Last Friday, my good friend and fellow photographer Art Nadelman and I attended the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The combination of seemingly non-stop on-track action, and the anticipation for the upcoming Rolex 24 made this a very busy day. In fact, we walked over 6 miles covering many areas around the track.
The day began with clear skies and a crisp breeze. Temperatures hovered around 42°F in the morning but climbed to a sunny and mild 65°F by mid-afternoon. There were 6 practice sessions for 3 different groups of cars representing 7 racing divisions. The roster of drivers at the Roar featured a mix of endurance racing legends, rising stars, and crossover talents from other motorsport disciplines. 235 drivers representing 31 countries will participate in the Rolex 24 hour endurance race this weekend. The main sessions were for the WeatherTech series which featured 61 cars across 4 classes.
The GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class represents the highest level of performance and technology in IMSA, with hybrid-powered machines. They are fast with amazing acceleration. The class includes 8 teams featuring 12 cars from 5 different manufacturers.
One of the standout teams of the day was BMW Team RLL, with their No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8. Driven by Dries Vanthoor, the car topped the timing sheets during the second practice session with an impressive lap time of 1:35.424. The talented team also includes driver Kevin Magnussen, who raced in Formula 1 for multiple seasons.
The other teams in the group are headed by the Penske Motorsports Porsches. The No. 7 Porsche 963, featuring former Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr, is the defending race and series champion. Returning to the series for 2025 is Meyer Shank Racing. Their 2 Acura ARX-06 teams feature current and former IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist, Tom Blomqvist, and Colin Braun. Cadillac Racing is fielding 3 teams featuring several IMSA stars driving their Cadillac V-Series.R cars. New to the series this year is the Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse team in the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63, featuring former IndyCar and Formula 1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat. Rounding out the group are the No. 85 JDC Miller MotorSports and No. 5 Proton Competition teams driving Porsche 963 cars.
Other groups include LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2). The LMP2 class is a step below GTP, focusing on cost-effective prototype racing. Among the 12 teams, Tower Motorsports with former IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports showcased competitive lap times, with their ORECA 07-Gibson cars making a strong impression. Other current or former IndyCar drivers in this group include Colton Herta in the No. 4 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA, Pietro Fittipaldi and Callum Ilott in the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECA. Former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa heads up the No. 74 Ranch Resort team.
The GT classes bring together 37 factory-backed and customer teams, with GTD PRO featuring professional drivers and GTD allowing a mix of pros and amateurs. The GTD PRO (Grand Touring Daytona Pro) group features several drivers from IndyCar and NASCAR. Current IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin heads up the No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Former IndyCar drivers and current NBC Sports announcers Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe are also in the field. Bell is with No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 team and Hinchcliffe drives for the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 team. Current NASCAR drivers include Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric with the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 team and Shane van Gisbergen joining fellow countryman Scott McLaughlin with the No. 91 team.
The Rolex 24 kicks off at 1:40PM Saturday, January 25 and concludes at the same time on Sunday, January 26. The weather forecast looks great with high temperatures in the mid-60s and lots of clear skies. It should make for a great race. The race will be carried live across the NBC, USA, and Peacock networks.
Below are several images from the day. To see more, please go to the IMSA gallery.
