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Everything you need to know about Rolex 24 at Daytona: Start time, laps, prizes, tickets

dan rorabaugh, usa today network - florida
·6 min read

The Daytona 500 is still a few weeks away, but a full day of racing is set to hit Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

The Rolex 24 kicks off the IMSA WeatherTech Championship season each year with a 24-hour marathon of racing. The 2024 event features an added bonus with a Brad Pitt Formula One movie filming on and around the track in the weeks leading up to the race.

There is a lot to keep track of, including what TV channel to tune into to watch all the racing from Saturday afternoon to Sunday. The 59 cars across four different classes will be switching drivers and staying on the road course for the endurance race that gets racing season into motion.

Whether you're a motorhead or someone just getting into auto racing, here's everything you need to know about the 2024 Rolex 24.

Raceday updates: The latest from the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona

Rolex 24 2024 start time

The 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at 1:40 p.m. Saturday, January 27. Teams will switch drivers through the next 24 hours as the cars keep going around the track (no, it's not the same oval that NASCAR uses for the Daytona 500).

The race ends at 1:40 p.m. Sunday, January 28.

Where can I watch Rolex 24 at Daytona?

That depends on when you're watching the marathon. If you want to watch all 24 hours uninterrupted, you can stream the entire race at IMSA.tv (if you're outside the U.S.) and Peacock (a subscription costs $5.99 per month; sorry, there's no free trial).

If you're watching on traditional TV, you can find the race on the NBC family of networks. Here's the TV schedule:

  • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday: NBC (check local listings)

  • 2:30-8 p.m.: USA Network (Channel 242 on DirecTV, Channel 105 on Dish)

  • 10 p.m.-midnight: USA Network

  • 6 a.m.-noon Sunday: USA Network

  • Noon-2 p.m.: NBC

Streaming options for the televised portions of the race also include fuboTV, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.

How much does it cost to go to Rolex 24?

A two-day general admission package for the Rolex 24 costs $90 per person through the Daytona International Speedway's official site. A Sunday-only ticket costs $42.

Is Brad Pitt filming a movie at the Rolex 24 at Daytona?

November 17, 2023: Brad Pitt, star of the upcoming Formula One-based movie Apex, walks in the Pitlane before qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada.
November 17, 2023: Brad Pitt, star of the upcoming Formula One-based movie Apex, walks in the Pitlane before qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Movie star Brad Pitt does have a Formula One movie that has been filming at the speedway and surrounding areas over the past few weeks. Jerry Bruckheimer, one of the movie's producers along with F1 star Lewis Hamilton, will serve as the Rolex 24 grand marshal.

The movie, reportedly to be titled "Apex," recorded racing scenes at last week's Roar Before the 24 as well as this weekend's events leading up to the Rolex 24. It is also rumored to shoot at a Daytona Beach Shores surf shop, and a restaurant in New Smyrna Beach closed for the week for the movie, its owner confirmed.

As for Tyler Durden himself, the actor was spotted with co-star Javier Bardem at a New Smyrna Beach laundromat on Thursday.

How many laps is the Rolex 24?

The Rolex 24 is an endurance race, meaning there is no set amount of laps in the race. The winning team is the one that completes the most laps over the 24 hours of racing between Saturday and Sunday.

Last year, the top four teams completed 783 laps, with the winning Meyer Shank Racing team beating the second-place Konica Minolta team by 4.19 seconds.

How many miles will the Rolex 24 at Daytona go?

The 3.56-mile road circuit at Daytona International Speedway is longer than the oval track for the Daytona 500 NASCAR race, which has a 2.5-mile lap. Last year's winning teams drove more than 2,787 miles over the 24-hour marathon.

How many drivers does a Rolex 24 team have per car?

This year's racing teams have either three or four drivers. They will switch throughout the race.

Each driver must race for at least 2 hours (in GTP prototype and GTP Pro classes) or 4½ hours (LMP and GTD classes). No driver can go longer than 13 hours during the race.

How many cars are in the Rolex 24?

The field for the 2024 Rolex 24 has 59 cars. Take a look at the starting lineup.

How many classes of car are in the Rolex 24?

Race fans will see four car classes competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona:

  • GTP: With a hybrid V-8 engine that provides a top speed of 202 mph at 680 horsepower, many believe the prototypes point to the future of auto racing. Acura won the 2023 Rolex 24 in the car's inaugural run. This year will feature 10 of the newest class of cars.

  • LMP2: Designated by blue trim on mirrors, rear-wing endplates and class plates, a total of 13 entries will compete in this weekend’s LMP2 Class. The cars top out at 186 mph with 510 hp.

  • GTD and GTD Pro: These two classes of GT3 cars are effectively the same, but GTD Pro entries consist of all professional drivers while amateurs are in the mix in the GTD Class. These cars have a top speed of 175 mph with 540 hp. There will be 36 such cars in this year's race.

Are the Rolex 24 cars electric?

Not quite, but the GTP class that made its debut in 2023 are hybrid engines. The cars have been in development since 2020, and many believe the prototypes point to the future of auto racing.

The new class satisfies both IMSA and World Endurance Championship (WEC) regulations, thus allowing the same entries to compete in both the Rolex 24 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time.

What are the prizes for the Rolex 24? Who gets a Rolex?

The no.60 team from Meyer Shank Racing celebrates their Rolex 24 win with brand new Rolex watches in Victory Lane on Sunday, January, 29th,2023.
The no.60 team from Meyer Shank Racing celebrates their Rolex 24 win with brand new Rolex watches in Victory Lane on Sunday, January, 29th,2023.

Since 1992, the winning drivers each receive a steel and yellow gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona watch.

How much it is worth? Well, Rolex doesn't list a price on its website. The lowest you can get one on eBay is just shy of $14,500, while they go all the way up to just about $990,000.

It's not just the overall winners: The drivers on the top team in each car class all receive one of these beauties.

Who won the 2023 Rolex 24?

The Meyer Shank Racing Acura team of Helio Castroneves, Colin Braun, Tom Blomqvist and Simon Pagenuad won the overall title at last year's race. It was the third straight win by an Acura, as well as the third straight by IndyCar legend Castroneves and the second straight by Blomqvist.

There will be a new winning team in 2024 because Meyer Shank folded its IMSA operation after a tire pressure manipulation scandal was discovered weeks after last year's race.

Who is competing in the 2024 Rolex 24?

There aren't any full-time NASCAR drivers taking part in the Rolex 24, though a team of Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek and Corey Heim will be among those competing in Friday's Michelin Pilot Challenge race.

A record nine women will compete in the Rolex 24, the most in its 62-year history. The Iron Dames, a Lamborghini entry in the GTD field, will feature an all-female lineup: Rachel Frey, Michelle Gatting, Sarah Bovy and Doriane Pin. Katherine Legge also will be making her 12th start.

Ryan Pritt and Ken Willis of The Daytona Beach News-Journal contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: What to know before Rolex 24 2024 at Daytona: Schedule, where to watch