What you need to know for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona
2019 Rolex 24
2:25 p.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 26
Daytona International Speedway
TV Schedule
2-5 p.m., NBCSN
5-9 p.m., NBC Sports App
9 p.m.-3 a.m., NBCSN
3 a.m.-6 a.m., NBC Sports App
6 a.m.-3 p.m., NBCSN
(All times Eastern)
Television coverage includes analysis from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and AJ Allmendinger, who is also driving in the event. Allmendinger will be part of NBC’s broadcast when he isn’t driving (or trying to get some rest). Paul Tracy is taking part in the network’s coverage as well despite a racist Facebook post from his account. NBC kept Tracy on as an analyst after the post, saying it determined that Tracy had been hacked.
The basics
If you’re new to sports car racing and are looking for a racing fix this weekend, welcome to the show. The Rolex 24 features 47 cars over four classes competing at the same time for 24 hours. The first car to the finish line wins the overall race while the other three classes compete for best in class. The 2.5-mile Daytona layout used for the Daytona 500 is modified to 3.65 miles to include the infield road course and a backstretch chicane.
DPi (11 cars)
Defending champion team: Action Express No. 5
The Daytona Prototype field includes a lot of familiar faces. Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso is driving for Wayne Taylor Racing alongside former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi and team regulars Jordan Taylor and Renger Van Der Zande.
The No. 10 WTR car will be a contender along with the two Team Penske cars. Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud are in one Penske car with Dane Cameron while Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi are in the other. Action Express’ No. 5 car includes Joao Barbosa, Mike Conway, Filipe Albuquerque and Christian Fittipaldi. Conway is the only one of the three who wasn’t part of the race-winning team in 2018.
Former F1 driver Rubens Barrichello will be one of the drivers of the No. 85 Cadillac for JDC-Miller Motorsports.
LMP2 (4 cars)
The Le Mans Prototype 2 division is the lightest of the divisions and new for 2019. The cars in LMP2 fit the specifications of the cars used in the LMP2 division at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ex-F1 driver Pastor Maldonado is in the No. 18 car alongside Sebastian Saavedra and two others.
GTLM (9 cars)
Defending champion team: Chip Ganassi Racing No. 67
The GT Le Mans division includes Ford GTs, Chevy Corvettes, BMWs, Porsche 911s and a Ferrari 488. The two Ford cars are fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. One car will be co-piloted by Sebastien Bourdais while the other is the defending champion No. 67. It’ll be driven once again by Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Richard Westbrook.
The two Chevys from Corvette Racing finished behind the Ganassi Fords in 2018 though the two Porsche cars showed good speed during Thursday’s qualifying and practice sessions. Barring mechanical problems, the GTLM division may be the most competitive of the weekend.
It also features the best story of the weekend — and maybe the racing season, as well. Former CART champion Alex Zanardi is driving for BMW and will be using a car specially-equipped with hand controls. Zanardi, who has won three Paralympic gold medals, lost his lower legs in a horrific 2001 crash.
GTD (23 cars)
Defending champion team: GRT Grasser Racing No. 11
The GT Daytona field makes up nearly half the cars competing. The No. 11 Lamborghini is back as the number of teams fielding Lamborghinis in the race goes from three to five. One of the new Lamborghini teams is Magnus Racing, which features former Cup Series Rookie of the Year Andy Lally. Allmendinger will drive for Michael Shank Racing along with part-time NASCAR driver Justin Marks. They’re part of the Meyer Shank Racing team.
The GTD division also features the Heinricher Racing No. 57 car. The team will field four female drivers in Katherine Legge, Ana Beatriz, Simona De Silvestro and Christina Nielsen.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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