The wait is over. IMSA returns to kick off their 2026 season with one of the toughest races in the world, the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona.

60 cars will convene on Daytona International Speedway to claim one of the most coveted trophies in all motorsports, the Rolex Daytona Cosmograph. The watch will be awarded to each of the four class winners of IMSA’s grueling season-opening test. We now have pre-season testing behind us. All that’s left to do is race. Let’s take a look at each class to see where the winner may come from.

This article is for the GT classes only. For the preview of the prototype classes, click here.

GTD: Mercedes vs Ford?

With 21 cars set to take the green Saturday, GTD makes up one-third of the Rolex 24 field. But just because this is the “lowest” of the four classes of the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship doesn’t mean it’s not competitive. When you look at the entry list, good luck picking a winner. For those who take stock in times from the Roar test weekend, then three teams will be at the top of your list.

Winward Racing are the two-time defending GTD season champions. That reign atop the class began here two years ago with a convincing victory. Russell Ward is a highly competitive individual and that drive for success flows into his race team. His longtime teammate in Switzerland’s Philip Ellis is back for another full season charge. Also reprising his role for the enduros is Dutchman Indy Dontje. This formidable trio is only strengthened with Mercedes factory driver Lucas Auer coming along for Daytona. The vibe coming from the Roar was ‘fast but not standing out.’ But I don’t think Winward and Mercedes would have it any other way. In fact, I think they thrive on that type of scenario. Bet against them at your own peril.

The biggest challenger to Winward and Mercedes would be Ford. Gradient Racing is the beneficiary of having a year under their belt with Mustang machinery. Riley-Myers Motorsports comes to GTD after spending time in the prototype ranks with Gar Robinson and Lamborghini. Gradient has sports car legend Joey Hand leading their driver lineup alongside youngsters Corey Lewis and Jake Walker. Riley-Myers retains the services of Brazilian speedster Felipe Fraga making the transition from LMP2. Alongside Fraga will be Ford Junior Jenson Altzman and the always popular Romain Grosjean for Daytona. More importantly, both teams have the Mustang GT3 Dark Horse Evo at their disposal. If the Roar is anything to go by, these Mustangs will be tough to keep up with. At or near the top of every session last weekend, the Evo Mustang looks up to the task to bring the victory home for Ford this weekend.

Corvette & Aston Martin: Don’t forget about us…

Let’s talk about the brand that brought home the gold in GTD last year. To say anyone had Corvette as a contender was lying. But come Sunday afternoon, there was Matt Bell and AWA pulling out an upset win. For this Rolex there are two changes to take into account. One is that they are no longer known as AWA but as 13 Autosport. The other is Ben Green coming in to play the superstar ace for Daytona. We will get to the driver he replaced later. Otherwise, not much has changed. Orey Fidani, off his second straight Bob Akin award, is looking to repeat history alongside Matt Bell and Lars Kern. Alongside 13 Autosport in the Corvette camp are DXDT Racing back for their second season of IMSA competition in GTD. They have enlisted IndyCar’s Scott McLaughlin to partner Salih Yoluc, Charlie Eastwood and Mason Filippi. Then there are the newbies to the Corvette GTD Armada. DragonSpeed is back in GTD after their unbelievable GTD PRO title challenge with Ferrari. Casper Stevenson joins them for the enduros with Giacomo Altoe getting the season-long drive alongside Hendrik Hedman.

As for Casper’s former employer, Heart of Racing leads Aston Martin’s assault in GTD. Eduardo Barichello makes his Rolex debut joining returning drivers Tom Gamble, Zach Robichon and Mattia Drudi. Heart of Racing was always a contender in the endurance races last year. They won Watkins Glen and podiumed at Daytona and Sebring. If they are around at sunrise Sunday morning, expect them to be near the front. But it wasn’t Heart of Racing making noise for Aston at the Roar. It was Magnus Racing that pushed the Vantage to the top of the GT pile on Friday’s opening session. Spencer Pumpelly put down the lap as everyone was coming up to speed. John Potter and his team have always been known to throw a surprise or two. Nicki Thiim is back and Madison Snow joins the team from Paul Miller Racing.

Way Too Many to Choose From

I have not even touched Ferrari with their four entries, the Turner Motorsports BMW or Porsche’s experienced teams. With the levels of experience, talent and overall depth of this GTD field, you are hard pressed to settle on just one team to watch. Whether you are looking at past patterns or the recent Roar weekend, fans and analysts will agree it all depends on what happens Saturday and Sunday. Who has enough luck and fortune in addition to pace and talent to put them above the field in GTD?

Let’s Choose a Winner

Along with myself, I have asked Miguel and Dylan to join me in making pics for each of the four classes. Here is our verdict on GTD.

Miguel Bosch, GT REPORT Editor-In-Chief: Ford looks like they have all the goods. If I had to choose between the two, I would lean towards the #16 Myers Riley team as their driver lineup looks stronger over Gradient – although it could go either way.

