38 Entries for IMSA-Sanctioned Daytona Test

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

A total of 38 cars are entered for next weekend’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway, which is expected to mark the official public debut of the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 as well as numerous updated GTP and GT3 machinery.

Released on Wednesday by IMSA, the entry list for the test comprises 11 GTP cars, ten LMP2s, nine GTD Pro entries and eight GTD machines. which will run over a staggered three-day event beginning on next Friday.

Unlike the Roar Before the Rolex 24, this test is optional for teams wishing to compete in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener and/or season.

All full-season GTP entries, however, will be represented, which will include two-time and defending champions Porsche Penske Motorsport and the official debut of BMW M Team WRT in WeatherTech Championship competition.

Both Penske 963s will feature the same five-driver lineups of Julien Andlauer, Scott McLaughlin, Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr and Josef Newgarden, while Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, Kevin Magnussen, Dries Vanthoor, Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann are due to share the two BMW M Hybrid V8s.

They join the lone privateer JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche, which has Porsche factory driver Campbell as well as Tijmen van der Helm and Bryce Aron slated to drive.

As already announced, NASCAR phenom Connor Zilisch will make his GTP debut in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R alongside the previously confirmed returning trio of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.

Cadillac Formula 1 reserve driver Colton Herta, meanwhile, will turn his first laps in a Cadillac LMDh car as well, aboard the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing entry with Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz, with Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Will Stevens in the No. 10 entry.

Both of Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura ARX-06s will also be in action for the test, featuring its recently confirmed lineups that includes AJ Allmendinger’s GTP debut in the No. 60 entry with Colin Braun, Tom Blomqvist and Scott Dixon.

The No. 93 car features Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly only currently listed but is likely to also feature Honda Racing Corporation factory star Kaku Ohta, who is already confirmed for the Rolex 24.

Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie, meanwhile, will be driven by regulars Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis.

Sportscar365 understands the majority of the GTP runners will be running with its already or yet-to-be-approved Evo jokers for the upcoming WeatherTech Championship and/or FIA World Endurance Championship seasons, including the heavily revised BMW featuring smaller kidney grills.

The GTP cars will also be running Michelin’s new-for-2026 Pilot Sport Endurance line of tires as well.

Jensen Set for Move to United; Thompson in BHA With PR1/Mathiasen Oreca in LMP2

Among the LMP2 entries set to take part include the all-new TDS Racing lineup, the pair of United Autosports entries, including Mikkel Jensen in the No. 2 car with Hunter McElrea and Phil Fayer, and Gregoire Saucy, Rasmus Lindh, Paul di Resta and Daniel Goldburg in the sister No. 22 entry.

CrowdStrike by APR’s entry has the familiar lineup of George Kurtz, Toby Sowery, Malthe Jakobsen and Alex Quinn, while Jeremy Clarke, Tom Dillmann and Bijoy Garg are all set to return to Inter Europol Competition’s entry.

Tower Motorsport also has an unchanged squad of John Farano, Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Alvarez in its No. 8 Oreca, with Intersport Racing, run by HMD Motorsports, set to debut with Jon Field, Oliver Jarvis and Seth Lucas, as previously announced.

Misha Goikhberg is the nominated Bronze-rated driver in the No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca, alongside Ben Keating, Parker Thompson and Tristan Vautier.

Thompson, a longtime Lexus/Toyota driver, is notably absent from Vasser Sullivan’s entries for next weekend, suggesting he is no longer associated with the Japanese manufacturer.

AO Racing confirmed on Wednesday that Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett will return in their No. 99 ‘Spike’ the Dragon-liveried Oreca, alongside Jonny Edgar and the addition of Christian Rasmussen for the Rolex 24.

They join the previously announced Pratt Miller Motorsports lineup, featuring brothers Pietro and Enzo Fittipaldi, along with Chris Cumming and Manuel Espirito Santo.

Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Set for U.S. Debut; Paul Miller Remains With BMW

GTD Pro will see the highly anticipated debut of the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 on U.S. soil, with Pfaff Motorsports’ operated entry for test and development drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli.

The Canadian squad has yet to announce its full season driver lineup.

Paul Miller Racing looks set to remain with BMW after all, with Neil Verhagen, Max Hesse, Dan Harper and Connor De Phillippi listed to test its lone M4 GT3 EVO entry.

Also present is the newly announced Team RLL McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, with to-be-announced drivers, running under the RLL Team McLaren banner.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Winward Racing will expand into a two-car Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo operation for the first two races of the season, with its new second entry competing in the GTD Pro class.

Bronze-rated Scott Noble is joined by longtime co-driver Jason Hart, plus Mercedes-AMG factory stars Lucas Stolz and Maxime Martin in the No. 48 Mercedes-AMG in GTD Pro.

Lucas Auer, meanwhile, completes Winward’s GTD lineup alongside Indy Dontje and defending class champions Philip Ellis and Russell Ward.

Multimatic Motorsports is expected to give the Ford Mustang GT3 EVO its first official run, with its pair of entries featuring unchanged drivers but in shuffled lineups, while Manthey will do the same with its Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo for Thomas Preining, Riccardo Pera and Ryan Hardwick.

Vasser Sullivan Racing will be present in both GTD Pro and GTD with its Lexus RC F GT3s, with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat reunited in the No. 14 GTD Pro entry alongside Kyle Kirkwood, while 75 Express is entered with its GTD Pro Mercedes-AMG with only team owner/driver Kenny Habul currently listed.

Of note, Vasser Sullivan’s GTD Lexus sees Silver-rated Benjamin Pedersen and Toyota junior Esteban Masson in the lineup alongside regulars Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo.

WTR, with its unchanged Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 lineup, is also due to test next weekend in GTD, alongside Porsches from Wright Motorsports (Elliott Skeer, Tom Sargent) and RS1 (Jan Heylen, Eric Zitza)

AF Corse will be present with its No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, for its first public appearance with drivers Simon Mann and Tommaso Mosca, while Myers Riley Motorsports will debut its Mustang GT3 EVO with drivers Sheena Monk, Felipe Fraga and Jenson Altzman.

Magnus Racing rounds out the entrants with its Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo for John Potter and Spencer Pumpelly.

Testing will kick off on Fri. Nov. 14 with a pair of sessions for GTP and LMP2 entires only, with GTD Pro and GTD cars joining the action for three sessions, including night-time running on Saturday, before closing out with the production-based classes only on Sunday with two final sessions.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John