Final preparations are underway for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The marquee 24-hour race on the speedway’s high banks isn’t just the season-opener for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship; it’s also the first major event on the 2024 North American racing calendar. The late January slot allows plenty of current and former stars from Formula 1 and IndyCar to try their hand at sports car racing. On the opposite end of the spectrum, amateur racers are given a massive platform to show off their skills. If you’re looking for a good reason to tune in, you’re in luck: There are plenty.
IMSA GTP’s Sophomore Season
The second campaign for the new sports prototype category began in triumphant fashion last weekend when all nine GTP cars that took part in Rolex 24 qualifying broke the track record. Pipo Derani in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R won pole with a time of 1 minute, 32.656 seconds, beating the previous record by an entire second.
The new GTP class set expectations high by adopting the moniker of the fabled 1980s category but quickly overcame teething problems last year to produce thrilling on-track action. The 2023 IMSA GTP championship came down to the season-ending Petit Le Mans, where a collision between Derani and Filipe Albuquerque decided the title fight in Derani’s favor.
A Star-Studded Field
The Rolex 24 at Daytona has always had the feel of an all-star race, and this year is no different. The biggest star in this weekend’s race is Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 World Champion. Button is competing in the race as a one-off addition a Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06 GTP entry. He will be sharing the track with one-off LMP2 entrant Felipe Massa, the self-declared 2008 F1 World Champion.
The IndyCar Series has the largest contingent of active drivers at the Rolex 24 with 14. Josef Newgarden, the reigning Indy 500 winner, and Alex Palou, the current IndyCar champion, will be joining their teams’ GTP programs. Newgarden will be sharing driving duties in a Penske Porsche 963, and Palou is getting behind the wheel of a Ganassi-operated Cadillac GTP.
Miata Mayhem
The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup might have the slowest car to take the Daytona road course all weekend, but it will likely provide the wildest racing. The MX-5s typically pack race around the massive track, hip-checking each other for position as the laps tick down. The support series races often in incredible photo finishes with multiple Miatas side-by-side across the finish line. It’s the ultimate appetizer before the 24-hour all-star race buffet.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona starts on January 27 at 1:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
The Whelen Mazda MX-5 is free to watch on IMSA.tv, with Race 1 on January 25 at 4:15 p.m. and Race 2 on January 26 at 10:15 a.m.