What makes the Rolex 24 at Daytona so special?

Racing for 24 hours sounds like a MEGA feat for any driver, team, pit crew member, etc... BUT what really drives this race is the fans. Living in America, as a fan of motorsports, there are 2 tracks whose reputations proceed them.

One, of course, Indianapolis... But the OTHER, Daytona. Even before I was introduced to the motorsports world, I knew of the Daytona International Speedway - from NASCAR to the 24 Hours race, its a racing venue that fans in the U.S. dream of watching a race at.

Now, let's add in the intensity of a 24 hour race - constant cars on track from 1:40 PM Saturday to 1:40 PM Sunday - no breaks, no intermission, all racing. Now, take that and double it, because the cars, teams, and drivers are actually racing, practicing, and testing at Daytona for 14 days before the actual race.

As a motorsports fan all of this may seem like either a 'wet dream' of sorts, but very taxing on even the most dedicated attendee. Not only did our team experience the entire Daytona 24 Hour weekend, but we chatted with fans throughout the weekend to answer our question:

"What makes the Rolex 24 at Daytona so special" AND "Why should fans attend this race in 2026?"

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What is the racing like at Daytona?

Let's start off with the basics... although basics is a MAJOR simplification. There are 4 different races happening at once. Yes, 4. This year, 61 cars with 3 -4 drivers each also participated.

Using our mental math here: 4 races, 61 cars, 244 drivers, + countless team members per car. It's a lot for ANY fan, even the most seasoned, to keep track of.

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How can fans tell the classes, cars, and drivers apart?

This is one of the biggest questions that spectators have, whether at home or on track. Let me break down the classes:

On the track, specifically, there are a number of ways to keep track of the action through all 4 classes. The track and IMSA (the series that runs 24 Hours of Daytona), thankfully, do recognize the complexity of a 61 car race with 4 different races going on for 24 hours!

First, on track, there are screens that will not only show the race, but the top for cars from each class and a running list on the bottom of the screen. This is useful if you know what car number that you're tracking (I.e. you're rooting for Porsche Penske which were cars #6 and #7).

What really matters though, are knowing the car liveries and numbers. Not only are cars at Daytona known for exciting and unique liveries (I.e. Rexie, the T Rex livery), but every fan can receive a free program from the track that is essentially a glossary of every team, all 3-4 of their drivers, with the number and a picture of the livery - separated by class.

You can also use all of these things in tandem with the IMSA app that shows live timing and position of every car in all 4 classes.

Many fans relied HEAVILY on these booklets and the app, especially at the start of the weekend, to identify where their favorite driver or team was running.

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What drivers and teams can I see at the Daytona 24 Hours?

With all of this talk of 'drivers' and 'teams' without names, we'd be remiss to not discuss the types of drivers you'll see at Daytona.

Short answer: Drivers from almost every series.... and yes that includes Formula 1 (sort of). This year, we even had a chance to meet Kevin Magnussen in his first race after leaving F1! That said, here are some highlights:

IndyCar

Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, James Hinchcliffe, Pietro Fittipaldi AND MORE...

Formula 1

Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean, Kamui Kobayashi, Daniil Kvyat, Felipe Massa AND MORE....

Formula E

Pascal Wehrlein, Felix Rosenqvist (now IndyCar)

NASCAR

Austin Cindric, Parker Kligerman, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, AND MORE...

And of course we cannot forget racing greats and iconic figures in motorsports like Felipe Nasr, Sebastien Bourdais, Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Louis Deletraz - I could keep this list going forever.

If you're a fan of ANY racing series, chances are a driver that you love watching will be racing the 24 Hours at Daytona.

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How can fans meet their favorite drivers at the Rolex 24 at Daytona?

One thing that the Daytona and IMSA event organizers prioritize above all other (other than racing of course) is the ability for fans to enjoy every single part of their race experience. This means that the level of accessibility and fan-focused events is at an all-time high.

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Off track - One Daytona

An event that Daytona holds every year is a mini fan festival, 'preview' of sorts across the street from the Daytona Speedway at a shopping plaza called One Daytona. The event this year featured well over a dozen cars from teams up and down the 61 car grid, a pit stop competition, talks with members of some of the teams, and OF COURSE a meet and greet session with over 20 drivers!

Even with the VERY inclement and cold weather, hundreds of fans showed up and were all able to meet their favorite drivers!

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On track

Now, Daytona is a very fan friendly track. This means that with your standard Rolex 24 ticket purchases, you have access to nearly the entire grounds (minus the pit lane and media center). Hold onto this information for just one second.

First, on the day before the actual race (Friday), a number of the teams held meet and greets with locations scattered around the infield of the track. That included meeting a NUMBER of drivers who were both at the Wednesday preview event and not.

