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The 2026 24 Hours of Daytona will be the 64th Daytona 24 hours endurance sports car race sanctioned by International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), taking place from 24 to January 25, 2026, at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida. the race will be the opening round of the 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship season. [1]
NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., who built Daytona International Speedway in 1959, conceived the 24 Hours of Daytona to attract European sports-car endurance racing to the United States and provide international exposure to the speedway. [2] It is informally considered part of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing, with the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. [3]
International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was a part of the 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in March 2025. [4] It will be the thirteenth consecutive year it was a part of the IMSA SCC, and the 64th 24 Hours of Daytona. The 24 Hours of Daytona is the first of eleven scheduled sports car endurance races by IMSA, and the first of five races of the Michelin Endurance Cup (MEC). [4] The race will take place at the 12-turn 3.560-mile (5.729 km) Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida from January 24 to 25. [4]
The Roar Before the 24 Tests will occur from January 16 to 18, 2026, with all cars participating in the test. [64] The first session on Friday morning saw Felipe Nasr top the times in the No. 7 PPM Porsche 963 with a time of 1:36.327, 0.004 seconds faster than Nico Pino's No. 85 JDC Porsche. [65] Charles Milesi's No. 11 TDS Racing car topped LMP2 with a 1-minute, 38.935 second lap. [66] Dean MacDonald was fastest in GTD Pro while Spencer Pumpelly set the fastest time amongst all GTD cars. [65]