Daytona 2026: Dates, Classes, and the Porsche Storylines to Watch at the Rolex 24

Key dates for Daytona 2026

ROAR Before the Rolex 24 (test weekend)

• January 16–18, 2026

The ROAR is the official pre-event warmup—practice time, early pace clues, and the first “who looks sharp?” hints before race week.

Rolex 24 At Daytona (race week)

• January 21–25, 2026

IMSA’s event listing anchors the weekend and confirms the primary class structure (more on that below).

BMW M Endurance Challenge At Daytona (support race fans should not skip)

• Friday, January 23, 2026 (IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener)

This is a four-hour endurance race and a great appetizer before the 24—often with wild strategy, tight drafting, and plenty of “how did they fit that car through there?” moments.

The Rolex 24 classes (and where Porsche fits)

IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship runs four classes at Daytona:

• GTP
• LMP2
• GTD PRO
• GTD

IMSA’s 2026 Daytona event page also lists entries by class (counts can shift as entries finalize), but the class mix is the key: prototypes up front, GT cars fighting their own wars, all sharing the same track.

Porsche at the Rolex 24

Expect Porsche to be most visible in:

• GTP with the Porsche 963 (factory and customer programs)
• GTD PRO / GTD with the Porsche 911 GT3 R run by customer teams

What races Porsche will race in during Daytona 2026 week

1) Rolex 24 At Daytona (IMSA WeatherTech)

This is the main event: 24 hours, four classes, and Porsche participating at multiple levels.

Porsche headline program: Porsche Penske Motorsport in GTP Porsche’s factory effort returns for 2026 with two Porsche 963s in the top class, and Porsche/IMSA have both detailed the updated driver pairings:

• No. 6: Kévin Estre + Laurens Vanthoor (full season)
• No. 7: Felipe Nasr + Julien Andlauer (full season)

Porsche also notes these cars will contest the Daytona season opener as the first major test of that revised lineup.

Porsche GT presence: 911 GT3 R in GTD PRO and GTD Porsche’s 911 GT3 R is a staple of IMSA GT racing, and multiple customer teams field it across the GT categories. Porsche’s own motorsport reporting regularly highlights AO Racing and Wright Motorsports as 911 GT3 R runners in IMSA’s GT classes.

One concrete Daytona 2026 confirmation already public: Wright Motorsports announced its Rolex 24 driver lineup for the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 R entry.

2) BMW M Endurance Challenge At Daytona (IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge)

This four-hour race launches the Pilot Challenge season, and it’s where Porsche fans see another side of the brand’s endurance footprint.

Pilot Challenge runs two classes:

• GS
• TCR

Porsche’s most common “weapon” here is the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in GS, a customer-racing car that’s become a familiar sight in endurance-format touring/GT competition.

The Porsche cars to know at Daytona

Porsche 963 (GTP): the factory hammer

The 963 is Porsche’s top-level IMSA prototype—hybrid-era, built to run flat-out through the night, and supported by Porsche Penske Motorsport as the factory spearhead. Porsche’s 2026 program announcement and IMSA’s lineup story both frame this as Porsche’s prime “overall win” effort in North America.

What it means for Daytona: If you’re a Porsche fan who cares about the overall trophy, the 963 is the story. This is where Porsche fights Acura, Cadillac, BMW, and others at the sharp end.

Porsche 911 GT3 R (GTD PRO / GTD): customer racing excellence

The 911 GT3 R is the backbone of Porsche’s GT customer racing in IMSA. It’s where strategy, tire life, and traffic management become everything—especially at Daytona, where you can be fast and still lose big time in the wrong pack at the wrong moment.

Porsche’s own IMSA coverage has explicitly pointed to AO Racing and Wright Motorsports as 911 GT3 R teams in WeatherTech competition.

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport (Pilot Challenge GS): the sleeper hit

If you want close racing with lots of cars in contention, the GS field is your friend. The Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is built for exactly this kind of fight: long stints, traffic, and consistency.

Top three Porsche teams to watch

The full 2026 Daytona entry list evolves deep into the offseason, but if you want three Porsche-centered teams that reliably deliver storylines, pace, and personality, start here:

1) Porsche Penske Motorsport (GTP)

This is the factory tip of the spear. New full-season pairings for 2026 make Daytona the “first big exam,” and Porsche is very clear it expects to remain the benchmark in IMSA’s top class.

Why watch: overall-win pressure, prototype strategy, and the kind of execution that wins races at 3 a.m.

2) Wright Motorsports (GTD)

Wright is one of the most recognizable Porsche customer teams in IMSA GT racing, and IMSA has already published Wright’s confirmed 2026 Rolex 24 lineup for its Porsche 911 GT3 R effort.

Why watch: disciplined racecraft, smart strategy calls, and a team that knows how to stay alive in the Daytona shuffle.

3) AO Racing (GTD PRO / Porsche 911 GT3 R)

AO Racing’s “Rexy” Porsche has become a fan favorite—and AO’s own IMSA materials detail their Porsche 911 GT3 R program and class placement history.

Why watch: front-running GT pace, high visibility, and the kind of GTD PRO fights that often come down to the final hour.

What Porsche fans can expect at Daytona 2026

• A full-throttle Porsche 963 push for the overall win, led by Porsche Penske’s revised 2026 lineup.
• A deep GT presence with the 911 GT3 R spread across customer teams—where Daytona rewards patience as much as speed.
• More Porsche action in support racing during the BMW M Endurance Challenge day, where the endurance format creates chaos in the best way.

Daytona always has surprises—weather, cautions, weird strategy splits—but if you’re following Porsche in 2026, you’ll have something to track from the first ROAR laps to the final Sunday run to the checkered flag.