If someone were to ask you to think of the first thing you thought of when they said the word “Daytona,” what would you think of? You would probably bring up the exciting side-by-side, super-speedway racing the track produces, with huge, multi-car accidents happening at every event. But more specifically, you would think of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, the most prestigious NASCAR race on the calendar for the past 65 years. This race put NASCAR on the map and has since brought millions of people to the track to watch the exciting racing in person for themselves and hundreds of millions more who look forward to this event on the calendar each year.

But one event that is typically forgotten about when mentioning Daytona is arguably one of the most exciting and captivating motorsport events in the world, bringing in drivers from all other disciplines of racing into one event. This is the Rolex 24.

Adapted in 1962, the Rolex 24 is the crown jewel of American Sports Cars Racing and rivals the 24 hours of Le Mans as the biggest endurance race in the world. The race is the opening round of the International Motorsports Association or IMSA championship. Unlike most other forms of racing, each car on the track is not an identical spec. As of 2024, the race is split into four classes: The GTP class, consisting of some of the fastest prototype sports cars in the world. The LMP2 class is another prototype class with different specifications and a slower average speed than the GTP’s. The GTD Pro class, which consists of platinum and gold-rated drivers by the FIA, and finally, the GTD AM class, which consists of bronze and silver-rated drivers by the FIA. The two GTD classes consist of vastly different styles of cars compared to the prototypes and, in turn, produce an overall slower average speed.

These four classes all compete on the Daytona International Speedway infield road course every January for a span of 24 straight hours of competition, with three to four drivers competing for each team. This dynamic leads to exciting racing all throughout the day and into the night, with both man and machine being tested throughout the entire race, with only the most talented drivers and durable machinery coming out on top.

This race is every motorsport fan’s dream. It allows for so many different makes of cars from all around the world, including Porsche, Cadillac, Acura, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Ford, Corvette, Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin, Audi, and so many more, to come together in one event to truly test which car is the out-right fastest, and most durable.

The cars are not the only intriguing aspect of this event, however. One of the main draws for this event to many fans is the drivers piloting this machinery. In addition to the well-established sports car drivers that compete in this race every year and dedicate their careers to this style of racing, oftentimes, the event draws world-class drivers from all styles of racing to compete for a Rolex watch. Drivers from NASCAR, Indycar, Formula One, V8 Supercars, European endurance racing, and so many more have come to the Rolex 24 and competed. Some of these star drivers include Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Fernando Alonso, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Kamui Kobayashi, and Shane Van Gisbergen, just to name a few.

The Rolex 24 really is an unofficial All-Star race for global motorsports. It is very likely for someone who has never watched a sports car race in their life to look at the entry list to any given Rolex 24 and find at least a few names they recognize and have watched the race before.

This race is a motorsport crown jewel and deserves way more respect than it is given. It seems every year, the competition gets higher and higher, and if recent years are any indication, this year’s race will go down to the wire and produce a race we will be talking about for years to come.

So, if you find yourself bored on Saturday, January 27th, and Sunday, January 28th, consider tuning in to watch one of the greatest spectacles in motorsports.

Image Source: IMSA Facebook