MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Jim Pace, the overall winner of the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona, has died after contracting COVID-19. He was 59.
Pace's family said he died Friday in Memphis.
"Racer, teacher, and loyal friend," IMSA President John Doonan said. "These are three simple words to describe Jim Pace. All of us at IMSA are devastated by losing such a great champion.''
Born in in 1961 in Monticello, Mississippi, Pace began his racing career in the Barber Saab Pro Series in 1988. He soon moved to sports car racing and won the GTU class at the 1990 24 Hours of Daytona.