How does the 24 Hours of Daytona work? Understanding the race format

The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona is arguably the biggest endurance racing event of the year after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Many NASCAR and IndyCar drivers, still in the off-season when this race usually takes place, slot into a team for a one-off weekend.

However, unlike NASCAR, IndyCar, or even F1 where all the cars are of the same class, or in a simpler way - have about the same pace, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the most awaited race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship features different classes of cars on the track at the same time.

Auto Racing: Rolex 24 At Daytona - Source: Imagn

Four different classes of cars participate in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Two prototype classes - cars built from the ground up specifically for endurance racing, while the other two classes are Sports Cars - heavily modified for racing.

The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class is the leading class with the fastest cars and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) is next in terms of pace. The Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) is slower than LMP2 but the fastest Sports Car class with the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) being the slowest class of all.

However, that dynamic design begs the question - how do the cars compete with each other at the 24 Hours of Daytona if the pace difference is so massive? It's like having all the Formula ladder cars race on the same track at the same time.

Although all the cars start on the track at the same time, the field is set class-wise, with GTP cars at the front and the GTD cars at the back. The qualifying for all the classes happens separately and the grid is set accordingly.

Despite being on the track at the same time, only the in-class cars compete with each other and the competition with the other classes doesn't matter. However, there is an overall winner, for the car which finishes first, which is usually one of the GTP class cars.

As for the drivers, each team features four drivers, who take turns over the 24 hours and switch during the pitstops. The car that finishes first in class after 24 hours is recognized as the winner.

24 Hours of Daytona Qualifying: Who starts on the Pole?

The 2025 24 Hours of Daytona Qualifying took place on January 23, 2025, which was followed by two practice sessions on January 24. Dries Vanthoor qualified in overall and GTP class pole position in the No. 24 BMW M Team for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Alex Palou and Co. qualified P2 in the GTP class and will start right behind the No.24 RLL.

Daniel Goldberg qualified P1 in the LMP2 class driving the ORECA LMP2 07 for United Autosports USA. Former F1 driver Paul Di Resta will be partnering Goldberg. Felipe Massa and Co. qualified P8 in LMP2 class whereas Colton Herta and Co. qualified P9.

Austin Cindric and Co. took the pole position in the GTD Pro Class driving the Ford Mustang GT3 for Ford Multimatic Motorsports. Scott McLaughlin, Connor Zilisch, and Shane van Gisbergen driving for Track House by TF Sports, will start P8 in the same class.