Roar Before the Rolex 24 entry features IndyCar, NASCAR stars
By DizbizroundupJan 5, 2016, 8:00 AM EST
When January rolls around, so too does the Rolex 24 at Daytona – among the racing highlights of the year and a perfect kickoff to the North American road racing schedule for a new season.
The timing is usually such that besides the regulars, who you get to see for the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, there's always a high volume of IndyCar and NASCAR stars moonlighting for a cameo appearance.
As such, with the official release of the 2016 Roar Before the Rolex 24 entry list on Monday, the 2016 field is no exception.
These drivers competed in at least one Verizon IndyCar Series race during the 2015 season, or are scheduled to compete in the 2016 season. Here's their IMSA team and class:
Simon Pagenaud, No. 31 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, Prototype
Mikhail Aleshin, No. 37 SMP Racing BR01 Nissan, Prototype
Spencer Pigot, No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda Prototype, Prototype
Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette DP, Prototype
Scott Dixon, No. 02 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford, Prototype
Tony Kanaan, No. 02 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford, Prototype
Jack Hawksworth, No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM09, Prototype Challenge
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, GT Le Mans
Ryan Briscoe, No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, GT Le Mans
Graham Rahal, No. 100 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE, GT Le Mans
Townsend Bell, No. 11 O'Gara Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3, GT Daytona
The NASCAR contingent is the same three drivers as competed last year and who traditionally compete at Daytona:
Jamie McMurray, No. 02 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford, Prototype
Kyle Larson, No. 02 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford, Prototype
AJ Allmendinger, No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda, Prototype
There's a wealth of other notable drivers on the list, beyond the full-season drivers.
The full entry list is linked here. Testing takes place this weekend with the Roar test Friday through Sunday, with the Rolex 24 at Daytona race itself taking place on January 30-31.
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