'Grey's Anatomy' heartthrob set to compete in legendary autorace

Most television viewers, even viewers of this actor’s own show, probably don’t know that there is one certain dreamy television doctor who has a need for speed.

That actor is “Grey’s Anatomy” heartthrob Patrick Dempsey who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd, better known as McDreamy to many fans, on the ABC medical drama that’s been a hit for the network since 2005. “Grey’s Anatomy” and his movie roles in films like “Enchanted” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” might be the Golden Globe nominee’s day job, but Dempsey’s passion and hobby is arguably much cooler.

Dempsey is a racecar driver who owns his own team, Dempsey Racing, which competes full time in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The Rolex Series is unique in that it features two makes of cars competing in the same race in different classes. There is the Daytona Prototype class and the GT class. 

Dempsey’s team competes in the GT class. Despite Dempsey’s team being fulltime in the series, Dempsey himself isn’t a full time driver as he has to steer his racing career around his film shoots. Despite this, Dempsey managed to compete in 11 of the series’ 12 races in 2011.

The biggest race in the Grand-Am Rolex Series is the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a 24 hour endurance race at the famed Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., and it’s a race that Patrick Dempsey has competed in for the last four consecutive years alongside many of the greatest racecar drivers in the world from all bodies of auto racing including NASCAR, IndyCar and many more.

Last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona has been the highlight of Dempsey’s racing career thus far as him and his teammates finished with a podium finish of third in the 24 hour race. The race was Dempsey’s first podium finish.

The 46-year old actor/racer will once again compete in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, which takes place this weekend starting on Saturday, Jan. 28 and finishing on Sunday, Jan. 29. Based on last year’s strong showing you’d have to expect that Dempsey’s team will be one of the race’s top contenders, though it won’t be easy as his competition features numerous past champs of this race, as well as world class auto racers like two-time NASCAR Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip, X-Games legend Travis Pastrana and other great competitors.

Dempsey is actually not the first actor to grace the road circuit at Daytona for the Rolex 24. Oscar-winning Hollywood legend Paul Newman competed in the race many times and even won in his class in 1995.

If you’d like to watch Dempsey compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona it can be seen on SPEED starting Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:30 p.m.