Rolex 24 Daytona, 2026 – A Strong Star
By Eddie LePine with photos by Jack Webster
It seems like we had just left Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and the 2025 edition of Motul
Petit Le Mans, when it was time to start the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Championship at the 64 th
edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
Would IMSA be able to continue the incredible momentum that had started with the introduction
of the GTP class a couple of years ago? Would the size of the crowds continue to grow? Would
the quality of the entry list remain stable? Would the grid once again be a sell-out and other
potential entries be put on a waiting list?
The answer to all these questions: YES.
For the 2026 edition of the Rolex 24 IMSA capped the entry list at 60 cars (the most the current pit set up will allow), the RV camping spots for spectators were sold out months ago and even individual tent camping spots were sold out prior to the event. We thought last year’s crowds looked large, and they were. However, for 2026 more people attended the Rolex 24 than have ever before. Over 180,000 race fans descended on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway for the four official days of the event, and we can tell you from personal experience – the announced crowd was not an exaggeration. You had to get to the track early – very early – everyday to avoid sitting in traffic just to get in. The infield was filled, the garage area was packed, the autograph lines literally circled the designated signing area multiple times – wherever you went or looked, there were people. Not only did we see the diehard race fans who come every year, we also noticed quite a few people who were obviously attending their very
first Rolex 24.
So, without doubt, you can say that the health of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship is just
fine and seemingly getting stronger all the time. Not only did record crowds show up in person, in addition the NBC television coverage averaged over 1.1 million viewers. Add to that the amazing growth IMSA is experiencing online in digital and social media platforms (over 1.5 million fans subscribe to the IMSA YouTube channel) and you have a formula for continued success.
In addition to the TV ratings, the IMSA YouTube channel generated nearly 3.8 million live views during the Rolex 24. “In all aspects, the 64 th Rolex 24 at Daytona was an all-time event,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “I’m humbled, honored and blown away by the incredible efforts of our staff, teams, manufacturers, drivers, partners, our teammates at Daytona International Speedway and most of all our fans, who contributed in so many ways to what was a record-setting WeatherTech
Championship race at Daytona and start to our 2026 IMSA season.”
Oh, on top of everything else, the drivers, teams and crews put on one hell of a competitive race.
Despite heavy fog that rolled into the area on Saturday night, resulting in a record 6 hours and 33 minutes of full course running behind the pace car, the weather cleared on Sunday morning,
setting up a close finish.
In the end, it was the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Felipe Nasr, Julen Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich taking first by just 1.569 seconds over the Whelen Cadillac driven by Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Connor Zillsch. It was Nasr’s third overall win in a row for Porsche and Penske – a remarkable achievement.
Felipe: “There were times in the race that I felt like, okay, we got a pretty good pace, but there were other times as well, that the #31 was always quick out there when you look at their times.
But for sure the Penske was in a good form from the beginning to end.”
In LMP2, it was the George Kurtz led CrowdStrike Racing by APR who took the win, with co-
drivers Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery and Malthe Jakobsen. It was the team’s first Rolex 24 win
after coming up just short two previous times, the latest being a photo finish in 2024.
George Kurtz: “I couldn’t be prouder of the team and the drivers, all-star lineup here, and
CrowdStrike APR guys gave us a fantastic car. It was great at the end. We had some adversity in
the beginning, the first turn, I would say. We were innocent bystanders and got cleaned out a bit.”
In GTD-PRO, it was victory for BMW and the Paul Miller Racing group, with drivers Neil Verhagen, Connor De Phillippi, Max Hesse and Dan Harper sharing the piloting duties.
Dan Harper, who brought the car to the checkered flag: “The team throughout the whole race were doing a great job managing all the pit stops. The strategy was always good…it was crucial to get that track position for the last stint, and yeah, the boys pulled it off.”
Finally, in GTD it was the Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 once again taking the top spot, having also won GTD at the Rolex 24 in 2021 and 2024. Drivers Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy
Dotja and Lucas Auer shared the win.
Philip Ellis: “I’m super stoked that we came out on top. It was super rough. It changed as well as the race went on. Sometimes other cars had the upper hand when it was a bit colder and then it looked like we got the upper hand when it was a bit warmer towards the end. Of course the team put us in a great spot as well with good strategy calls, so that was the basis of all of it….the team of course gave us sort of a rocketship. Yeah, couldn’t be happier.”
Of the 60 starters, 49 were still running at the finish, a testament to the reliability of modern 
sports cars and the quality of the driving. We remember back in the 1980s when more than half
of the field would fail to make the finish, either from mechanical failures or accidents.
So, as IMSA goes from strength to strength, we are looking forward to the next race on the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Championship calendar – the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Make you plans to get to Sebring to see the continuation of what promises to be a record year of sports car racing. You don’t want to miss this one.
As always, we will see you at the races.
