The Rolex 24 at Daytona will usher in a new era of sports car racing with a preliminary entry list at the maximum size for the new Grand Touring Prototype division.
There are 60 cars entered in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener Jan. 28-29 at Daytona International Speedway. IMSA officials said more than 70 entries were received for the 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona, but the field is being capped at 60 because the LMDh cars of the premier GTP class will require larger pit boxes than the previous DPi category.
There are nine entries in GTP across four manufacturers: three from Cadillac (two for Chip Ganassi Racing; one for Action Express Racing; two from Acura (Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing); two from Porsche (Team Penske) and two from BMW (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing).
61ST ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA: 2023 Roar Rolex 24 Entry List
IMSA released an entry list Thursday that contained team, car number, manufacturer, tire, engine and fuel designations. A finalized entry list with driver lineups is expected in early January. Teams that submitted entries without being selected for the race have been placed on a reserve list and could be entered in the event of withdrawals.
“More than 70 total entries and a 60-car field as we kick off a new era for WeatherTech Championship competition speaks volumes for the interest in international endurance sports car racing and our IMSA platform,” IMSA president John Doonan said in a release. “Arriving at this 60-car entry list for the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona required a substantial effort from our team at IMSA. We are proud to present one of the strongest and most competitive fields we have seen and cannot wait to put on a tremendous show for a global audience of racing fans next month.”
According to IMSA, 56 of the 60 entries will be competing in the four-race Michelin Endurance Cup, and 45 cars will run the full season.
Here is the entry breakdown for the other four classes: LMP2 (10), LMP3 (nine), GTD Pro (eight) and GTD (24 across nine manufacturers).
GTP cars tested at Daytona last week. The full field will test Jan. 20-22 in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Rolex 24 at Daytona field will be set Jan. 22 in a traditional qualifying session (after a qualifying race had been used the past two years).
