The first to take the lead was the 【#15 Blaze Sims BS Impreza】 starting from pole position. Following closely behind was the 【#83 BP ADVAN NSX】 starting from 4th on the grid, with the 【#54 FTJB elf Impreza】 and 【#44 TM Nakayama WM Integra】 in pursuit. The 【#15 Blaze Sims BS Impreza】 that took the lead on the opening lap seemed to be pulling away from the rest of the pack, but as the lapped cars started to come into play, the 【#83 BP ADVAN NSX】 closed in on the back of the 【#15 Blaze Sims BS Impreza】. Then, at the 5th corner braking, the 【#83 BP ADVAN NSX】 took the lead and continued to lead the race.

However, speed alone is not enough to win this "JOY TAI." After 2 hours had passed, the leader was 【#74 Honda Cars Narashino Suzuban Civic】. Then, despite only one pit stop, the 【#18 BAMBINO CIVIC】, which was consistently running in the 2 minutes 30 seconds range, surged to the top. After 3 hours and 37 minutes had elapsed, the second pit stop was made for refueling. During this operation, 【#29 Garage FKSPMDL Civic】 rose to the top. 【#62 DUNLOP MECCA EF9】 was chasing about 20 seconds behind, and 【#4 Uetake DLIDI Wako's Levin】 was about 48 seconds behind. The 【#18 BAMBINO CIVIC】 finished refueling and returned to the course in 11th place, but during the third pit stop, it violated the fuel supply area stay time rule and dropped in position due to a penalty.

After 4 hours, dark clouds spread in the sky and rain is expected. At this point, the top position was held by [#4 Uetake DLIDI Wako's Levin], followed by [#82 Auto Shop KT Civic] with a gap of about 29 seconds. In third place was [#29 Garage FK SPMDL Civic], followed by [#88 WM-RUKINO Civic] one lap behind in fourth place.

At the remaining 1 hour mark, the top position is still held by [#4 Uetake DLIDI Wako's Levin], with [#82 Auto Shop KT Civic] following closely behind. However, at this point, rain starts to fall from the sky. The road becomes slippery and lap times start to decrease. Some cars go off course, but it becomes an easier situation in terms of fuel consumption.

Then, with less than 30 minutes remaining, the lights-on signal was displayed, marking the climax of the 2008 "JOY TAI." The gap between the leader, 【#4 Uetake DLIDI Wako's Levin】, and the second place, 【#82 Auto Shop KT Civic】, rapidly closed. What was once a gap of over 30 seconds quickly shrank, and with 15 minutes left, 【#82 Auto Shop KT Civic】 set its best time despite the rain, narrowing the gap to 7.772 seconds. The battle between the escaping 【#4 Uetake DLIDI Wako's Levin】 and the chasing 【#82 Auto Shop KT Civic】 ended in an unexpected finale. With just 12 minutes remaining, 【#4 Uetake DLIDI Wako's Levin】 slowed down. It made it to the entrance of the pit road but stopped there due to running out of gas. Taking the lead, 【#82 Auto Shop KT Civic】 went on to receive the checkered flag, claiming its third victory in "JOY TAI."
"We were also struggling with fuel efficiency, but it seems the heat and rain made it tough for the other teams as well. It truly became a blessing of rain," said Masaru Tomizawa, who showed a remarkable comeback at the end. "This victory was achieved with the drivers and crew united as one. It’s a win for teamwork," said Katsuo Hirayama. Out of the 8 times the JOY TAI has been held, they have won 3 times, marking a high winning rate. This race saw the JOY TAI specialist team return to the center of the podium.

The #62 DUNLOP MECCA EF9, which climbed up the rankings in the final stages of the race, finished in 2nd place, while the #18 BAMBINO CIVIC finished in 3rd place and made it to the podium.