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“It’s good to start your year off with 24 hours of racing, a lot of seat time and shaking all the cobwebs off from the two months we were off. "

-- Ryan Hunter-Reay

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Hunter-Reay is competing in the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona after all.

The third-year Andretti Autosport driver was scheduled to team with fellow IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Tony Kanaan and E.J. Viso, in addition to Maurizio Scala, in the No. 2 Starworks Motorsport Daytona Prototype this weekend. But funding for the entry fell through earlier this week, disappointing everyone associated with the team that tested in early January on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn course.

Hunter-Reay then received a call from team principal Peter Baron, asking if he would continue with the program for the weekend. Hunter-Reay's first Rolex 24 At Daytona ride was in 2006 with Baron’s SAMAX Motorsport team, which also ran a partial IZOD IndyCar Series season in 2007 with Milka Duno.

“This race means a lot to me,” Hunter-Reay said. “I’m really good friends with Peter and the team and they’re in a tight situation. It is what it is; there’s nobody to blame (for the sponsorship to have fallen through). It’s a tough circumstance.”

Hunter-Reay qualified ninth in the 14-car Daytona Prototype field and will drive the first stint of the twice-around-the-clock race. The No. 2 entry complements the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport car co-driven by Ryan Dalziel, Lucas Luhr, Allan McNish, Alex Popow and Enzo Potolicchio.

Baron’s team, which won the 2011 season finale at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Dalziel and Potolicchio), surprised some by taking the pole position with a best lap of 1 minute, 41.119 seconds. The No. 10 SunTrust Racing team, which includes Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe, qualified second.

The No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates car of Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Jamie McMurray and Juan Montoya was third. The No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian car, which will be co-driven by Justin Wilson, qualified sixth.

“The Daytona 24 has all the best drivers from around the world going at it for one full day of racing,” said Hunter-Reay, who earned a podium finish in 2010 with Level 5 Motorsports. “This event really sets the tone for the upcoming season.

“It’s good to start your year off with 24 hours of racing, a lot of seat time and shaking all the cobwebs off from the two months we were off. Testing went well, and it will be interesting to see how the new generation Daytona Prototype compares with the old one. We’re in the old one, but 24 hours is about endurance and I kind of like the cards we’re holding right now. We’re in something that is tried and true and could be in a good position.”