The No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP scored Chevrolet its first ever podium at the Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona. Photo: The Block

The Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona is officially in the books for 2013, and along with it a few notable events for Chevrolet. For us, the biggest news from the race was that Chevrolet landed its first ever podium finish thanks to the No. 10 Velocity Worldwide/Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.

The No. 10 Corvette DP came in second place, and finished the race in 24:0059, 22 seconds behind he No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing/Felix Sabates BMW Riley’s time of 24:00:37. So, just how far did these two top placing cars go in 24 hours? Each one completed 709 laps at 3.56 miles per lap, which comes out to 2,524 miles, or just shy of the distance from New York City to Los Angeles.

The Velocity Worldwide team was excited for their podium finish, but no one likes coming in second place, especially after such a hard fought race. ““It’s been a lot of fun, but unfortunately, we’re the best of the rest,” Velocity Worldwide driver, Ryan Hunter, told reporters from Grand-Am.com. “The BMW is so quick – especially in a straight line – but I hate beating a dead horse. The team has done a great job, it’s a wonderful car, and it’s great to be here with a Bow Tie on the front of the car.”

Adding to the victories for Chevrolet was the No. 9 Action Express Corvette DP which came in 4^th place in the Daytona Prototype class. The Action Express Corvette DP completed 708 laps, and actually led for a total of 11.

Photo: The Block

In the GT class, things were a bit more challenging for the Chevrolet bunch. The normally competitive No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R came in 36^th overall, with a very experienced gang of drivers taking their turns behind the wheel. The team of Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, John Edwards and Robin Liddell managed to complete a respectable 595 laps, and pushed the No. 57 Camaro GT.R to lead three laps.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the race or watch it on TV, check out the Rolex 24 event blog from out buddies at The Block, and get the full race results on Grand-Am.com.