The first month of 2022 ends with the first major event in North American motorsports, and it is extra special this year. This will be the 60th 24 Hours of Daytona and there are 61 cars entered for this year's race, a 14-car increase from the year before.
This year's field is different with the GT Le Mans class and GTE-spec cars retired, and the GT field being entirely GT3-spec cars split between the GT Daytona Pro class and GT Daytona remaining pro-am. With this class structure change, there will be 35 cars between the two GT classes. GT Daytona Pro will have 13 cars while GTD will have 22 cars. Daytona Prototype international remains the smallest class with seven cars between five Cadillacs and two Acuras. There will be ten LMP2 entries and nine LMP3 entries.
Daytona is the opening round to the 2022 IMSA Sports Car Championship season, and we already have one race under its belt, with the 100-minute qualifying race setting the grid on Sunday.
The schedule remained relatively unchanged from previous IMSA seasons. After Daytona will be the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19 before Long Beach on April 9 for DPi and the two GT classes only. Laguna Seca hopes to have a spring date on May 1 with LMP2 rejoining the series ahead of Mid-Ohio on May 15, which will see LMP3 replace GTD Pro. On June 4, DPi and GTD will race at Belle Isle.
Watkins Glen starts the second half of the season, and all five class will be on track together for the six-hour race on June 6. A week later, every class but LMP2 plans on being at Mosport. The GT-only Lime Rock Park round remains July 16.
Every class will be together for Road America on August 7 before the second GT-only weekend at Virginia International Raceway on August 28. Petit Le Mans closes the season on October 1.
This is a transition season for IMSA ahead of the LMDh class introduction in 2023, but there is plenty to be excited about. We will look over all 61 entries for the upcoming 24 Hours of Daytona, why each entry could win this race, why each entry will not win this race, and full season prospects for each car.
Daytona Prototype international
#01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Drivers: Renger van der Zande, Sébastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Álex Palou
Why this car could win: If it wasn't for two tire punctures in the closing hours, the #01 Ganassi Cadillac might have won the 24 Hours of Daytona last year. This lineup has three previous Daytona overall winners in van der Zande, Bourdais and Dixon, plus the reigning IndyCar champion in Palou. There is not a weak link in this lineup, and Ganassi has a history of winning this race.
Why this car will not win: Palou is entirely new to the DPi class and could not be up to speed, forcing CGR to lean heavily on its other three drivers while other teams can go four deep for the entire race. That and tire punctures could come up again.
What to expect for the full season: Van der Zande has his third different co-driver in three seasons and fourth different in five seasons with Bourdais replacing Kevin Magnussen, who will focus on the Peugeot Hypercar program. Ganassi had a good year in 2021, as it returned to prototype competition, but it was not a quintessential Ganassi season. Cadillac is supporting this team. Bourdais can drive anything, and he is focused. This team will win multiple races and will likely lead Ganassi back to the top of the IMSA world.
#02 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Drivers: Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin Magnussen
Why this car could win: Bamber has two overall Le Mans victories, and Lynn has a 12 Hours of Sebring victory. Ericsson might not have raced at Daytona, but he did test the car last year in a reserve role just in case the additional driver was needed. Magnussen knows the car and did well last year. Ganassi has a history of winning with the least likely of its entries.
Why this car will not win: It is a bit of a rag-tagged group. Magnussen is the only driver with significant experience with the car. Ericsson has no endurance race experience.
What to expect for the full season: Bamber has IMSA experience but not much prototype experience, though he did win the World Endurance Drivers' Championship with Porsche. Lynn won his only IMSA start with Wayne Taylor Racing at the 2017 12 Hours of Sebring, but he has been bouncing sports car racing, most recently driving for Aston Martin in the FIA World Endurance Championship's GTE-Pro class. There will some good days, but a few times where this pair will be feeling things out.
#5 Mustang Samplings JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Drivers: Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loïc Duval, Ben Keating
Why this car could win: This car won at Sebring last season and Vautier and Duval are back together. Westbrook has a Daytona class victory with the Ford GT program and twice he has finished on the overall podium. Keating is pulling double-duty again at Daytona, splitting this DPi entry with an LMP2 entry. Keating has driven made different cars in many different classes.
Why this car will not win: Keating's double-duty efforts have been mixed, and he will likely do the bare minimum in terms of DPi time requirements early in the race but leave the team down to three drivers for majority of the race against some deep entries.
What to expect for the full season: After a lackluster 2021, Vautier will be paired with Westbrook. This is Westbrook's first full-time prototype ride since 2015 when he was second in the championship with Spirit of Daytona. It is hard to think this team will suddenly be a championship contender. It is fourth of four Cadillac entries. It should have a few good days but be off the podium more times than it is on it.
#10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05
Drivers: Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi, Will Stevens
Why this car could win: Because it has won the last three years at Daytona! It is a proven winner. It has won with Cadillac and Acura. Taylor and Albuquerque did a great job last year and nearly won the title. Rossi contributes positively to the team and Stevens has done well in the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and he has a 24 Hours of Le Mans class victory.
