Martin Raffauf
George Kurz’s Crowdstrike entry was the winner in LMP2. Photo: Martin Raffauf
Daytona 24 Hours

Daytona 24 Hours 2026

SCD's on-the-ground coverage of America's endurance spectacle

Avatar photoMartin Raffauf

The Daytona 24-hour race this year was billed as the 64th running of the event. The first two events in 1962 and 1963 were three hours, followed by two  years of 12-hour races in 1964 and 1965. The first 24-hour race actually occurred in 1966. However, the sense of history was evident: one of IMSA’s main entrants, Roger Penske, finished 2nd in the 1963 race in a Ferrari 250 GTO.

The Daytona International Speedway, home of the 24 Hours since 1962. Photo: Martin Raffauf

The race again this year followed in the same format that has evolved over the past 10 years or so. That is, an event called the ROAR run the week before the actual race, which was a test weekend for the 24-hour cars as well as the Michelin Pilot series. The ROAR is now the race event weekend for the IMSA VP Challenge Series.

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Martin Raffauf
Martin has worked in auto racing now for over 50 years and has been to every Daytona 24-hour race since 1971 working in some capacity or other. Now semi-retired, he enjoys authoring articles about racing, both the old days and current race reports. He has published in PorscheRoadandRace, Sports Car Digest, Vintage Motorsports Magazine, Double De-Clutch.com and the International Motor Racing Research Center Blog. When not writing or attending races, Martin enjoys hiking, cycling, and staying in shape.
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