Daytona International Speedway’s “Speedweeks” kicks off Friday. Organizers say the highlight this weekend is the 55th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which starts Saturday afternoon. It’s a marathon 24-hour endurance race.
Speedway spokesman Andrew Booth said 55 cars from 17 different manufacturers will be turning high speed laps.
“It’s the season opening event to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s North America’s most prestigious sports car race, twice around the clock challenge, a grueling test of both man and machine,” said Booth.
“Typically, most cars have three to four drivers on each car and they’ll do driving shifts or stints, they’ll go in and out and share the driving duties for the 24 hours,” said Booth.
Four-time NASCAR Cup Champ Jeff Gordon and his team will race a Cadillac. Gordon’s gunning for his first Rolex 24 victory
Speedweeks is the ramp up to next month’s Daytona 500. The Daytona International Speedway reports it generates $1.6 billion in economic impact for the state.