Why this car will not win: Because no team has ever won the 24 Hours of Daytona in four consecutive years. Numbers alone are against this team and there are other top entries in this class.
What to expect for the full season: Taylor and Albuquerque went to the wire for the championship last year and were possibly one block away from the title. It is Wayne Taylor Racing. They are not going anywhere. The team is going to win races, it will express frustration when the rulebook is accurately interpreted against its favor, and it will have a chance at the championship at Petit Le Mans.
#31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Drivers: Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike Conway
Why this car could win: Derani is the defending DPi champion, and he has won this race before. Conway just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and his second world championship with Toyota. Nunez has plenty of experience in this race having driven with Mazda.
Why this car will not win: It is the only three-driver lineup in a class filled with four-driver teams. Nunez is a big change to this trio. Daytona has not been kind to this team the last two years.
What to expect for the full season: Derani has Nunez replace Felipe Nasr, who has moved to the Penske Porsche program ahead of the 2023 LMDh launch. Nunez is good, but he is no Felipe Nasr. This car will still be competitive and win races. Derani will continue to be ruthless, but I have my doubts it can match what the Derani-Nasr duo accomplished.
#48 Ally Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Drivers: Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jimmie Johnson, José María López
Why this car could win: Rockenfeller, Kobayashi and Johnson all ran together last year and finished second. Kobayashi has been first, first and second in his three Daytona starts. He and López won Le Mans last year as well as the world championship with Mike Conway.
Why this car will not win: Though it has experience, this lineup isn't as sharp as some other teams. López will be running Daytona for the first time, and this is a new car for him. Rockenfeller only ran Daytona last year. There are now two Ganassi cars to worry about. It will be hard for this car just to be one of the top three Cadillacs let alone be the best of this seven-car class.
What to expect for the full season: This Action Express Racing entry will run the Michelin Endurance Cup races with Rockenfeller, Kobayashi and Johnson. It had a few good days in 2021. It could steal a victory. It will be interesting to see how the team handles Sebring with Johnson having to run the IndyCar race at Texas the following day.
#60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Racing Acura ARX-05
Drivers: Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist, Hélio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud
Why this car could win: Jarvis had some blistering success with Mazda and knows Daytona very well. Castroneves won this race last year and Pagenaud was runner-up. Blomqvist did exception in the FIA World Endurance Championship last year with Jota Sport.
Why this car will not win: This lineup is completely new. Meyer Shank Racing hasn't shown the same top pace as some of the other teams.
What to expect for the full season: Shank is seeing a shakeup with Jarvis moving over from Mazda and Blomqvist joining the team. Jarvis is a quality driver and does not make many mistakes. Blomqvist did well last year in LMP2 competition between WEC and Asian Le Mans Series. MSR was feeling out the Acura last year. Results could improve but still not see a leap forward.
LMP2
#8 Tower Motorsport Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: John Farano, Louis Delétraz, Rui Andrade, Ferdinand Habsburg
Why this car could win: Delétraz and Habsburg both had great years last year in LMP2 in WEC and the European Le Mans Series. Farano is back for another year in IMSA, and he was respectable in 2021. Andrade had three podium finishes in four Asian Le Mans Series races. This will be Habsburg's third Daytona start.
Why this car will not win: Delétraz and Andrade are Daytona rookies, and there are a few better lineups top to bottom in this class.
What to expect for the full season: Delétraz is coming off an ELMS LMP2 championship. Farano had good results last year and finally got a victory at Petit Le Mans. Pretty much every LMP2 entry looks good on paper. It will be a highly contested championship and Tower Motorsport will throw its weight around.
#11 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: Steven Thomas, Josh Pierson, Jonathan Bomarito, Harry Tincknell
Why this car could win: Bomarito and Tincknell have a great relationship from the Mazda program, including four podium finishes in all four Endurance Cup races last year with two consecutive victories to close out the Mazda program. Thomas did well in LMP2 last season. Pierson was fourth in the U.S. F2000 championship at 15 years old and he will be driving in WEC this year for United Autosports, where he will attempt to become the youngest 24 Hours of Le Mans participant.
Why this car will not win: It is hard to argue against this car, but this is Pierson's first endurance race, and he is 15 years old. This team could be spread thin going into the closing hours.
What to expect for the full season: Bomarito will lead this entry moving from the Mazda DPi program. Thomas nearly won the championship last year with Tristan Nunez, another former Mazda driver. This entry should be on top and could take the championship.
#18 Era Motorsport Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: Dwight Merriman, Kyle Tilley, Ryan Dalziel, Paul-Loup Chatin
Why this car could win: Era Motorsport won last year with this exact lineup. That's all you need. It also was second at Sebring and Era Motorsport won at Road America last year.
Why this car will not win: Repeat victories do not happen all the time and there might be a few strong entries.
What to expect for the full season: After being split with a European Le Mans Series program in 2021, Era will focus on IMSA in 2022. It should be competitive. Merriman has not been one of the stronger amateur drivers. It will be difficult to win the championship.
