Track Notes: Rolex 24 Preview, Dakar Dominance, F1 Livery Drops & Chili Bowl Chaos
Written by: Front Row Kenny and T. Walker.
Rolex 24 looms with Porsche pacing IMSA tests. Team Defender Rally sweeps Dakar 2026 Stock class 1-2-3. F1 teams unveil 2026 liveries while Chili Bowl sees Axsom win, Larson crash.
Endurance & Legends
Not all major racing series have returned yet, but this weekend delivers the Rolex 24 at Daytona. IMSA testing during the Roar Before the 24 saw Porsche set the early benchmark. BMW drivers recorded the fastest lap time on day one. The full 24-hour race kicks off with Will Power in the field for his first attempt. Connor Zilsch, Colton Herta, and Scott Dixon also compete for the Rolex watches awarded to winners. Porsche Penske Motorsport will exit the World Endurance Championship to focus solely on IMSA and Formula E next year.
While endurance racing heats up, NASCAR pauses to celebrate its legends. The Hall of Fame inducts its class of 2026 no matter what the weather brings. Kurt Busch enters as the 2004 Cup Series champion. Harry Gant joins him as the oldest driver to win a Cup race and a two-time Southern 500 champion. The late Ray Hendrick will also receive his honor after victories in more than 700 Modified and Late Model races.
F1 2026 Unveils & Dakar Rally
Many Formula 1 teams have unveiled their 2026 cars as new regulations take effect. Audi revealed its factory team livery during an event in Berlin. Red Bull and Ford introduced the RB22 power unit at a launch in Detroit. Haas displayed its white-heavy VF-26 design with colors from partner Toyota Gazoo Racing. Cadillac drivers completed their first on-track laps at Silverstone. Honda and Aston Martin confirmed their engine partnership during a joint event in Tokyo. Teams are preparing for shakedown tests at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from January 26 through 30. Mercedes already voiced concerns about potential loopholes in the new engine compression rules.
WATCH: Dakar 2026 – Ultimate Highlights
Team Defender Rally rewrote the script at Dakar 2026 in their debut at the world’s toughest off-road event. Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal took first in the Stock class with a total time of 58h 09′ 45”. Sara Price and Sean Berriman locked down second, while Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge held fourth after 14 grueling days of Saudi desert punishment. The three Defender D7X-R crews racked up 24,000 combined kilometers and grabbed a 1-2-3 podium across 10 of 13 stages. Rokas said it best: dreams come true, thanks to mechanics working through the night. Next up for them, the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in March.
Quick Hits & Newsletter
Elsewhere in the mix, Dodge confirmed only the Hellcat Charger keeps its Hemi engine while Apollo unveiled the EVO track-day hypercar. At the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals before a sellout Tulsa crowd, Emerson Axsom captured the A-Main win. Kyle Larson crashed out on lap 15 of that main event chasing a Golden Driller repeat, while defending O’Reilly champ Jesse Love had flipped earlier in prelims but walked away unscathed.
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