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24 Hours of Daytona 2026: Schedule, Classes, Top Teams to Watch, and Why This Track Breaks Cars (and Drivers)

Jan 14, 2026

Key Dates: January 16–25, 2026 (Daytona Endurance Week)

Daytona isn’t a single-day event — it’s a stacked schedule, and the best way to follow it is to understand how the buildup works.

Jan 16–18, 2026: ROAR Before the Rolex 24

Think of the ROAR as the “dress rehearsal” — a crucial event for teams to validate pace, tire wear, fueling, and long-run setups before race week heats up.

IMSA lists the ROAR as running Friday, January 16 through Sunday, January 18, 2026.

Jan 20–25, 2026: Rolex 24 Race Week

Following the ROAR, teams return for test sessions, practices, qualifying, and support series races before the main event.

NBC Sports’ Daytona schedule reporting shows the official lead-in sessions occurring during the week, including test/practice blocks and support-series activity, culminating on race weekend.

The Main Race: When the Rolex 24 Starts (and Ends)

The race itself is the centerpiece:

Rolex 24 At Daytona: Saturday, January 24 → Sunday, January 25, 2026

Porsche’s event listing confirms the race date as 01/24/2026.

The Classes Included (and Why Multi-Class Racing is Madness)

One of Daytona’s defining features is that it’s not one race — it’s four races happening at the same time, sharing one track.

IMSA’s official Rolex 24 event page lists 2026 entries by class:

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Classes

GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) The top tier: cutting-edge hybrid prototypes fighting for overall victory.
LMP2 High-speed prototypes that are slightly less powerful than GTP, but often extremely consistent and dangerous in traffic.
GTD PRO Factory-backed GT3 teams, pro driver lineups, sprint-race intensity… for 24 hours.
GTD Pro-Am GT3 racing — and arguably the wildest, most unpredictable class because the driver skill range is broader.

IMSA counts (entries by class) include: GTP (11), LMP2 (13), GTD PRO (15), GTD (21). IMSA

That’s a massive multi-class field — meaning constant passing, constant lapping, and a nonstop risk of one small mistake becoming a full-course disaster.

The Track: Why Daytona is Not Like Any Other Road Course

Daytona International Speedway’s road course is 3.56 miles, blending the famous oval with an infield section.

The biggest challenge: the banking

There are road courses with technical corners and there are speedways with massive banking — but Daytona mixes both.

Here’s what makes that brutal:

Cars sustain huge speed on the banking
Tire load is massive for extended periods
Drivers deal with long high-speed steering load
A small setup imbalance becomes exaggerated over a 24-hour run

The Le Mans Chicane / “Bus Stop”: the risk zone

The famous chicane (formerly called the Bus Stop) remains one of the most chaotic corners in all endurance racing — and it’s gotten even more discussion after recent changes.

Motorsport.com noted that changes to the Bus Stop/Le Mans Chicane have raised concerns about chaotic passing and risk. Sportscar365 also highlighted driver concerns regarding updated curbing in the Le Mans Chicane.

At Daytona, that corner is deadly because:

You arrive at insane speed off the banking
Braking happens while the car is unsettled
It’s a major passing zone
Curbs can damage cars quickly
Nighttime + traffic turns it into a coin flip

Specific Challenges Unique to Daytona

If you want a “track that only Daytona can be,” this is the list.

1) Temperature swings that transform the grip level

Daytona in January can shift dramatically:

Sunny + warm = different tire window
Night = cold track, cold tires, less grip
Morning sunrise = grip returns but fatigue peaks

It’s why the Rolex 24 is as much a weather and tire race as it is a speed race.

2) Traffic: prototypes eating GT cars for 24 hours straight

Even elite drivers say traffic management is where you win or lose. Passing isn’t just about speed — it’s about:

timing
trust
patience
not getting baited into a risky move

3) The banking compresses mistakes

Daytona’s banking isn’t forgiving:

If you get loose, it’s magnified
If you get forced low, it’s stressful
If you touch grass/apron transitions, it can snap the car

4) Pit lane strategy is everything

Because of:

long green runs
cautions
class splits
fuel windows

…strategy often decides the winner more than outright pace.

Top 5 Teams to Look Out For at the 2026 Rolex 24

Picking winners at Daytona is always dangerous. But there are teams that consistently show up prepared — with driver depth, pit execution, and the ability to survive chaos.

Using the official IMSA entry list as a grounding reference point, here are five teams to watch closely.

1) Porsche Penske Motorsport (GTP)

This is the definition of “factory precision.” Porsche’s 963 program with Penske is built for endurance excellence — clean pit work, elite strategy, and drivers who don’t panic at 3 a.m.

They’re also prominent in IMSA’s 2026 Daytona entries.

2) Cadillac Racing / Action Express / Cadillac-backed efforts (GTP)

Cadillac teams tend to be relentlessly strong at Daytona. The V-Series.R platform is fast, stable, and well suited to long-run pace — exactly what Daytona demands.

If the race becomes a late-night grind of surviving traffic, Cadillac teams are usually right there.

3) BMW M Team RLL / BMW Endurance Programs (GTP & GTD Pro involvement)

BMW has serious depth across IMSA endurance efforts, with strong GT capability and improving prototype execution. Daytona rewards teams that can “stay in it” even after adversity — and BMW is built for that kind of long race.

4) Corvette Racing / Pratt Miller Motorsports (GTD Pro)

In GTD Pro, Corvette teams are always a threat. They know endurance racing culture inside-out, and they rarely beat themselves.

Motorsport.com’s Rolex 24 entry reporting includes Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller in GTD Pro.

5) Paul Miller Racing (GTD Pro)

Paul Miller Racing is often right in the thick of the GT battle, and Daytona is the type of race where consistency beats raw aggression.

They’re also featured on the 2026 entry list reporting.

Why the Rolex 24 Is Still the Most “Daytona” Race on Earth

Other endurance races have mystique. Le Mans has history. Sebring has brutality. But Daytona has a particular kind of madness because it’s a race where:

speed is extreme
traffic is constant
the field is enormous
strategy shifts every caution
the chicane is an ambush
and the banking quietly destroys tires and concentration

Even when you’re leading, you’re never safe — because the Rolex 24 doesn’t care about your pace, your resume, or your plan. It cares about survival.

If you want a single motorsport weekend that explains why endurance racing is addictive, legendary, and psychologically ridiculous…

Daytona is it.