#20 High Class Racing Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: Dennis Andersen, Andres Fjordbach, Fabio Scherer, Nico Müller
Why this car could win: Andersen and Fjordbach have plenty of experience racing together. Scherer won twice in WEC last year with United Autosports. Müller has won in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
Why this car will not win: Andersen and Fjordbach haven't had the greatest success in other series. Müller's sports car experience is limited to mostly GT3 competition.
What to expect for the full season: High Class is moving to IMSA from WEC. The Danish team wasn't the strongest in WEC. IMSA might not have as many LMP2 entries, but the quality makes it hard to see how High Class will see great improvement from its WEC results.
#22 United Autosports Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: James McGuire, Guy Smith, Phil Hanson, Will Owen
Why this car could win: United Autosports wins everything in LMP2 racing, from WEC to ELMS. There is not a real weak link in this team. Smith has an overall Le Mans victory. Hanson has a Le Mans class victory, and won the Endurance Trophy for LMP2 drivers two seasons ago
Why this car will not win: McGuire is the least experience of the four. It is a long race, and anything can happen.
What to expect for the full season: United Autosports will contest the Endurance races, and it would not be a surprise if the team won multiple times in its short, four-race campaign.
#29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: Frits van Eerd, Giedo van der Garde, Dylan Murry, Rinus VeeKay
Why this car could win: Van Eerd and van der Garde have spent years racing together. VeeKay is coming off a good IndyCar season and ran Daytona last year with DragonSpeed. Murry had five podium finishes in LMP3 last season.
Why this car will not win: It is a new race for the team and half its drivers.
What to expect for the full season: The team is making a big change from WEC to IMSA full-time. However, Racing Team Nederland has been underperformed compared to expectations in WEC. It has a few good races and then falls off. This time could be one of the best in the class and control the championship or it could be off the podium on a regular basis. It should win a race or two, but its other results could be disappointing.
#52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: Ben Keating, Mikkel Jensen, Scott Huffaker, Nicolas Lapierre
Why this car could win: Keating and Jensen are defending LMP2 class champions. Lapierre is great. Huffaker has a good winning percentage in IMSA competition.
Why this car will not win: It is hard to make an argument against this entry. It is a 24-hour race, anything can happen, and someone just might be better.
What to expect for the full season: It looks like this will be only an Endurance Cup entry, as Keating will also run full-time in the GTE-Am class in WEC.
#68 G-Drive Racing by APR Aurus-Gibson
Drivers: François Heriau, Oliver Rasmussen, Ed Jones, René Rast
Why this car could win: Rast is quick in everything from sports cars to DTM to Formula E. Jones made his Daytona debut last year. Rasmussen has done well in a few European junior series. Heriau has won in the LMP3 class in the European Le Mans Series.
Why this car will not win: Half of this lineup is making its Daytona debut. Jones does not have any prototype experience. Rast is new to the car as well.
What to expect for the full season: Daytona-only.
#69 G-Drive Racing by APR Aurus-Gibson
Drivers: John Falb, James Allen, Luca Ghiotto, Tijmen van der Helm
Why this car could win: Falb is a successful gentleman driver. Allen has plenty of LMP2 experience and has won in the European Le Mans Series. Ghiotto is branching out to sports car racing after being an impressive driver in Formula Two. Van der Helm is 17 years out and raced in Formula Three last year.
Why this car will not win: Too inexperienced for Daytona.
What to expect for the full season: Daytona-only.
#81 DragonSpeed USA Oreca-Gibson
Drivers: Eric Lux, Devlin DeFrancesco, Patricio O'Ward, Colton Herta
Why this car could win: This feels like it should be a DPi entry, and it nearly was. Herta and O'Ward are two of IndyCar's brightest stars and both already have sports car success. DeFrancesco was respectable in Indy Lights, and he has run this race before. Lux has over ten Daytona starts.
Why this car will not win: This lineup almost feels too good to be true. It looks great on paper but could be tripped up on the asphalt.
What to expect for the full season: DragonSpeed will have an entirely different lineup at Sebring, with Henrik Hedman returning with Juan Pablo Montoya and Sebastián Montoya. Hedman and the senior Montoya will contest the full LMP2 season, as Daytona does not count toward the overall LMP2 championship. It is just another impressive entry in a Pro-Am class. Montoya is good, but DragonSpeed does have a history of living down to expectations. It could win a race and then not be on the podium the rest of the season.
LMP3
#6 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine-Nissan
Drivers: Efrin Castro, Moritz Kranz, Ayrton Ori, Joel Miller
Why this car could win: Miller brings over factory Mazda experience. Kranz has LMP3 success from around the globe. Ori has run the Daytona road course before.
Why this car will not win: There are stronger lineups in this class.
What to expect for the full season: Both Muehlner cars will only run Daytona.
#7 Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine-Nissan
Drivers: Mark Kvamme, Austin McCusker, Trenton Estep, Antoine Doquin
Why this car could win: Kvamme, McCusker and Estep all have plenty of experience from IMSA's support series.
