I highly recommend not even looking at lap times during your first race, certainly not tracking them inside the car at all. That's an unnecessary external pressure. Seat time improves lap time naturally; it's the one thing in endurance racing that will sort itself for beginners and therefore shouldn't be a concern.
IMHO, your first race's priorities should be:
(1) Pass Tech (Sounds like you're on your way there).
(2) Pay attention to what's going on. There's a steep learning curve. Some teams figure it out quickly, some don't. The observant ones who ask questions tend to do well, long term.
(3) Focus on no black flags. That's really Goal #1. Black-flag offenses are black-flag offenses because they can all potentially get people hurt and (less importantly) ruin your car. If you're competitively minded, black flags remove time you could be clocking laps. If you're financially minded, black flags remove track time that you've paid for.
(4) Any kind of driver coaching should focus on mechanical sympathy: check gauges on the straights every lap, observe the rev limiter, know what to do when the GIANT oil pressure light and ear-splitting buzzer comes on. You wouldn't believe how many people come into the Penalty Box having gone full send because "Someone on the team said I could take that corner in fourth gear." Driver ability varies greatly and too much information is often a hindrance.
(5) Get everyone on the team cycled through the car early in the race. My team went with 25-minute stints to get everyone acclimated and not overwork anyone. Lemons is A LOT to experience if you're a novice. High Plains is probably the least-dense field, but there's still a lot to track mentally.
(6) Make efficient but unhurried driver changes and fuel stops. Like lap time, this will get quicker naturally as you do it more.
Not really a competition strategy, but also make sure everyone on your team knows (a) how to get out of the car quickly, (b) where ALL of the major controls are (ignition, killswitch, fire-suppression, warning lights), and (c) what number the car is. You think I'm kidding on the last one, but write it on the dashboard unequivocally: "YOU ARE CAR #112."
Eric Rood
Everything Bagel, 24 Hours of Lemons
eric@24hoursoflemons.com