Qualifying drama defined Friday’s session at Daytona International Speedway for the 2026 Rolex 24 At Daytona, as Whelen Engineering Racing’s No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R — initially fastest overall with Jack Aitken’s blistering 1:33.939 lap (127.469 mph average) — was disqualified post-session for failing technical inspections. This elevated Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 93 Acura ARX-06, to GTP and overall pole with a 1:34.041 lap, just 0.102s shy of Aitken’s benchmark, setting up a front-row showdown with Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 40 Cadillac (Jordan Taylor) in second.
GTP Class Shake-up
The reshuffle placed Porsche Penske’s No. 7 963 LMDh (Felipe Nasr/José Andlauer/Louis Heinrich) fourth, 0.387s off the new pole, as the Penske squad hunts a third straight Rolex win despite hybrid energy deployment tweaks favouring the V6 hybrids on the 3.56-mile roval. Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 01 Cadillac (Filipe Albuquerque) slotted fifth, with the No. 02 sister car (Renger van der Zande) sixth — Ganassi’s pairing hinting at strategic depth for the 24-hour grind. BMW M Team WRT’s No. 24 and No. 25 entries (Rene Rast/Robin Frijns et al.) languished ninth and tenth, their M Hybrid V8s compromised by aero inefficiencies on the banking. Aston Martin’s GTP debut in the No. 007 AMR Vantage LMGT3-derived prototype starts last in class. The No. 31 Cadillac drops to the GTP rear, a brutal penalty underscoring IMSA’s zero-tolerance scrutineering
LMP2 Front Row
Inter Europol Competition’s No. 43 Oreca 07 Gibson seized LMP2 pole and 12th overall via a sharp 1:39.952 lap (128.221 mph), with AO Racing’s No. 99 Porsche-backed entry alongside on the front row — a pairing primed to harass GTP backmarkers in traffic. United Autosports’ No. 22 (Paul di Resta/Guy Smith et al.) took third in class, ahead of TDS Racing’s No. 11 and Bryan Herta Autosport’s No. 52.
GTD and GTD Pro Battles
GTD Pro pole went to Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports C8.R (1:45.106, 121.934 mph), edging Paul Miller Racing’s No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 Evo by 0.007s in a razor-edge pro/am showdown. GTD honours fell to Heart of Racing Team’s No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo (Zacharie Robichon/Marcelo Vieira et al.) with 1:45.113 — 40th overall and a whisker off GTD Pro pace — ahead of Winward Racing’s No. 57 Mercedes-AMG and Turner Motorsport’s No. 96 BMW. DXDT Racing’s No. 36 (Scott McLaughlin) and AF Corse USA’s No. 21 Ferrari 296 took fourth and sixth in GTD, while Romain Grosjean’s No. 16 Meyer Shank Lexus starts last in class and overall grid.
Implications for the 24 Hours
The 60-car field’s sub-second GTP spreads forecast chaotic early skirmishes, exacerbated by LMP2 interlopers and GTD traffic on restarts. Meyer Shank inherits momentum but faces Ganassi/Penske depth; Whelen’s demotion tests recovery resolve over double stints. BoP adjustments — clipping Ferrari power, lifting Aston ballast — tilt GTD toward endurance hauls. With balmy 26°C qualifying air yielding to Saturday’s forecast thunderstorms (race start ~13:40 EST), Daytona’s chaos multiplier looms. As Aitken reflected post-DQ: “Tech calls are final — now it’s about 24 hours of fightback.” IMSA’s scrutiny ensures parity; the roval’s banking will decide the rest