Why this car will not win: The car had about three separate incidents in the 100-minute qualifying race. How will it last 24 hours?
What to expect for the full season: This was a late addition to the Daytona entry list, and its full season plans are unknown.
#13 AWA Duqueine-Nissan
Drivers: Orey Fidani, Kuno Wittmer, Lars Kern, Matthew Bell
Why this car could win: Fidani and Wittmer ran together in the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class last year.
Why this car will not win: This is the first race for this team in LMP3.
What to expect for the full season: AWA is moving up from the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class. Wittmer has won in IMSA's top series. Fidani is making a big step into the LMP3 class. There will be growing pains this season.
#26 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine-Nissan
Drivers: Nolan Siegel, Cameron Shields, Charles Crews, Ugo de Wilde
Why this car could win: Siegel and Shields have both driven in the Road to Indy system. De Wilde won races in ELMS and the Michelin Le Mans cup last year. Shields had the fastest time in class at testing last week.
Why this car will not win: The speed could be there, but the experience is lacking. Twenty-four hours is a long race, potentially too long for this group.
What to expect for the full season: This is a Daytona-only team.
#33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier-Nissan
Drivers: João Barbosa, Malthe Jakobsen, Seb Priaulx, Lance Willsey
Why this car could win: Barbosa is a past Daytona winner. Willsey got a taste for LMP3 racing last year. Priaulx was Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion in 2021. Jakobsen had good seasons in ALMS and ELMS last year.
Why this car will not win: I am not sure the experience is there to win this race.
What to expect for the full season: Barbosa and Willsey will be full-time. Things started well with a runner-up finish at Daytona, but Willsey pulled out halfway through the season, and results slid back in the two races following Daytona. There are a few stronger cars in this class. Race victories will be difficult. A few podium finishes would be a good season.
#36 Andretti Autosport Ligier-Nissan
Drivers: Jarett Andretti, Josh Burdon, Rasmus Lindh, Gabby Chaves
Why this car could win: Andretti showed good speed last year. Burdon has won in the Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 class. Lindh has been successful in the IMSA Prototype Challenge series while also being a forgotten Road to Indy hopeful. Chaves is an under-appreciated talent.
Why this car will not win: This team found a lot of ways to lose races last year in its limited IMSA outings. Twenty-four hours is plenty of time to screw something up.
What to expect for the full season: Andretti Autosport showed good pace last year in the few events it contested, but in each race, it did not have what it took over an entire race. Things should click a few times and Andretti Autosport should pick up a few victories.
#38 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier-Nissan
Drivers: Dan Goldburg, Hikaru Abe, Garett Grist, Nico Pino
Why this car could win: Grist has plenty of sports car experience after the last few years and Pino has been running junior formula series in Europe. Pino had the second fastest time in class from testing last week and the car started second in the qualifying race.
Why this car will not win: The car retired after 22 laps in the qualifying race and the depth doesn't stand up well to other lineups in this class.
What to expect for the full season: While running at Daytona, it appears Performance Tech's focus will be the IMSA Prototype Challenge season.
#54 CORE Autosport Ligier-Nissan
Drivers: Jon Bennett, Colin Braun, George Kurtz, Nic Jönsson
Why this car could win: This lineup has a lot of experience together. Bennett and Braun won at Daytona in the Prototype Challenge class in 2014 and were third overall in a LMP2 car in 2018. Jönsson strengthens this lineup with two decades of sports car experience from IMSA and beyond.
Why this car will not win: A mechanical issue prevent CORE from running the qualifying race. You would hope that is its one problem out of the way before the race, but it could bite the team again.
What to expect for the full season: Bennett and Braun were second in the class last year. CORE will be at the front again and pushing for the class championship.
#74 Riley Motorsports Ligier-Nissan
Drivers: Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, Kay van Berlo, Michael Cooper
Why this car could win: It won this race last year. Fraga and Robinson dominated this championship. Cooper has been one of the best drivers in the GT World Challenge America series for the last decade. Van Berlo won the 2019 ELMS LMP3 championship, has won in the Asian Le Mans Series as well and he was second in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship last year.
Why this car will not win: Repeating is hard to do, and something could go wrong.
What to expect for the full season: Robinson won the LMP3 championship last year, and he will be back with Fraga full-time. I don't expect much fall off, but the class will be more difficult than last year. The team will win fewer than five races.
GT Daytona Pro
#2 KCMG Porsche GT3R
Drivers: Laurens Vanthoor, Patrick Pilet, Dennis Olsen, Alexandre Imperatori
Why this car could win: It is a combination of Vanthoor, Pilet and Olsen, and Imperatori is not a bad driver either. This are some of the best drivers Porsche has to offer and they all have endurance race success. Vanthoor has won an IMSA championship in two of the last three years. Pilet won at Daytona in 2014.
Why this car will not win: It is a one-off program. Other than that, I don't have any other concrete reasons to give against this entry.
What to expect for the full season: KCMG will be at Daytona but could run other races later this season.
