We are now just two weeks away from the start of the 2023 IMSA season from Daytona International Speedway’s road course. The rebranded IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge (formerly the Prototype Challenge) will kick off the season during the Roar Before the Rolex 24.
The Roar Before the Rolex 24 is where the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series test their cars on the road course in preparation for the race.
Normally, you can only see clips of them on all IMSA’s social media pages but the short clips get racing fans hyped up for the event. The next day, they will qualify to determine the starting lineup. That can be seen on the official IMSA website.
There will be over 60 cars separated by five classes competing in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. This year, IMSA has a brand new class called the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP).
The new GTP class is replacing the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class. Among the new teams entering the class is Team Penske with Porsche as their manufacturer. It will be Penske’s first race since Sebring in 2020. In addition, Acura, Cadillac, and BMW will race along with Porsche in the new GTP class.
Furthermore, the GTP cars will race along with the LMP2, LMP3, GTD Pro, and GTD classes. The GTP cars will be faster than the other classes so they will have to plan accordingly to pass them during the race.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona has been one of IMSA’s signature events dating back to 1962. This will be the 61st race on the Daytona road course. Before the race begins, fans get to get up close with the cars that will compete in the race. In the GTD Pro and GTD classes. The cars they race are the real cars you can buy at your local dealership. Those classes feature BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Acura, Lexus, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Corvette, and Porsche.
The event is run for 24 hours on the Daytona road course that features world-class drivers from different series like NASCAR, IndyCar, and international stars from all over the world competing to add their names to some of the legendary drivers to win this event like Scott Dixon, Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, and more. It is a testament to not only the drivers but the pit crews as well. They have to squeeze in naps in between stops or when a driver’s time is coming up to take the wheel.
The race starts on Saturday afternoon. Afterward, the magic of the race happens when the sun goes down. That’s when you will see all the cars lit up in different colors flying around the track. Meanwhile, not only do the fans get to enjoy the race. There is entertainment inside the racetrack with food, games, and a Ferris wheel. Many fans use the Ferris wheel to get a terrific view of the racetrack.
Another wonderful part of the race is during sunrise. The dark skies slowly turn to daylight which makes for great wallpaper. While it is awesome to see, it’s also a reminder that the race is almost done.
Once the sun fully rises, teams are making their final adjustments in order to finish the race. After the grueling 24 hours race is over, the winning teams of each class are presented with a trophy, and Rolex watches.
The race can be seen on NBC before it switches to different channels like the USA Network and the NBC Sports App. However, if you want to watch the race in its entirety, you need to subscribe to Peacock.
Peacock not only offers the entire IMSA season, but they also show IndyCar, Motocross, cycling, WWE, and more. In addition to sports, they have a live programming channel along with movies and television shows. It costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year.
Daytona has several marquee events every year like the Daytona 500 and Daytona 200. However, the Rolex 24 at Daytona tops them all. It is a must-see event every year.
