The Daytona International Speedway is gearing up for one of the world’s most prestigious motorsport events on the calendar. The 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona is a test of precision, speed, and endurance.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona will feature a star-studded lineup from several of the top racing series, with more than 200 drivers making up the grid. The weekend will see 61 entries from 12 different manufacturers to kick off the 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship season.
Track Guide
The Daytona International Speedway is a 12-turn track stretching 3.56 miles (5.73 km). The track layout winds throughout the infield as well as the 2.5-mile (4.02 km) tri-oval. The tri-oval is a high-banked superspeedway featuring 31-degree turns and 18-degree banking on the start/finish line. The unique track layout adored by NASCAR fans is optimal for high speeds and improved fan sightlines.
The design of the Daytona International Speedway creates smooth curves throughout the circuit rather than sharp corners. This creates opportunities for intense pack racing, testing the teams’ cooperation, positioning, and timing. The circuit’s demanding track layout, combined with dramatic lighting variations throughout the 24 hours, increases the difficulty of managing multi-class traffic at night. This often produces unpredictable results until the final lap.
When is the Race?
The Rolex 24 at Daytona will take place from January 24 to 25. The green flag will be waved at 1:40 PM local time (7:40 PM CET) on Saturday, January 24. The 24-hour race will end the following day, January 25, at the same time.
Full coverage of the race will be available on Peacock, with NBC holding TV coverage rights in the United States. The race will also be streamed globally on YouTube. Qualifying will take place on Thursday, January 22, starting at 2:00 PM local time (8:00 PM CET).
Drivers of the Rolex 24 at Daytona
The field is diverse, with drivers of various racing backgrounds and titles. The 2026 grid will include 65 former Rolex 24 winners as well as past 24 Hours of Le Mans and IMSA champions. There will also be drivers with experience in top series such as Formula 1, Formula E, IndyCar, and NASCAR. The all-star field of the 2026 Rolex 24 will also feature significant female representation, with several talented drivers on the entry list.
The drivers in Rolex 24 will race across four main categories.
The top class in Rolex 24 is Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), which features the fastest cars on the track and is powered by hybrid powertrains. GTP cars can be spotted by their black number plates and white LED leader lights.
Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) cars, on the other hand, represent independent teams rather than factory manufacturers, with all teams using the Oreca-07. LMP2 cars carry a blue number plate and blue LED lights.
The more familiar-looking chassis belong to the GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) class, which features sports cars from manufacturers. This category will consist only of factory-backed professional drivers. The GT Daytona (GTD) class, while identical in technical specification to the GTD Pro class, features a mix of professional and amateur drivers. Red plates and lights represent GTD Pro teams, while green plates and lights identify GTD cars on track.
Formula 1 Representation
There will be more than 10 ex-Formula 1 drivers racing in the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona, with many Formula 1 point-scorers on the list.
Former Haas F1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen returned to endurance racing with BMW M Motorsport in 2025. This year, in his third Rolex 24 appearance, Magnussen will drive for the BMW M Team WRT No. 25. In 2025, Magnussen and the BMW M Team finished fourth after securing pole position in Qualifying. The Danish driver’s proven speed at Daytona and his experience in Formula 1 make him a key driver in BMW GTP’s challenge this year.
Another ex-Formula 1 driver on the field is last year’s overall winner Felipe Nasr, who many will be watching closely. Prior to endurance racing, Nasr drove for Sauber in Formula 1, making his debut in the 2015 Formula 1 season and departing from the series a year later. The Brazilian drives the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, which he shares with Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich.
Other prominent names on this list include former Haas F1 team driver Romain Grosjean and former Williams F1 team driver Logan Sargeant.
IndyCar Drivers in the Field
IndyCar is another well-represented series at the Rolex 24, with ten active drivers racing at Daytona.
Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon leads the pack with a total of four Rolex 24 victories. Paired with Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun, he will be racing the No. 60 Acura.
Reigning series champion Álex Palou is another frequent participant in Rolex 24. Palou will be racing against Dixon, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, in the GTP category. He will be driving the No. 93 ARX-06 for Acura MSR.
The GT series will also include two-time series champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power as well as IndyCar race winners Scott McLaughlin and Kyle Kirkwood. Former IndyCar race winner Colton Herta will compete in the LMP2 category with the No. 40 Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing. Callum Illot and Marcus Ericsson will both race the full season alongside IndyCar in GTD class.
Formula E Drivers at Daytona
The Rolex 24 at Daytona’s starting lineup will also feature several Formula E drivers.
Season 6 Formula E Champion António Félix da Costa will be making his return to Rolex 24 with the No. 43 ORECA LMP2 07 for Inter Europol Competition in a four-man team.
Citroën’s Nick Cassidy, who just delivered the team’s maiden Formula E victory earlier this month in Mexico, will also make up the Rolex 24 grid. This marks his second run in the Rolex 24. Cassidy will also be representing Inter Europol Competition in his No. 343 ORECA LMP2 07.
Women of the Rolex 24 at Daytona
IMSA race winner Sheena Monk represents Myers Riley Motorsports in a Ford Mustang GT3 racing in the GTD class. The American races in car No. 16, joining a four-driver team with Felipe Fraga, Jenson Altzman, and Romain Grosjean.
2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Champion Lilou Wadoux will represent AF Corse USA in Daytona for yet another season in the No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO. She races in a four-driver team with Simon Mann, Antonio Fuoco, and Tommaso Mosca. This will mark her third entry in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Wadoux’s rapid progression in international endurance racing and her proven speed on track reinforce her reputation as a front-runner in Rolex 24.
The Prize
Every driver on the winning team of each of the four categories will receive an engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. This continues a tradition that began in 1964 for the Daytona Continental, which laid the foundations for the brand’s affinity with the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Last Year’s Winners
In the LMP2 category, United Autosports USA claimed their maiden Rolex 24 victory with their No. 22 car. The GTD Pro class saw the No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsport Mustang GT3 triumph. The GTD class victory went to the No. 13 AWA Corvette at Daytona.
The overall winning car of the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona and the winner of the GTP series was the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963. Drivers Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor led the pack and earned their second consecutive Rolex 24 win.
Nasr will enter the 2026 Rolex 24 driving the same Porsche 963, albeit with a new driver lineup. As Porsche pursues a third consecutive overall victory at Daytona, Acura and Cadillac arrive with renewed momentum, setting the stage for a closely contested battle at the front of the field.