#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD
Drivers: Antonio García, Jordan Taylor, Nicky Catsburg
Why this car could win: This trio won at Daytona last year. García and Taylor won the GTLM championship the last two years. Taylor has won at Daytona in three of the last five years. There is too much successful to ignore.
Why this car will not win: It is the first race for the Corvette C8.R GTD and it is against thoroughly tested GT3 competition. Both Corvettes struggled in the qualifying race.
What to expect for the full season: García and Taylor won the final GTLM championship, but this is the first year of Corvette in this GT3-ish spec. Corvette will figure it out, but this class is much tighter than GTLM was last year. A championship could be out of reach, and this could be one of Corvette's worst seasons in a long time.
#4 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD
Drivers: Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy, Marco Sørensen
Why this car could win: This entry was second last year behind the #3 Corvette. Tandy and Milner won three of the final four races last year and made it a strong GTLM championship right until the end. Sørensen has twice won the GT World Endurance Drivers' Championship with Aston Martin.
Why this car will not win: Same as reason as the #3 Corvette, it is a new car and might not be ready for the fight.
What to expect for the full season: The #4 Corvette will not be full-time in the GTD-Pro class in 2022, as Corvette will have the #3 Corvette focused on the full IMSA season, while the #4 Corvette team of Milner, Tandy and Alexander Sims will be full-time in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE-Pro class.
#9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R
Drivers: Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr
Why this car could win: Pfaff was the GTD championship last year and it has drafted in two great Porsche drivers in Campbell and Jaminet, both of whom have already had endurance race. Campbell has a Le Mans class victory. Jaminet has been on the podium in two of his previous three Daytona starts. The team has added Nasr, reigning DPi champion.
Why this car will not win: Nasr is new to GT competition. He has the least experience with the car and it is a three-driver lineup. They cannot afford a weak link.
What to expect for the full season: Pfaff won the GTD championship last year and the Campbell-Jaminet duo is dangerous. It has all the talent in the world, and it should win multiple races. This is one of the championship favorites.
#14 VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3
Drivers: Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat, Kyle Kirkwood
Why this car could win: Hawksworth has been one of the quickest drivers in GTD for the last few seasons and is responsible for much of Lexus' success. Barnicoat has been a McLaren GT3 driver for the last few years with one success, but he also had good results in junior formula racing and won in the LMP2 class in the Asian Le Mans Series. Kirkwood has been with the program for the last few years, and he has won in nearly everything he has raced.
Why this car will not win: This is Barnicoat's first race with the team and Lexus does not have a great track record at Daytona.
What to expect for the full season: Hawksworth has been a frequent race winner in the GTD class. Barnicoat will be new to IMSA, but he has had success in many different series. Lexus should get a few victories and could be a championship contender the entire season.
#15 Proton USA Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Drivers: Dirk Müller, Patrick Assenheimer, Austin Cindric
Why this car could win: Müller won this race in 2017 with the Ford GT program, which came after a Le Mans class victory the year before. He has been one of the best GT drivers in IMSA for the last decade. Assenheimer has won races in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and has been a ADAC GT Masters regular. Cindric is one of the best road course drivers in NASCAR and has many laps on the Daytona road course in recent years. This car was third in the qualifying race.
Why this car will not win: There are many good cars in this class. This team feels a little rushed together. It is Assenheimer's first Daytona start and Cindric has not had much time in the car.
What to expect for the full season: A late addition to the Daytona grid, this car is a one-off entry.
#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Drivers: Ross Gunn, Álex Riberas, Maxime Martin
Why this car could win: Gunn is coming off a GTD Sprint Cup championship while Riberas is a known quantity in IMSA. Martin has won in the WEC and has plenty of endurance race experience.
Why this car will not win: It didn't quite have the pace to match the Porsches and the Mercedes in the qualifying race.
What to expect for the full season: Heart of Racing expands into GTD Pro with Gunn moving into the pro class with Riberas. Both are experienced and have had IMSA success. It should be a competitive entry, but this is a tight class. There is good chance a team win multiple races and be outside the top five in the championship.
#24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M4 GT3
Drivers: Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann, Nick Yelloly, Sheldon van der Linde
Why this car could win: Eng won this race in 2019. Wittmann and van der Linde both come over with plenty of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters success with van der Linde also have more sports car experience. Yelloly has spent the last few years driving in GT World Challenge Europe and ADAC GT Masters.
Why this car will not win: BMW took the bottom two positions in the qualifying race and that is an incredible mountain to overcome in a week.
What to expect for the full season: This is a new car, and it could be fast out of the box, or it could cause headaches. It doesn't appear BMW knows what the full-time lineups will be for either car. Eng has never been full-time in IMSA, neither has Wittmann or Yelloly. Yelloly and van der Linde ran the qualifying race but van der Linde has been announced for Daytona-only and Yelloly has been announced as an Endurance Cup driver.
#25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M4 GT3
Drivers: Connor De Phillippi, John Edwards, Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn
Why this car could win: BMW won in the GTLM class two of the previous two years. Edwards, Farfus and Krohn won this race together in 2020. De Phillippi and Farfus won this race together in 2019. BMW M Team RLL has had a car on a class podium for nine consecutive IMSA endurance races.
