40 Entries for Roar Before 24

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

A total of 40 cars are set to take part in next month’s Roar Before the Rolex 24, the mandatory pre-season test for the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The entry list, released by IMSA on Friday, is comprised of eight DPis, seven LMP2 cars, seven GT Le Mans entries and 18 GT Daytona machines.

Driver lineups have not been disclosed due to a number of yet-to-be-announced lineups and drivers that are still in the process of IMSA licensing for the 2020 season.

The prototype ranks features no major surprises, with four Cadillac DPi-V.Rs entered by JDC-Miller Motorsports, Whelen Engineering Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing.

Juncos Racing, which had been targeting a Michelin Endurance Cup program with its Cadillac DPi, is not listed and looks set to miss the race.

Acura Team Penske is back with its pair of championship-winning Acura ARX-05 DPis, while the Mazda Team Joest, as revealed by Sportscar365, is listed as the entrant on the pair of Mazda RT24-Ps, which is expected to change following the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring,

The LMP2 class has grown to a seven-car class, thanks to a second PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson, which joins the previously confirmed entries from Performance Tech Motorsports, DragonSpeed, Tower Motorsport by Starworks, Era Motorsport and Rick Ware Racing.

Risi Competizione, which announced last week its return to Daytona, will be joined by the two-car factory GT Le Mans efforts from Corvette Racing, BMW Team RLL and Porsche GT Team.

As reported by Sportscar365, Chip Ganassi Racing nor its Ford GTs it campaigned for the last four years will be present, ending a 16-year streak of competing in the Rolex 24.

Among the 18 GTD entries include Black Swan Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R and a Precision Performance Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, both of which have not yet been announced by their respective teams.

Lamborghini has the highest representation in class with five Huracan GT3 Evos, followed by three Porsches, two Aston Martin Vantage GT3s and a pair of Lexus RC F GT3s.

A total of nine GT3 manufacturers are represented, with single-car entries from Audi, BMW, Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG.

Notably absent is Montaplast by Land Motorsport, which has campaigned an Audi R8 LMS at Daytona for the last three years.

The three-day test, which runs from Jan. 3-5, is mandatory for all teams taking part in the Rolex 24.

An updated entry list, featuring driver lineups, is expected to be released early in the New Year.

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