This weekend marks the start of the 2020 sports-car racing season in America, with the running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The 24-hour classic is always a good race, and this year promises to be no different. Here’s how you can watch.
As was the case last year, NBC is handling the TV broadcast of the race. The start will be broadcast on NBC’s main channel, with coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, 10 minutes before the green flag flies. Afterwards, coverage bounces between NBC Sports on TV and the NBC Sports website and app. From 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, the race returns to NBC, with coverage until 2:00 p.m. You can also watch all 24 hours on the NBC Sports website or app if you authenticate with your cable provider.
It all starts this Saturday at 1:30 pm ET on @nbc! Here is your @Rolex24Hours at @DISupdates NBC network television schedule!#IMSA / #Rolex24 pic.twitter.com/u939JFvu7k
If you’re a cord-cutter, NBC offers a subscription to watch IMSA broadcasts for either $2.99 a month, or $19.99 for the entire year. Outside the U.S., some TV channels will broadcast the race, and in countries where there’s no dedicated broadcast, you can stream the race on IMSA.tv.
The whole race will also be broadcast on IMSA Radio, with hosts John Hindaugh, Jeremy Shaw and Shea Adam providing excellent coverage. You can listen to IMSA Radio online, or if you’re in your car, tune into Sirius 216, or XM 202.
On Friday, the Michelin Pilot Challenge race will be broadcast on the NBC Sports website and app from 1:10 p.m. EST to 5:10 p.m. Unfortunately, the four-hour race won’t be carried on live TV.
There should be plenty of good battles throughout the race. Mazda has shown great speed in the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) class, and the team’s strong finish to 2019 promises good things. But, Cadillac has been dominant the last few years at Daytona, and Acura, with its strong driver lineup, is going to put up a fight, too. There are a lot of good drivers in LMP2, so be sure to pay attention to what’s happening there.
In GTLM, Ford is absent for the first time since 2016, but a new mid-engine car has joined the ranks—the Corvette C8.R. Porsche also has a new 911 RSR making its debut at Daytona, and BMW will try to defend its win last year. The always-strong Ferrari of Risi Competizione rounds out the class.
Teams fielding Lamborghinis have won GTD the last two years, and five Huracan GT3s will race this year. This is the most diverse class with everything from Porsche 911s to a lone BMW M6. Aston Martin also makes its return to the Daytona 24 with two Vantage GT3s, and lots of eyes will be on NASCAR champ Kyle Busch, who’s driving a Lexus RC F.
To keep track of the 34 cars expected to race this year, check out livery designer Andy Blackmore’s excellent spotter’s guide. And come back here for live coverage of the race—we’ll have a 24-hour live blog running, just like last year. It should be a good one.
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