Why this car will not win: Same reason as the sister car above.
What to expect for the full season: Edwards, De Phillippi and Farfus are all IMSA experienced drivers. Edwards won the Michelin Endurance Cup in GTLM in 2020. Edwards and Farfus was on the podium in all four of their starts in 2021. De Phillippi was on the podium twice. I expect De Phillippi and Edwards to be split up at some point if both cars are full-time. If only the #25 BMW is full-time then this duo could be in a for a good season, but after the qualifying race results the team will have some work to do.
#62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3
Drivers: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon
Why this car could win: It is a quartet of WEC drivers, all of which have won their share of endurance races and Pier Guidi and Calado are reigning World GT Endurance Drivers' Champions.
Why this car will not win: It is a one-off entry, and the car was 11th in the qualifying race.
What to expect for the full season: Risi's season is unknown beyond Daytona, but it is believed the team will at least contest the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.
#63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Drivers: Marco Mapelli, Andrea Caldarelli, Mirko Bortolotti, Rolf Ineichen
Why this car could win: Caldarelli and Mapelli are a championship pair from the GT World Challenge Europe series. Bortolotti and Ineichen both have their own endurance race success, including in this race. This team won the qualifying race after it appeared a Porsche or Mercedes was destined to take the victory.
Why this car will not win: The fastest car doesn't always win, any of the 13 GTD Pro entries could win, we will likely see nine of these cars still on the lead lap entering the final three hours, one slip late could be devastating in the race result.
What to expect for the full season: This will be Daytona-only.
#79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 GT3
Drivers: Cooper MacNeil, Julien Andlauer, Matteo Cairoli, Alessio Picariello
Why this car could win: Some of Porsche's best drivers are together and they ran well in the qualifying race.
Why this car will not win: The other Riley Motorsports entry in class is better. It will come down to what MacNeil does behind the wheel.
What to expect for the full season: MacNeil and Andlauer will be the full-time pair. MacNeil won a few races last year in GTLM. Andlauer has been one of Porsche's top young drivers for a few years now. MacNeil might not be the fastest driver, and GTD Pro is a deeper class than GTLM was last season. The #79 Porsche might get a victory but should take a step back.
#97 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Drivers: Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella, Maro Engel, Jules Gounon
Why this car could win: Some of Mercedes' best drivers are together and they ran well in the qualifying race.
Why this car will not win: The other Riley Motorsports entry in class is better. It will come down to what MacNeil does behind the wheel.
What to expect for the full season: This car will not be full-time.
GT Daytona
#12 VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3
Drivers: Frankie Montecalvo, Aaron Telitz, Richard Heistand, Townsend Bell
Why this car could win: All these drivers have experience with this car. Telitz has had great success in this car, albeit with Hawksworth as his co-driver. Bell has previously won the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT class, and he has won at Le Mans. This car was third in the qualifying race.
Why this car will not win: There are some stronger teams in this field. Lexus has a poor track record at Daytona, with only three top five finishes out of a possible ten since the program was introduced in 2017.
What to expect for the full season: With GT Daytona splitting into a Pro and Pro-Am class, this should be one of the class favorites with Montecalvo and Telitz full-time. Telitz had many victories with Jack Hawksworth. Lexus should continue winning races in 2022.
#16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R
Drivers: Ryan Hardwick, Zachary Robichon, Jan Heylen, Richard Lietz
Why this car could win: Heylen and Hardwick are coming off of a Michelin Pilot Challenge GS championship driving for Wright Motorsports. Robichon is coming off a GTD championship with Pfaff Motorsports. Robichon was first or second in the final five races of last season. Lietz is one of Porsche's most decorated GT drivers of the 21st century, including a Daytona class victory already to his name.
Why this car will not win: It gets beat straight up. It is hard to find a fault with this car, but it could just be another team's weekend.
What to expect for the full season: Heylen and Hardwick are already a championship pairing. The chemistry is there. Wright Motorsports could be a sleeper for this season. A few race victories would not be unthinkable.
#19 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Drivers: Bill Sweedler, John Megrue, Giacomo Altoè, Jeff Segal
Why this car could win: Segal and Sweedler together at Daytona in 2014 with Level 5 Motorsports. Altoè won the 2019 International GT Open championship.
Why this car will not win: There are just too many good teams.
What to expect for the full season: Depending on the Daytona results, this could be an Endurance Cup entry.
#21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3
Drivers: Simon Mann, Luís Pérez Companc, Nicklas Nielsen, Toni Vilander
Why this car could win: Nielsen and Vilander have been successful in WEC, and Vilander has his own outstanding résumé in North America. Pérez Companc and Mann have both competed in WEC and have run the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Why this car will not win: Strong professionals, not the strongest amateurs.
What to expect for the full season: This is a Daytona-only entry.
#27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Drivers: Roman De Angelis, Ian James, Darren Turner, Tom Gamble
Why this car could win: De Angelis is the defending GTD Sprint Cup champion. James and Turner and veterans that strengthen this lineup. Gamble has won in ELMS.
