The Rolex 24 at Daytona will be run this week-end. It's a 24 hour sports car race in the Grand Am series, and marks the begining of Daytona Speed Weeks, and the begining of racing season in the US.
The Grand Am is a NASCAR linked ALMS wannabe series. The upper class Daytona Prototype (DP) is, in some ways, much like the NASCAR Sprint (formerly Nextel, formerly Winston) cup. They are basicly spec racer cars with different make engines. The front end head light, grille and decal packages are used to make the cars look somewhat like the products of the engine manufacturer's vehicles. The lower class GT cars are much like the old SCCA Trans Am cars.
There are a few drivers of note in the race. Former F1 pilots include Juan Pablo Montoya, Allan McNish, Tomas Enge, Justin Wilson, Ricardo Zonta and, believe it or not, 67 year old Derek Bell.
Later generation racers include John Andretti, A.J. Foyt IV, David Donohue, Graham Rahal and Alex Gurney. Several IndyCar drivers will also be on hand.
The race is run on the "road course" at Daytona, which is basically the 2 1/2 mile, high banked tri-oval with a small, T-shaped infield section addedin the front, and a "bus stop" type chicane on the back stretch.
TV coverage will be on Saturday at 1:00 pm on Fox, switching to Speed at 2:30. Coverage will resume at 6:00 am Sunday. (All times EST)
From the 1960's through the 1980's, the 24 hrs of Daytona was, with Sebring, one of the two biggest sports car races in the US. It has lost most of its luster due to its association with the failing Grand Am series.