Defending event winners and reigning IMSA champions MSR will start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship curtain-raiser from pole after Blomqvist set the fastest time in qualifying during last weekend's pre-event Roar test.
But reliability concerns surrounding the new breed of hybrid GTP cars that will make their competitive debut this weekend have dominated the build-up to Daytona, taking the focus away from performance.
Speaking after first practice on Thursday, Blomqvist said that the number of possible things that could go wrong means that MSR cannot consider itself the favorite despite the strong pace it has demonstrated so far.
"I don’t think anyone is really confident, to be honest," said Blomqvist, who shares the #60 car with new full-season teammate Colin Braun, Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves.
"Most of the conversations have been about reliability, and it’s the first time in many years that has been most people’s number one concern.
"We have a very good car under us, and if we were one year down the line, and we were still in this position from a performance standpoint, we would be happy and confident going into the race.
"I think it’s just such an unknown that we can’t feel that way, and I think all of us are in the same boat. It’s a very weird thing to have; it’s probably one of the first times in my career that we’re going to start with so many question marks.
"There are so many things outside of our control, and in racing it’s not nice to have things outside of your control."
Cadillac driver Pipo Derani, who shares the #31 Action Express-entered V-LMDh with Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken, offered a similar viewpoint when asked whether Acura could be considered the favorite for victory.
"For the first time in a few years it will be a race of real endurance," said Derani. "In the past we were always flat-out pushing, every lap was basically qualifying. Now I’m pretty sure it won’t be.
"The biggest unknown is where to back off, what do you try and save to try and be there at the end. It will be down to the driver and the team to change the settings to save this or that component. It will take a big effort to get to the checkered flag."
Asked by Motorsport.com if he felt Cadillac having three cars entered could offer the American marque an advantage over its rivals, Derani suggested this was not necessarily the case.
"I think that’s really subjective, because in terms of learning about problems, if the three cars have different issues, you pass that along and you evolve," he said. "But if not, then it’s just an extra car.
"It really depends if you are learning or not. In that case, we could, in terms of minimizing issues. But the issues have been so random that I don’t think it makes a difference at the moment."