Why this car will not win: Aston Martin was not the quickest car in testing and struggled notably.
What to expect for the full season: The defending GTD Sprint Cup champions has expanded its program. De Angelis will not have Gunn, but Gamble as his full-time co-driver. Gamble is only 20 years old and his only IMSA start was last year at Petit Le Mans in LMP3 with United Autosports. Gamble has won in LMP3, but this is a new challenge, and the results are likely to dip compared to 2021.
#28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Drivers: Michael de Quesada, Daniel Morad, Linus Lundqvist, Maximilian Götz
Why this car could win: Alegra has won this race before. Morad and de Quesada have plenty of Daytona experience to lead the way. Götz is coming off the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship and he has raced endurance races all around the world. Lundqvist was third in the Indy Lights championship last year with a few victories.
Why this car will not win: This is a sleeper in the class. It could be beat straight up, but Alegra will put up a fight.
What to expect for the full season: It will be an Endurance Cup entry.
#32 Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Drivers: Mike Skeen, Stevan McAleer, Scott Andrews
Why this car could win: It was fifth in the qualifying race and all these drivers are experienced in IMSA competition.
Why this car will not win: It could be a team in turmoil after the dismissal of Guy Cosmo on Tuesday after he drove the car in the qualifying race! A fourth driver will likely be necessary to complete this lineup.
What to expect for the full season: This will be a full-time team after running four races last year. The results were not spectacular. There have been a lot of changes in the GTD class this year, and it could be open for some different cars at the front.
#34 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3R
Drivers: Kyle Washington, James Sofronas, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Klaus Bachler
Why this car could win: It is an all-around good lineup with Bleekemolen and Bachler leading the way. Sofronas has won his share of sports car races in a few different series.
Why this car will not win: It doesn't have the speed to keep up with the rest of the field.
What to expect for the full season: This will not be a full-time entry. GMG Racing will be full-time in Michelin Pilot Challenge's GS class.
#39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Drivers: Robert Megennis, Corey Lewis, Sandy Mitchell, Jeff Westphal
Why this car could win: Lewis is coming off a good season in GT World Challenge America, and he won at Daytona in 2020. Megennis is venturing into sports car racing after dabbling while running in Indy Lights. Mitchell was the 2020 British GT GT3 champion and was third in 2021. Westphal has won in IMSA before.
Why this car will not win: It is a little too inexperienced to think it will top this class.
What to expect for the full season: Megennis moves into the full-time role alongside Westphal. The team had a few top five results last year. CarBahn could make a move forward and get on the podium in a few races.
#42 NTE Sport Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Drivers: Don Yount, Benjamin Hites, Jaden Conwright, Markus Palttala
Why this car could win: It will be on the racetrack and Lamborghini has won three of the last four years in GTD at Daytona.
Why this car will not win: It might be the third best of four Lamborghinis in class and Lamborghini might be the fourth or best of nine manufactures in the class.
What to expect for the full season: NTE Sport is expanding to a full-time operation after running the Endurance Cup races last year. The full-time lineup has not been determined. The team is running a Lamborghini instead of an Audi. Expectations are low for this young team in a deep class. Top five finishes would be significant for this group.
#44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Drivers: John Potter, Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, Jonathan Adam
Why this car could win: It is a past Daytona class winner. This lineup has experience with one another. Adam has global success driving for Aston Martin.
Why this car will not win: There have been a rough few seasons for Magnus Racing and this is another new car the team is learning.
What to expect for the full season: Magnus Racing will focus on the Endurance Cup events.
#47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 GT3
Drivers: Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto, Antonio Fuoco, Alessio Rovera
Why this car could win: This lineup has run together in ELMS and WEC, in GT cars and LMP2 entries. Fuoco has won in Formula Two and other top junior open-wheel series, and he has transitioned nicely into sports car racing. Rovera won the Endurance Trophy for GTE-Am Drivers last year in WEC. Cetilar Racing competed last year at Daytona.
Why this car will not win: It was a mid-pack car last week in testing. It will be difficult to break ahead of the Mercedes.
What to expect for the full season: This is another Endurance Cup entry.
#57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Drivers: Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Mikaël Grenier, Lucas Auer
Why this car could win: It is the defending 24 Hours of Daytona GTD winner. Ward and Ellis have loads of experience together. Auer is a world-class driver that has won in the DTM. On top of it, this team won the qualifying race last week and Mercedes took four of the top six positions.
Why this car will not win: Repeating is hard to do, and this is Auer's first Daytona start with the Austrian having limited endurance race experience.
What to expect for the full season: Ward and Ellis will contest the full seasons. Those two ran in GT World Challenge America last year and were respectable while Ellis also ran in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and won a race. This will be a more difficult field than GTWCA, however, Winward could get on the podium a few times and a race victory is not crazy.
