From Indy NXT to Daytona: Rising Stars Target Rolex 24 Success
Ahead of the 2026 Indy NXT by Firestone season, a trio of drivers are set to compete in the IMSA 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona. All representing different nations and teams, and driving in different classes, each will be vying for their first big result in IMSA, with two making their maiden starts in the series.
Enzo Fittipaldi
The Brazilian contested in the European Le Mans Series previously, proving his ability behind the wheel of an LMP2 machine when his team took home third place in his first finish of the season, at Circuit Paul Ricard. A first-timer at the Rolex 24, Fittipaldi will be driving the #73 Pratt Miller Motorsports LMP2 alongside his brother, Pietro, as well as Chris Cumming and Manuel Espirito.
Though the PMM car was the only LMP2 to never see the top 5 last season out of the full time entrants, there is certainly reason to believe they could break into it right off the bat in Daytona, with the pair of Fittipaldi brothers behind the wheel. The endurance contest will be a nice warmup round for Enzo, as he prepares to make his debut behind the wheel of the HMD Motorsports #67 car for the coming Indy NXT season.
Nikita Johnson
For Johnson, perhaps turning laps and gaining experience will be the most valuable part of his IMSA debut at Daytona, with a team and driver lineup that consists of a lot of new and unknown variables. Johnson will pilot the #59 Team RLL McLaren GTD Pro, and will be joined by RLL Indycar reserve driver Juri Vips, former Formula 1 ladder driver Max Esterson, and Dean MacDonald, who will bring much needed experience to the team. MacDonald, a GT racing veteran of around a decade, may by far be the most tenured in a GT machine, but Johnson’s recent successes in FRECA, Formula 3, and the Road to Indy ladder at a young age have evidently gotten him on the radar of big teams like RLL’s.
Grouped with two other drivers coming from primarily single seater backgrounds to race for a new IMSA team, Johnson and company will be in for quite the challenge racing against longtime veterans of sportscar racing. Johnson is set for not only his debut start in the series, but his debut full time campaign— a campaign he will run alongside his Indy NXT obligations with Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR. The Floridian will be the only Indy NXT driver to run a full IMSA season alongside the full season on the Road to Indy ladder.
James Roe
Piloting the #80 Lone Star Racing GTD for the Rolex 24, and all other IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) races throughout the year, Roe— the only of the three mentioned drivers to previously race in IMSA— returns for 2026. Previously driving the Pratt Miller Motorsports LMP2 that Fittipaldi now steps into, Roe has set his sights for glory in the GTD class. Teaming up with Ralf Aron, Scott Andrews, and Lin Hodenius, Indy NXT’s most tenured active driver looks to bring Mercedes their second GTD class victory at Daytona in three years.
Roe will make a total of five starts for Lone Star Racing throughout the year, in hopes of getting his first GT victory since 2022 in the Italian GT championship. He will also drive the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing machine in the 2026 Indy NXT season— his fifth attempt for the series title.
Motorsports’ Opening Day
Though testing for a new season begins nearly as soon as the prior year ends, many consider the Rolex 24 to be the opening day for motorsports globally, and the first major race of the calendar year. For several up and coming talents in Indy NXT, it presents yet another key opportunity for them to get their name on the map. Though these three drivers will not be directly racing each other at Daytona like they will on 17 occasions throughout the year in Indy NXT, the stakes remain high for the Indycar hopefuls.
The Rolex 24 Hour Race at Daytona will be held on January 24-25, with first sessions taking place on January 21st. The race can be watched on IMSA TV outside the United States, and on NBC/USA/Peacock in America.
written by Owen White // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
