2017 Mazda RT24-P | Mazda


What do Rolex, Dodge, and Ferrari have in common? They all owe a big part of their legacy to Daytona Beach, Florida, a small city that happens to be “the birthplace of motorsport.” Daytona is where NASCAR was born, driving right there on the hard sand beach. Rolex named its iconic watch after the place once it noticed how popular its chronographs were with drivers. A few years later, the first 24-hour event there was won by a Ford GT40 in 1966. A year after that, thanks to its one-two-three finish there, Ferrari simplified the name of its new grand tourer, the 365 GTB/4, to the Daytona. And by the end of the decade, the cutthroat competition at stock car events led Dodge to launch the Charger Daytona, a 200-plus mile-per-hour aerodynamic stock car that radically changed the sport and has gone on to become a muscle car legend.
So to say the place is hallowed ground for gearheads is something of an understatement, but it’s no museum piece either. Daytona International Speedway is not only home to the largest NASCAR event of the year (the Daytona 500), but also the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona: The start of the IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, which pits some of the most formidable cars in the world against each other through some of the most grueling races in America. And while the cars will duke it out at other iconic circuits like Sebring, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Daytona is the one to watch. Daytona is the big debut — the one that often sets the tone for the entire season. And with the arrival of a new generation of endurance racers, this year’s competition was truly something special.