DAYTONA BEACH — Patrick Dempsey is enjoying his 10th season on television's “Grey's Anatomy” drama and going into his seventh year as a sports car driver.
A slimmed-down Dempsey addressed the racing media at Daytona International Speedway during a break in Saturday's Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session.
“The speeds are pretty tight,” the 47-year-old driver/actor said. “It's going to be pretty exciting.”
The Roar, which concludes Sunday afternoon, features cars from the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and Continental Tire Challenge, both series sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association.
IMSA is the unified effort of Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series. Dempsey was in the ALMS in 2013 and missed the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
With the series united, Dempsey is back with a two-car, Porsche 911 effort. He is racing in the GT Daytona class.
“It's fun to be back in Daytona again,” he said. “I missed it last year. I have a lot of great memories here and hopefully we will continue to in the future.”
Dempsey has been racing at this level since 2007 and feels like his skill level has reached the professional stage.
Joe Foster, who serves as Dempsey Racing's team manager and Dempsey's spiritual racing guide, helped create this Hollywood motorhead.
“Joe had a very clear plan on how to evolve the team and myself as a driver,” Dempsey said. “We've always stuck to that plan. It's nice to have support and foundation and slowly move up and have credibility.
“We bring a lot of visibility, which is good, but if we can't back it up, it's a disservice to the sport. I credit my success to Joe and the support he has given me. He's a great instructor and great team leader and a great driver.”
Foster and Dempsey hired Andrew Davis to race with the team this season. Foster and Davis have enjoyed long careers as professional drivers. Each has been an instructor at Panoz Racing School.
“He's come such a long way as a driver,” Davis said. “He's a professional-quality driver at this point in time. He's fine-tuning himself in 10ths of seconds. He's developed into a very good driver.”
Racing is not a lark for Dempsey. He takes the sport very seriously.
“It's been a long, challenging number of years,” Dempsey said. “I want to win. We have a great opportunity to win with the quality of drivers and cars.
“If we could get our first win here, that would be most satisfying and be a turning point for the team and myself as well.”
DEMPSEY PACKAGE: The Speedway will offer a Dempsey Racing ticket package for the Rolex 24. The ticket costs $64 and includes a 2-day admission, entry into a fan forum with Dempsey on race morning (Jan. 25) and a hero card. A portion of the proceeds will go to Dempsey Racing Charities.
ENDURANCE CUP: Patron Spirits International will sponsor the 4-race North American Endurance Cup in the United SportsCar Championship. The Cup races include the Rolex 24, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Six Hour of The Glen and the Petit Le Mans. Teams will battle for $300,000 in prize money.
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