Team Chevy Ticks a Box as the Newly Unveiled Corvette GT3.R Is Set to Start Within Top-10 for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Smooge Racing is revving up to make a splash in 2024, debuting with two Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVOs in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series opener. The event is set to take place at Daytona International Speedway on the frosty morning of January 26. And, for the first time, there are no full-time NASCAR drivers taking a spin in the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year. The last NASCAR star to blaze the track in this event was 2022 Daytona 500 champ Austin Cindric, who represented NASCAR solo for the past two seasons.

But NASCAR isn’t totally off the radar. We’ve got Bubba Wallace and John Hunter Nemechek gearing up for the four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge warmup race in their Toyota GRs. However, as of now, the spotlight seems to have shifted a bit from Toyota. This time, it’s the Chevrolet drivers turning heads. They’re making a roaring entrance into the IMSA Racing WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, starting from within the top 10 of an impressively stacked GT field in Saturday’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Chevrolet’s new speedster is already showing some serious promise in the qualifying rounds

Pipo Derani was the star of the show at IMSA qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, clocking a blistering lap of 1:32.656 in his No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-LMDh. But, as per the qualifying results and what Team Chevy’s latest post reveals, their new Corvette Z06 GT3.R is not far behind, already in the top 10 at the Northeast Grand Prix. Antonio Garcia, behind the wheel for Pratt Miller Motorsports, strutted his stuff in Sunday’s 15-minute qualifying dash, capping off the RoarBeforethe24 weekend. Despite a red flag cutting short their time on the track, Garcia managed a nifty 1:44.786 in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

His wingman, Tommy Milner in the No. 4, was hot on his heels with a time of 1:45.215. The competition in the class was tighter than a drum, with the top 10 GTDPRO cars all within a whisker of each other. And let’s not forget the new kids on the block, AWA Racing, bringing their two Corvettes to the GTD class party. Corvette’s fresh-faced ace, Nico Varrone, in the #17, snagged ninth in class with a lap of 1:44.959, hot off his Rolex 24 win last year in the LMP3 class with AWA. His teammate, Matthew Bell, clocked in at 1:45.206 in the #13, landing 14th in class.

Looks like Chevy’s off to a flying start this season, judging by these qualifying results. And with a dozen Indycar drivers thrown into the mix, it’s going to be a nail-biter to see how they fare on the track.

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Indycar drivers in the Rolex 24 at Daytona

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As per nbcsports.com, leading the pack is the reigning IndyCar champ Alex Palou, who’ll be taking the wheel of the #1 Cadillac Racing entry, courtesy of his IndyCar boss, Chip Ganassi. Then the current Indy 500 king, Josef Newgarden, will make his second Rolex 24 appearance, but this time he will be stepping up to the big leagues in the premier GTP category with Porsche Penske Motorsport.

We’ve also got the six-time IndyCar champ, Scott Dixon, ready to burn rubber in the Cadillac V-Series.R for Cadillac Racing. Plus, the seven-time IndyCar victor, Colton Herta, will be in the driver’s seat of the Acura ARX-06 for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti. The line-up gets even more star-studded with Marcus Ericsson, another Indy 500 winner, also gearing up in the Acura ARX-06 for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, while Tom Blomqvist will take the helm of the Cadillac V-Series.R for Whelen Cadillac Racing.

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These speed demons will be testing their mettle in the GTP hybrid prototype at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. And, with IndyCar planning to switch to hybrid engines in the latter half of the 2024 season, this race is like a sneak peek into the future. But the field is packed with other IndyCar hotshots like Pato O’Ward, Scott McLaughlin, Felix Rosenqvist, Alexander Rossi, and Kyle Kirkwood.

With such an exciting lineup, which team, do you think, will win the race?