The Daytona 500 is still a few weeks away. But the auto racing season doesn’t start with NASCAR’s crown jewel; first comes the 2026 Rolex 24!
Call it the Rolex 24 at Daytona, call it 24 Hours of Daytona, call it the Daytona 24: Just make sure you call it the first big event of the year at “The World Center of Racing.” The Florida coast becomes the center of attention over two days at the end of each January when the 24-hour marathon hits Daytona International Speedway.
Things are a little different for this year’s endurance race, making picking up in the middle of the race a little harder for TV viewers. When does the race start and end? What TV channel is it on? Are there any NASCAR drivers taking part? Do the winners really get a Rolex watch? Here’s what you need to know.
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What is Rolex 24?
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is the first racing event of the year at Daytona International Speedway. The endurance race, also known as 24 Hours of Daytona, is the first on the calendar for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series, run by the Daytona Beach-based International Motor Sports Association. This is the 64th running of the event.
NASCAR will come a few weeks later with the Daytona 500. They’ll use the oval track that famously features only left turns. The Rolex 24 will run on Daytona’s road course, which means drivers will have to turn right, too.
How long does Rolex 24 last?
Just as the name suggests, the Rolex 24 at Daytona lasts 24 hours. The racing teams will swap between three or four drivers throughout the event. 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.
When is Rolex 24 at Daytona 2026?
The Rolex 24 starts at 1:40 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon, Jan. 24, and concludes at 1:40 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Jan. 25.
Where can I watch Rolex 24? TV schedule, streaming info
The 2026 Rolex 24 will start and finish on NBC. Streaming options include Fubo, which carries NBC and offers a free trial for new subscribers. To watch the entire race, you can stream the whole thing live on Peacock if you’re in the U.S. and IMSA.tv or the IMSA YouTube channel if you’re watching internationally.
Watch all of the Rolex 24 live on Peacock
Here’s the TV schedule for the Rolex 24:
How much does it cost to go to Rolex 24?
A two-day general admission package for the Rolex 24 costs $140 per person through the Daytona International Speedway’s official site.
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 five teams completed 791 laps, with the winning No. 7 Porsche Penske team beating the second-place Whelen Cadillac team by 2.112 seconds.
How many miles is the Rolex 24 at Daytona?
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 2,815 miles over the 24-hour marathon.
Who is 2026 Rolex 24 grand marshal?
LPGA Tour star Lexi Thompson will do the honors of instructing the drivers to “start your engines!” The South Florida native won the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, her lone major so far in her illustrious career, and will join the WTGL indoor golf league next year.
Who won the Rolex 24 at Daytona 2025?
The No. 7 Penske Porsche team won its second straight Rolex 24 in 2025. Felipe Nasr was part of both winning teams, joined last year by Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor. Nasr staved off Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Acura for the second year in a row.
Are there any NASCAR drivers in the Rolex 24 2026?
AJ Allmendinger, who has won three NASCAR Cup Series races and finished third at the 2017 Daytona 500, will be part of the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura team alongside Scott Dixon, whose 58 IndyCar victories are the second-most of all time, including the 2008 Indianapolis 500. Connor Zilisch is racing with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac team; he finished second in the Xfinity Series last year — his car won the Wawa 250 at Daytona but he exited the race early with an injury — and participated in three races in his Cup Series debut.
Dixon’s not the only IndyCar star at the Rolex 24. 2018 Indy 500 champ Will Power is on the 75 Express Mercedes-AMG team, and reigning series champ Alex Palou is on the No. 93 Meyer Shank team. See the complete entry list for the full driver roster.
How many cars are in the Rolex 24?
The field for the 2026 Rolex 24 has 60 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:
What is the prize for the Rolex 24? Who gets a Rolex?
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 one you can get on eBay is about $16,000, while they go all the way up over $921,000.
It’s not just the overall winners: The drivers on the top team in each car class all receive one of these beauties.
When is the 2026 Daytona 500?
The 2026 Daytona 500 is set to start at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 — the weekend after the Super Bowl — from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race will be broadcast on Fox, and streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: What time does Rolex 24 start? Everything to know about Daytona race
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