Second, with that ticket access that I discussed, you have access to that infield area with food, drinks, seating areas, and access to the paddock. This means that as you're watching the race, drivers are EVERYWHERE. You can simply walk up to their garage or truck areas and wait for them (respectfully, of course), catch them simply walking down the paddock to the pit lane, or walking in and out of the media center for press conferences! Yes, this did include Kevin Magnussen, as well.

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Where are the best seats at Daytona?

The good news is, there are no "bad seats". I'll list some of your options:

1. The Main Grandstand (specifically the left side)
2. Viewing deck over the garages in the paddock
3. The infield seating area (giant screen with audio)
4. Infield camping area with auxiliary grandstands
5. Along Yellow Campgrounds

For more information about where to sit at Daytona (whether for the Daytona 500 or the Rolex 24 Hours), check out this article.

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Daytona's fan- focused approach to racing

I may have already touched on this a bit, but Daytona is truly unique in it's approach to fans attending the 24 Hours race. From the ticket access that I just talked about, to allowing proximity to the teams, cars, drivers, to copious amounts of food options all around the track, and the genuine 'tradition' that you can find around this race. The FanAmp team had conversations with dozens of fans throughout the weekend, young and old, from the US and abroad, and those who have been attending this race since the 90's to those who were attending for the first time.

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An eagerness to share

Camping is a HUGE staple of this weekend. While many choose to stay in hotels and Airbnbs, nearly the entirety of the track area is filled with campers, trailers, tents, and the like. The camping culture and the culture of community at Daytona matches the energy of the actual event 10-fold.

As you walk through the campgrounds you'll see everything from a fairground setup (ferris wheel included), to dozens and dozens of grills with food being shared with their camping neighbors, people standing up their own makeshift bars, and lots and lots of (safe) fire related activities. My favorite tradition that I learned about was the annual couch burning.... no one was sure how it started, but it just speaks to the unique culture around this race.

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Staying 'fed and watered'

You cannot do a race weekend without food and beverage, obviously.... especially one that requires 24 hours of racing. That said, the food options, coupled with the ability to leave the track, and the ability to bring food into the track, fans are sufficiently fed and watered.

In both the infield/ paddock area and the grandstands, there was food galore including options for those with food restrictions. If purchasing food on the track isn't for you, we chatted with a number of fans who entered the gates with their lunch pales and COPIOUS snacks. A very nice man from Florida even offered us some sandwiches when we shared a table with him - a testament to the type of fans who attend Daytona.

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Sharing special moments

As I've discussed above, the access that fans have to the drivers, cars, teams, and facilities at Daytona is unrivaled by many of the races that I have attended, but that's not all. There are so many moments throughout not just the 24 hour race, but the 4 days of the race weekend, that provide fans with unique experiences.

The moment in the weekend that stands out most to me is the fan access to the actual infield of the track... you know... where the cars are driving. Obviously, not when the cars are on track, but full free reign to the entire field is pretty cool. On Friday evening and Saturday just before the race start, all fans are allowed to cross from the grandstands and paddock into the infield to hang out, take pictures, see the cars in the pit lane, and see just how STEEP the banking is. On top of this, there is a parade of flags with all of the drivers that goes down the pit lane just before the clear the field. I can confidently say I've never seen this at a race.

Every fan from across the track, from those camping, to grandstands, to paddock walked out to enjoy this time on the track (and the only moments of warmth that we all had all weekend).

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What are the fans like at Daytona?

If you couldn't tell by the bits and pieces that I've given you throughout this article, unique, dedicated, passionate, are just a few words that come to mind.

In the 4 days that we spent on track, I can confidently say that I've met the most diverse conglomeration of fans that I've ever seen at a race in America. The word that comes to mind though is "passion".

Throughout the weekend, we conducted fan interviews and never, once, had a repeat answer - from favorite driver, to must haves on the track, to which driver they'd take on a 24 hour road trip, and what their reason was for attending the race!

Some of my personal favorites included, the man who started watching motorsports because of his wife and dressed up head to toe as James Hunt, the man who declined an interview at 1 AM but decided to walk through a fire pit on camera, two girls who came on a bachelorette trip because they love racing, and an older man who we shared a meal with who has been attending the race since the 1990s.

Honorable mentions go to the large number of people from the UK and Europe who traveled to America (many for the first time) just to experience their first, and likely only, 24 hour race.

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Is the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona worth attending?

Yes.

The fans are so unique.

The environment is unmatched.

The racing is unparalleled.

The communal atmosphere and accessibility of this track and event cannot be overstated. With Daytona's fan-first approach to one of the most revered racing events in the world, I'm excited to share this experience with you and hope that you consider attending next year!

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Whether you’re looking for advice to book the trip or simply want to chat with other motorsports fans, be sure to download FanAmp and join our community. And, keep an eye out for our fan meetups happening at races around the world.

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