Starting lineup grid for the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona

Defending race winner Meyer Shank Racing will be on the pole position in the starting lineup for the 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona, seeking to begin a new era in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship the same way the team started the last.

The No. 60 Acura bookended the 2022 season with victories in the Rolex 24 (the second for team co-owner Mike Shank) and the Petit Le Mans season finale, winning the final championship in the DPi class.

The premier prototype category has been rebranded as Grand Touring Prototype and will feature new hybrid engines that have doubled the number of manufacturers competing for the overall victory. With Acura and Cadillac returning from DPi last season, Porsche and BMW also will enter GTP for the 24-hour season opener Jan. 28-29 (which will be broadcast and streamed across NBC, USA and Peacock).

STARTING GRID: Click here for the Rolex 24 lineup l Lineup by car number

ROLEX 24 DETAILS: How to watch, entry lists schedules for the IMSA season opener

After Tom Blomqvist won his fourth career pole in IMSA’s top class and the third for the team in the Rolex 24, MSR’s No. 60 Acura ARX-06 will start first ahead of the No. 7 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsports.

The No. 10 Acura ARX-06 of Waye Taylor Racing will start third, followed by the No. 01 Cadillac V-LMDh of Cadillac Racing with Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac Racing’s No. 02 V-LMDh.

The No. 31 Cadillac V-LMDh of Whelen Engineering Action Express Racing will start sixth ahead of BMW M Team RLL’s pair of BMW M Hybrid V8s.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN GTP: Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off new golden era for sports cars

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 Porsche 963 will start last among the nine GTP cars after crashing in qualifying on the 12-turn, 3.56-mile road course.

The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA will start 10th after winning the LMP2 pole position.

Starting positions for pole-sitters in other categories: the No. 33 Ligier JS P320 of Seach Creech Motosport (LMP3) will start 20th, the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Winward Racing will start 29th, and the No. 79 Mercedes-AMG GTE of WeatherTech Racing will start 32nd.

Click here for the Rolex 24 at Daytona starting lineup grid

Click here for the Rolex 24 at Daytona starting lineup grid by car number

That’s #Rolex24 POLE POSITION for the No. 60 MSR Acura! #DRVPNK // #Roar24 pic.twitter.com/DRnPI76O3l

— Meyer Shank Racing (@MeyerShankRac) January 22, 2023

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Starting lineup for 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

Read more about Motorsports

Read more about SuperMotocross