air and whooped in his success. He then saw Rara climbing down from the pit box and walked over to her. The two shared a massive hug of celebration. "I told you will come out alright," he said casually. Rara just smiled and kissed Mike on the lips. Mike was surprised, but gave in and kissed her back, receiving a much louder roar from his team, even a few wolf-whistles. The two separated the kiss and looked into each other's eyes.

--NBC Broadcast--

"It has been a very eventful 24 hours, but they have been worth it. Congratulations to all of the class winners, and thank you all for joining us on this edition of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. From all of us here at NBC Sports, I'm Leigh Diffey, thank you all for tuning in. And we'll see you next time for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. Thanks for watching."

Mike and Rara were saying goodbye to the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, and Coco as they headed through a portal via they're teleporter bracelets, back to Equestria. After the portal closed, Mike and Rara looked at each other. "So, why are we not going back to Equestria? And why did you tell me to pack a suitcase with weeks worth of stuff before I came here?" asked Rara.

The day before the race, Mike told Rara to pack a suitcase with weeks worth of stuff, and when she arrived in Nashville to join Mike on the flight to Daytona Beach, Mike told her to leave it in Mike's apartment. "Well, we've got 3 weeks before the Daytona 500," replied Mike. "And it would be rather bothersome to go back and forth between Equestria and Daytona Beach every few weeks, plus given all the stuff we've been working on with that album that Sapphire is planning to release soon, I figured we could use these next 3 weeks to take a nice, relaxing vacation here in the US."

Rara went wide-eyed. "A vacation?" she asked dumbfounded.

"You don't think that's a bad idea, do you?"

Rara smiled brightly. "No, of course not," she cheered while hugging Mike, which caught him by surprise. After letting go of Mike, she looked at him and said, "I could use some relaxation after everything I've been through."

Mike smiled. "Then, come on, let's back to Nashville," he said as they walked hand-in-hand towards the airport.

To Be Continued.

Author's Note

It has been a while, hasn't it? Long story short, I wanted to wait until after the Rolex 24 to upload this chapter.
This is a fictionalized version of the Rolex 24. If you wanna see what happened in the REAL Rolex 24, you can do so by watching this video here.