The Return of Racing
This weekend, the 2023 racing season in North America officially begins in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, is an annual endurance race held at the Daytona International Speedway. The race is the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and is considered one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world, drawing competitors from around the globe.
The race occurs on a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield road course.
The 24 Hours of Daytona features a variety of different classes of vehicles, including prototype and production-based cars. Each class has its own set of rules and regulations, ensuring a fair and competitive race for all competitors. This year is the debut of an all new class in the top-level competition, the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP). In the GTP category, each manufacturer (Acura, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche) develops it’s own unique internal combustion engine with all teams featuring a common hybrid powertrain that is the same for all entries. This new class of prototype racers is a running display of the latest in racecar technology.
This new GTP class aligns with the LMDh category of cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) including the 24 Hours of Le Mans meaning that cars in both IMSA and WEC can compete head to head in the different series including Le Mans. This is the culmination of a decades long idea that has finally come to life.
The green flag drops at 1:40 PM EST on Saturday and the race runs non-stop for 24 hours until 1:40 PM EST on Sunday.
Television Coverage
1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday: NBC
2:30-8 p.m. Saturday: USA Network
10 p.m.-midnight Saturday: USA Network
6 a.m.-noon Sunday: USA Network
Noon-2 p.m. Sunday: NBC
The 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the most grueling endurance races in the world, requiring not only speed and skill from the drivers, but also a high level of strategy and teamwork from the teams. The race is known for its close finishes, with the winner often being decided in the final moments of the race. It is a battleground of legends with the likes of Mario Andretti, Hurley Haywood, Bobby Rahal, Scott Pruett, Derek Bell, Mark Donohue, and Ken Miles all seeing the checkered flag after the 24 hours.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a must-see event for any motorsports fan, offering non-stop action and drama from start to finish. With a rich history and some of the world's best drivers and teams competing, the 24 Hours of Daytona is a true test of endurance and one of the premier motorsports events in the world.
The IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series makes a stop in California at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Motul Course de Monterey from May 12th through the 14th.