- Race Begins Season for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
- BMW Endurance Challenge on Jan. 29 Opens IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Season
- Roar Before the Rolex 24 Shifts Date to Jan. 22-24; Kicks off Two Weekends of IMSA Action
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 22, 2020) – The 59th running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, North America’s most prestigious sports car race, will be held on Jan. 30-31, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway to open the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
In addition, the annual “Roar Before the Rolex 24” preseason test sessions shifts to a new date in 2021 – Jan. 22-24 (Friday-Sunday). Following the popular Roar schedule, IMSA teams are set to remain at the track through the Rolex 24 Weekend. They are scheduled to participate in fan-focused events celebrating the start of the IMSA season at ONE DAYTONA, the lifestyle and entertainment destination located directly across International Speedway Blvd. from Daytona International Speedway.
The Rolex 24 was first held as a three-hour event in 1962, then known as the Daytona Continental. It has become renowned for annually attracting many of the world’s finest race car drivers – from various racing disciplines – to make history against the world’s best sports car racers. Historically, drivers from NASCAR, INDYCAR and Formula 1 have joined teams for “one-off” efforts. Past Rolex 24 At DAYTONA champions include four-time NASCAR Cup Series and three-time DAYTONA 500 champion Jeff Gordon, five-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon and two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso. Dixon co-drove to his third Rolex 24 title this past January.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship currently features competition in four classes: the headlining Daytona Prototype international class (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD). On Friday, Jan. 29 – prior to the Saturday-Sunday, twice-around-the-clock Rolex 24 – the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season will begin with the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge. The full listing of racing action includes:
- Jan. 22-24: Roar Before the Rolex 24
- Jan. 29: BMW Endurance Challenge
- Jan. 30-31: Rolex 24 At DAYTONA
Tickets for the 2021 Rolex 24 Weekend will go on sale Tuesday, September 8 at 9 a.m., while guests from 2020 will receive their renewal information in early August. Any guest with a multi-day ticket to the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA will have access to the Roar preseason test sessions. The Roar weekend will play host to Scout Days again in 2021.
Tickets for all Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest speedway news throughout the season.
