The 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona gets underway on Saturday at the hallowed grounds of Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway.
The allure of securing a Rolex timepiece in the famed endurance race draws plenty of big-name drivers to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that typically don’t compete full time.
Here’s a look at some notable drivers (sorted by class) looking to kick off their season on a high note before returning to their respective series:
GTP
Kevin Magnussen (No. 24 BMW M, Team RLL)
Former Haas F-1 driver Kevin Magnussen is set to contest his third Rolex 24 this weekend.
Magnussen will run a sports car-based schedule this year after seven seasons with the American F-1 team. Along with full-time WEC effort this year, the 32-year-old will compete in two additional IMSA endurance events (12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta).
He’ll co-pilot the No. 24 entry alongside Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello.
Scott Dixon (No. 60 Acura ARX-06, Meyer Shank Racing)
Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon has become a staple at the famed twice-around-the-clock event.
Dixon has scored three overall wins at the Rolex 24 with his latest coming in 2020 with Wayne Taylor Racing.
Now with Meyer Shank Racing this season, Dixon and the team could be considered a favorite with co-drivers Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun and fellow open-wheel driver Felix Rosenqvist.
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Acura ARX-06, Meyer Shank Racing)
Full-time MSR IndyCar Series driver Rosenqvist is in search of his first Rolex watch at Daytona this year.
Rosenqvist has three previous starts at the Rolex with a best finish of seventh in 2016 in the Prototype Challenge class.
Romain Grosjean (No. 63 Lamborghini SC63, Lamborghini)
Longtime open-wheel driver Romain Grosjean is set for his third straight Rolex 24 at Daytona, once again driving a Lamborghini.
Grosjean, who will be a reserve driver for newly-formed IndyCar Series team, Prema Racing, will get his first crack at an overall win after competing in GT cars in previous starts.
Alex Palou (No. 93 Acura ARX-06, Meyer Shank Racing)
Reigning IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou aims for his first overall time piece at the Rolex this year with Meyer Shank Racing.
Palou has competed in the GTP class twice, including last year where he set the fastest lap time of the race in 2022.
He’ll co-drive MSR’s second entry alongside Nick Yelloy, Kakunoshin Ota and Renger van der Zande.
LMP2
Colton Herta (No. 04 Oreca 07-Gibson, CrowdStrike Racing by APR)
Last year’s IndyCar Series runner-up finisher in the standings, Colton Herta, heads to Daytona looking to add to his collection of timepieces.
Herta has two class victories (2022, 2019) in the event. George Kurtz, Malthe Jakobsen and Toby Sowery will co-drive the No. 04.
Hunter McElrea (No. 11 Oreca 07-Gibson, TDS Racing)
Former Indy NXT standout Hunter McElrea is set to contest his second Rolex 24 as he joins TDS Racing in the LMP2 class.
McElrea competed in one IndyCar Series event last year (Toronto) where he finished 24th with Dale Coyne Racing.
The 25-year-old will be joined by Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and Charles Milesi.
Antonio Felix da Costa (No. 43 Oreca 07-Gibson, Inter Europol Competition)
2019 Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa returns to the high banks of Daytona for the first time since 2018 in the LMP2 class.
The current Formula E points leader joins Tom Dillmann, Jon Field and Bijoy Garg aboard the No. 43 entry for Inter Europol Competition.
Callum Ilott (No. 73 Oreca 07-Gibson, Pratt Miller Motorsports)
Following a part-time schedule with Arrow McLaren in the IndyCar Series last year, Callum Ilott kicks off an exciting new chapter in his career with a Rolex 24 run.
As Prema Racing’s anchor driver in the open-wheel series this year, Ilott first looks to secure a victory at Daytona in his first start in the event alongside co-drivers James Roe, Pietro Fittipaldi and Chris Cumming.
Felipe Massa (No. 74 Oreca 07-Gibson, Riley)
Former Scuderia Ferrari F-1 driver Felipe Massa returns to the Rolex 24 for a second straight year.
Massa snagged a third-place result last season in LMP2 as he’ll co-drive the No. 74 with Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and Josh Burdon.
Christian Rasmussen (No. 99 Oreca 07-Gibson, AO Racing)
Heading into this season after being promoted to a full-time role with Ed Carpenter Racing in the IndyCar Series, Christian Rasmussen aims for more success at the Rolex 24.
Last season, Rasmussen snagged the LMP2 crown at Daytona with Era Motorsport. He also added a runner-up result in the class in 2023.
The 2023 Indy NXT champion will co-drive the No. 99 with P.J. Hyett, Dane Cameron and Jonny Edgar.
GTD PRO
James Hinchcliffe (No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, Pfaff Motorsports)
While James Hinchcliffe will be a part of FOX Sports’ IndyCar Series coverage as an analyst this year, the former open-wheel driver will contest the Rolex 24 once again with Pfaff Motorsports.
It’ll be Hinchcliffe’s fifth start at the historic event. Last year with Pfaff, the team placed 10th in GTD PRO. His co-drivers this year will be Andrea Caldarelli, Jordan Pepper and Marco Mapelli.
Kyle Kirkwood (No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, Vasser Sullivan)
The string of IndyCar Series drivers competing in the Rolex 24 continues with Kyle Kirkwood.
Racing for Vasser Sullivan, Kirkwood will remain busy throughout the event as he’ll race in both of the team’s cars, including the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 in the GTD division.
He’ll co-drive the No. 14 with Townsend Bell, Aaron Telitz and Ben Barnicoat. The No. 12 will be driven by Frankie Montecalvo, Parker Thompson and Jack Hawksworth.
Austin Cindric (No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3, Ford Multimatic Motorsports)
2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric was a late addition to the Rolex 24. Cindric will substitute for endurance driver Ben Barker, who is sidelined with a broken collarbone.
It’ll be Cindric’s sixth Rolex 24 start. The NASCAR Cup Series driver co-pilots the No. 64 with Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx.
Connor Zilisch (No. 91 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Trackhouse by TF Sport)
While racing phenom Connor Zilisch is headed toward a NASCAR future, the 18-year-old looks to snag another Rolex timepiece.
Zilisch’s stellar 2024 season kicked off with a victory at Daytona in the LMP2 category before he went on to score his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l. He’ll pilot a JR Motorsports Xfinity Series entry full time.
Zilisch pilots Trackhouse Racing’s first sports car foray alongside a star-studded cast of Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen and Ben Keating.
Scott McLaughlin (No. 91 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Trackhouse by TF Sport)
Repco Supercars champion turned IndyCar Series star McLaughlin is set to tackle another Rolex 24 this year with perhaps his best opportunity yet.
It’s McLaughlin’s third Rolex 24 after competing in the LMP2 class the last two years.
Shane van Gisbergen (No. 91 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Trackhouse by TF Sport)
After taking the American stock car world by storm two years ago with a victory on the streets of Chicago in the Cup Series, van Gisbergen is undergoing another first as he’ll compete in the Rolex 24 for the first time.
The versatile driver will also contest his first full-time Cup Series season, beginning in February with Trackhouse.
