Patrick Dempsey's Day of Thunder

Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey shows off his abs and competes at the Rolex Grand-Am Series Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway at Daytona Beach, Florida on Thursday.

Dempsey, 42, has been racing in his No. 40 Hyper Sport Mazda RX-8 and loving it, saying, “It allows the athletic side of my nature to come out. It’s such a nice departure from Los Angeles and Hollywood.”

“The situational awareness is basically the same,” he said. “In acting, you have to be aware of the camera. You have to have situational awareness, of what’s going on in front of you, what’s going on in behind you. There’s aggression and you have to be in control.”

40+ pictures of Patrick Dempsey‘s days of thunder…