Kamui Kobayashi marked his return to the Rolex 24 at Daytona by putting Wayne Taylor Racing in the lead five hours into the twice-round-the-clock endurance race.

Alas, the two-time Rolex winner won't win a third watch this year after his Cadillac was wrecked two hours later Saturday night when Louis Deletraz was driving. Deletraz was hit from behind, spun hard into the wall, then bounced back onto the racing surface where he was hit by oncoming traffic.

The six-car crash — the first major incident of the race — ended any chance of Kobayashi getting another Rolex. Another Cadillac — the one supported by IMSA and NASCAR chairman Jim France — held the lead at the time of the crash in what is shaping up to be a battle with defending race winner Porsche Penske Motorsport, BMW M Team RLL and Wayne Taylor Racing's second car.

It's a huge disappointment for Kobayashi, who had not been able to participate in the season-opening event the last two years because as a Toyota factory driver in the World Endurance Championship series it was considered a conflict of interest. But the former Formula 1 driver missed the event at Daytona International Speedway so much he asked his Japanese bosses for permission to race for WTR in its new Cadillac program this year.

The car was in ninth when Kobayashi got in shortly after the five-hour mark and he needed just a handful of laps to drive the No. 40 Cadillac to the front.

“It's fun to watch him, we knew he was going to be like that,” said co-driver Jordan Taylor. “We could see it all weekend through practice. That's just Kamui — that's why people love him, love to watch him on TV. He's a fun guy to be around and this is exactly what I'd expect from him on a restart — when everyone is unsure of the conditions, he just goes forward.”

Taylor called Kobayashi “a bit of a wild man and such a unique guy" but then described the low-key 10 days the driver has had at Daytona. He bought a portable sauna at Dick's Sporting Goods across the street from the track and set it up outside the motorhome he's using inside the speedway.

While other drivers were going to dinner or to Orlando to watch an NBA game, Taylor said Kobayashi holed up with his sauna and stayed in every night. And, on the eve of the race, Taylor said Kobayashi went to a 24-hour laundromat and watched Netflix while he “washed his fireproof underwear and race suit."

“He's just been doing a sauna every single night, and a cold plunge, as well,” Taylor continued. “He's just a character.”

After his stint, Kobayashi raved about his sauna, which at “only $450 was quite cheap” but is too large for him to take home after the race. He also said he was having to make runs for bags of ice for his cold plunges because the tap water wasn't cold enough, and called his trip to the laundromat “perfect” then sniffed his arm and declared he smelled great.

Although Kobayashi dominated during his stint, he did lose the lead once when six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon took Meyer Shank Racing to the front in an Acura. It was a bright spot for MSR, which won the Rolex back-to-back in 2022 and 2023 but was out of IMSA last season when Acura paused Shank's program.

The team returned this year as a two-car factory-backed effort and loaded its lineups with stars from Chip Ganassi Racing, which formed an IndyCar technical alliance with Shank late last year and loaned the sports car team Dixon and three-time champion Alex Palou for the race.

Ganassi is in Shank's position this year and out of IMSA because Cadillac switched its program from Ganassi to Wayne Taylor Racing. As Ganassi searches for a new partner and a return to the sports car series, he allowed his drivers to go race for Shank.

But Palou had a short first stint as the second Acura came to a stop on track because the suspension connection at the gearbox sheared off. Meyer Shank Racing was thrashing in the garage to rebuild the entire rear of the car to get Palou back on track.

Palou was 59th in the 61-car field when he resumed racing.