2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona: How to watch, schedule, TV info, start times, notable drivers, storylines, more
The globe again will gather at Daytona International Speedway this month for the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona, bringing an all-star lineup from several top series to the World Center of Racing.
More than 200 drivers will comprise a field that features 61 entries in the endurance race classic that runs around the clock.
Here are some pertinent details ahead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener Jan. 24-25 at Daytona International Speedway:
How to watch the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona
(All times Eastern)
When: Jan. 24-25
Where: The road course at Daytona International Speedway, a 12-turn, 3.56-mile layout that winds through the infield and all four corners (plus a backstretch chicane) of the 2.5-mile superspeedway made famous by NASCAR.
Start: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 1:40 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.
TV/Streaming: Flag-to-flag coverage of the race will be available on Peacock. NBC also will have coverage of the start of the race from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 and the conclusion from noon-2 p.m. ET on Jan. 25.
Qualifying: The Rolex 24 at Daytona starting lineup will be set Thursday, Jan. 22 with coverage on Peacock beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
Other events that will be streamed on Peacock from Daytona during January (all times ET):
Jan. 17: IMSA VP Racing Sports Car Challenge, 2 p.m.
Jan. 18: IMSA VP Racing Sports Car Challenge, 1:20 p.m.
Jan. 22: IMSA Rolex 24 qualifying, 2:10 p.m.
Jan. 23: BMW M Endurance Michelin Pilot Challenge, 1:45 p.m.
Key storylines in the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona
- Porsche Penske Motorsport has won back to back in the Rolex 24 and also has consecutive championships in Grand Touring Prototype, the premier category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
- The defending Rolex 24 at Daytona pole-sitter and a force in GTP qualifying last year, BMW has moved its hybrid prototype program to BMW M Team WRT, an organization with World Endurance Championship experience.
- After splitting with BMW in the GTP category, RLL Team has moved to GTD Pro and aligned with McLaren.
- In GTD Pro, the Chevy vs. Ford rivalry has been renewed. Corvette Racing took the 2025 championship, but the Mustang is the defending Rolex 24 and had more class wins last year.
- A deeper LMP2 category will make for a tough title defense for AO Racing and five-time IMSA champion Dane Cameron.
- Two-time defending GTD series champion Winward Racing will try to open the march toward a third title with its third Rolex 24 victory.
Who is racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona?
Drivers in the Rolex 24 will represent at least 30 countries and will be racing across four categories: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP, 12 cars), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2, 12 cars), GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro, 15 cars) and GT Daytona (GTD, 22 cars).
The field includes 65 former Rolex 24 winners, 59 winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 52 past IMSA champions.
There also are 12 manufacturers in the Rolex 24, which has an automaker lineup of Porsche (a race-high nine cars), Ferrari, Chevrolet, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Aston Martin, Ford, Acura, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Lexus and McLaren.
Are there any NASCAR drivers in this year’s Rolex 24?
Two full-time Cup Series regulars will be competing in the premier hybrid prototype category.
AJ Allmendinger will return to the Grand Touring Prototype division with the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 of Meyer Shank Racing. The Kaulig Racing driver won the top overall division of the Rolex 24 in 2012 with MSR co-owner Mike Shank.
Connor Zilisch, who will be a Cup Series rookie next year after finishing runner-up in the Xfinity Series, will make his GTP debut with the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R of Whelen Action Express Racing.
How many IndyCar drivers are in the Rolex 24?
Six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who also leads active drivers with four Rolex 24 victories, is among six full-time IndyCar drivers in the field. Dixon is paired with Allmendinger, Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun on the No. 60 Acura in GTP.
Three-time defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou, who has won four of the five titles and last year’s Indy 500, will be co-driving the No. 93 ARX-06 for Acura MSR, aligning him with Dixon, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.
The GT categories will include two-time series champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and IndyCar winners Scott McLaughlin and Kyle Kirkwood.
Past IndyCar winners Colton Herta (LMP category), who will be racing overseas in F2 this season, and broadcast analyst James Hinchcliffe (GTD Pro) also are in the race.
Who won the Rolex 24 at Daytona last year?
Porsche Penske Motorsport took its second consecutive overall victory with Felipe Nasr again closing it out in the No. 7 Porsche 963.
Nasr outdueled teammate Matt Campbell in the final hour, taking the lead with 22 minutes remaining to win by 1.335 seconds over Blomqvist in the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 of Meyer Shank Racing.
How many laps and miles are completed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona?
As a 24-hour timed race, the distance is determined by how many laps are completed during the window.
Last year, the top three finishers completed 781 laps and more than 2,700 miles on the 12-turn, 3.56-mile infield road course at Daytona International Speedway.
What do Rolex 24 winners get for an award?
Every winning driver in each of the four categories (plus the race’s grand marshal) will receive a steel and yellow gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona (with a white dial). The watch’s retail price starts at more than $10,000.
The tradition started in 1992.
Recent Rolex 24 results
2019: Wayne Taylor Racing wins with Fernando Alonso
2020: Wayne Taylor Racing wins second consecutive Rolex 24
2021: Wayne Taylor Racing makes it three in a row
2022: Helio Castroneves delivers Rolex 24 win to Meyer Shank Racing
2023: Two in a row as Meyer Shank Racing opens GTP era with victory
2024: Porsche ends 55-year drought for Roger Penske in Rolex 24
2025: Porsche wins second consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona
Source: Sports Yahoo
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