Dylan Spaulding, GT REPORT IMSA Writer: The one car that stands out to me is the #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan. While Pfaff get all-new Temerario, WTR will stay with the Huracan for the time being. It would be something for them to complete the Rolex 24 trophy case with a GTD win. They have the lineup to do it with as Trent Hindman and Danny Formal are joined by Graham Doyle and former Indy 500 champ Marcus Ericsson.

David Lawrence, GT REPORT IMSA Writer: I am going with my gut. I like how strong Heart of Racing was in the enduros last year. I think they bring that form into 2026. A well-gelled team with Gamble, Drudi and Robichon all working together previously and the addition of a very quick Eduardo Barichello. This for me is the best lineup in GTD and I say they find a way to win it.

GTD PRO: Same Song…Second Verse?

Like GTD, last week at the Roar, a Mercedes and a Ford was the car to have. For Multimatic Motorsports, this is music to their ears. The defending Rolex GTD PRO champs are looking very good at the moment. Like their GTD brethren, the Mustang GT3 Dark Horse Evo looked right at home on the Daytona high banks. The car looking very comfortable with each passing lap on…from the outside at least it looked that way. On the driver front, a noticeable shake-up from 2025. Seb Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller has been split up as Seb moves to the #65 entry alongside Frederic Vervisch and Chris Mies. Rockenfeller is now paired with Norwegian hot shoe Dennis Olsen and Ben Barker in the sister #64. Let’s see how the lineup changes will affect the team going into race week.

Mercedes is bolstered at Daytona with three pro entries. First, Winward Racing enters a second car that is manned by their European based crew. Former Spa 24 Hour winner and Mercedes factory man Maxime Martin heads a lineup including Luca Stolz, young Jason Hart and Scott Noble. Back for another crack at the Rolex is GetSpeed and the Bartone Brothers. Mercedes factory aces Maxi Gotz and Jules Gounon join Anthony Bartone with Fabian Schiller a formidable fourth man in that squad. Then there is Kenny Habul and 75Express who may have the class’s most electrifying lineup. Behind Kenny is Mercedes factory driver Maro Engel. Add former Indy 500 and 2-time Indycar series champ Will Power. The cherry on top: recently crowned Supercars champion Chaz Mostert. Talk about fire power.

If you are one who is going on just speed alone, you will be highly disappointed if none of these teams are in the hunt on Sunday morning.

Corvette: Unfinished Business

It sounds weird to say a champion team has unfinished business, but that fits Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports perfectly in the realm of recent Daytona success. For as well as they run, the Z06 GT3.R has yet to take the flag in GTD PRO at Daytona. While their Roar performance was nothing to write home about, it was not dismissive either. And let’s be real, this is the core of the Corvette Racing we all know and love. This is the championship outfit that knows how to get the job done. For 2026, very little has changed as Corvette looks to take the Rolex title back. Admittedly, consistency is a good thing. There is one very noticeable change.

Marvin Kirchhofer, part of the AWA GTD winning lineup last year, gets the call to do Daytona, Sebring and Petit this year for PMM. Kirchhofer joins the #3 replacing Daniel Juncadella who left Corvette to join the Genesis WEC Hypercar programme. Despite a new driver, it does not appear this will be much of a hiccup as Kirchhofer (a McLaren factory driver the rest of the year) is quite familiar with Corvette. Chemistry will be key to watch as Kirchhofer has big shoes to fill. But Corvette would not have given him the keys if he wasn’t capable.

Looking Beyond

GTD PRO is also stacked with plenty of headlines.

McLaren is back in IMSA after a year on the sidelines with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Pfaff and Lamborghini look to send the Huracan out on a high note before making way for the Temerario. The famed Manthey Racing team makes their IMSA and Rolex debut with Porsche factory talent ablaze. Risi and Triarsi’s bonafide lineups make it hard to ignore Ferrari. Paul Miller and AO look to make noise with revamped lineups. Everywhere you look, GTD PRO top to bottom is a class you will not be able to ignore.

Let’s Choose A Winner

Miguel Bosch: I would say the #75 Express75 team. AMG Mercedes to me is the favorite. Fast car at the Roar and a star-studded lineup of Engel, Power and Mostert. Kenny Habul may be seen as a weak link due to his Bronze rating, but his supporting cast – not to mention Kenny has speed himself – makes this easily manageable.

Dylan Spaulding: I am also picking the 75Express Mercedes in GTD PRO. The team was very impressive at the Roar, topping the timesheets with multiple drivers, including Mostert and Power. If the luck is with them, they have all the ingredients to cap it off with a class win on Sunday afternoon.

David Lawrence: The headline of Kirchhofer taking Corvette to class wins at Daytona in back-to-back years is too good for me to pass up. I think he will fit in well with the defending champs. Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims know how to win this race. As long as the #3 Corvette stays trouble free, they will be in the fight come the end. If they are in front of the fight at crunch time, good luck getting the lead back from them.

This concludes the first half of our Rolex 24 preview. Be on the lookout for the second half of our race preview with the prototype classes.

Miguel Bosch and Dylan Spaulding contributed to this article.

Featured Image: The #59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo for RLL Team McLaren.