#59 Crucial Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3
Drivers: Lance Bergstein, Jon Miller, Patrick Gallagher, Paul Holton
Why this car could win: Holton and Gallagher have been successful in Michelin Pilot Challenge and have some experience in IMSA's top series. This car was second in the qualifying race. The McLarens showed good pace across the board in testing.
Why this car will not win: The 24-hour race is a lot longer than the 100-minute qualifying race. I don't know if the depth will be there for this entry.
What to expect for the full season: It is crucial to know Crucial Motorsports will be in the Endurance Cup races.
#64 Team TGM Porsche 911 GT3R
Drivers: Ted Giovanis, Hugh Plumb, Matt Plumb, Owen Trinkler
Why this car could win: This group has run together in the 24 Hours of Daytona before, and all these drivers have plenty of Michelin Pilot Challenge experience.
Why this car will not win: This class is too deep for the #64 Porsche.
What to expect for the full season: This will be a Daytona-only entry.
#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3
Drivers: Kyffin Simpson, Till Bechtolscheimer, Marc Miller, Mario Farnbacher
Why this car could win: Farnbacher is a two-time GTD champion driving an Acura. Miller and Bechtolscheimer have driven together in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series. Simpson is an up-and-coming junior series driver who has won in many categories in the United States.
Why this car will not win: It feels a little too inexperienced to win and it wasn't that competitive in the qualifying race.
What to expect for the full season: This will be another Endurance Cup participant.
#70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3
Drivers: Brendan Iribe, Frederik Schandorff, Ollie Millroy, Jordan Pepper
Why this car could win: Iribe and Millroy have spent the last few years racing together between the Asian Le Mans Series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and they won the International GT Open Pro-Am championship. Pepper won the GT World Challenge America championship with nine victories from 12 races.
Why this car will not win: This is the team's first time at Daytona. All four drivers are making their Daytona debuts. That is not a recipe for success.
What to expect for the full season: Inception Racing will be full-time for the first-time in IMSA. Iribe has experience in other series. This is a big leap into IMSA. Podium finishes will be hard to come by, let alone race victories.
#71 T3 Motorsport North America Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Drivers: Franck Perera, Mateo Llarena, Maximilian Paul, Misha Goikhberg
Why this car could win: Perera and Goikhberg bring the experience, and both have class victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Llarena is making his second consecutive Daytona appearance, as the Lamborghini junior driver competed in LMP3 last year.
Why this car will not win: There are too many better teams it must overcome.
What to expect for the full season: The German team will only be running at Daytona.
#75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Drivers: Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz, Raffaele Marciello, Fabian Schiller
Why this car could win: SunEnergy1 Racing has a history of showing up to endurance races and being competitive. This year is no different. Stolz and Marciello are two top quality GT3 drivers. This car was fourth in class last week in the qualifying race.
Why this car will not win: It will have stiff competition from the other Mercedes in class.
What to expect for the full season: As of now, this appears to be a Daytona-only entry.
#96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
Drivers: Robby Foley, Bill Auberlen, Michael Dinan, Jens Klingmann
Why this car could win: Foley and Auberlen is one of the best combinations in this class. Klingmann adds global endurance race experience and has a history driving for this team. Dinan has competed in the GT World Challenge America series.
Why this car will not win: It is stuck in its funk that cost Turner a shot at the GTD title last year. It already had an incident in the qualifying race.
What to expect for the full season: More race victories and another championship push. If it wasn't for a pair of difficult results late in 2021, Auberlen and Foley could have taken the title last year. This is the first year of the new BMW M4 GT3. There are a few unknowns, but Turner should be toward the front.
#98 Northwest AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Drivers: Paul Dalla Lana, David Pittard, Charlie Eastwood, Nicki Thiim
Why this car could win: Dalla Lana is one of the best gentleman drivers in the world. Eastwood and Thiim have both had success in WEC with Aston Martin. Pittard is an emerging young driver.
Why this car will not win: Pittard and Eastwood are new to this event. It has other stiff Aston Martin competition that it will have to beat first before it can win the class.
What to expect for the full season: This is a Daytona-only entry, but Dalla Lana, Pittard and Thiim will run together in the GTE-Am class in WEC.
#99 Team Hardpoint Porsche 911 GT3R
Drivers: Rob Ferriol, Katherine Legge, Stefan Wilson, Nick Boulle
Why this car could win: Legge and Ferriol spent last year racing together and Legge has won plenty of IMSA races. Wilson has raced in IndyCar and has won in Indy Lights. Boulle has Daytona experience.
Why this car will not win: There are better cars in this race. Wilson is new to sports car racing.
What to expect for the full season: Legge has multiple victories in the GTD class, and this will be the second season with Ferriol. There is a lot of room for improvement from 2021. Top five results will be great days for this duo.
There will be three practice sessions on Thursday January 27. Cars will first be on track at 11:05 a.m. ET for a 90-minute session. There will be an hour and 45-minute session at 3:20 p.m. before a night-time session at 7:15 p.m., also lasting an hour and 45 minutes. A one-hour warm-up session will take place on Friday January 28 at 11:20 a.m. ET.
The 60th 24 Hours of Daytona will begin at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday January 29.
