Practice under way: Roar before the Rolex 24 at Daytona

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Roar before the Rolex 24 at Daytona is well underway this weekend in preparation for next weekend's Rolex 24 race at Daytona International Speedway.

The 2026 24 Hours of Daytona, the 64th running, is scheduled for Jan. 24-25, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway, kicking off the IMSA SportsCar Championship season with practice and testing (the "Roar") from January 16-18.

Expect top drivers from NASCAR and IndyCar, including Alex Palou and Scott Dixon, alongside IMSA regulars, with Peacock and NBC covering the race, featuring Porsche Penske and Acura as strong contenders. 

The Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach will be the opening round of the 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship season.

This is the 13th consecutive year, the endurance race is 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).

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Henry Frederick press card / Headline SurferAbout the Byline Writer: 
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. •  Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.