Rolex 24 At Daytona | How to watch events during Roar test weekend; the Peacock is back!
Lest you think this weekend is just a warmup for drivers and teams, think again.
The TV folks also need to shake off the offseason rust and get the legs — and camera tripods — back under them.
And that’s good news, maybe, because there’s some actual competition to be televised from this weekend’s testing for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
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We say maybe because it’s not your traditional broadcast television opportunity, but instead through IMSA.com’s online feed and NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. You may know Peacock as the “channel” that carried last weekend’s Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game you couldn’t find.
On tap are a pair of 45-minute races from IMSA’s VP Racing series, as well as official Rolex 24 qualifying to set the lineup for the Jan. 27-28 endurance classic.
Here’s this weekend’s coverage lineup:
Saturday: IMSA and Daytona whip out a pair of checkered flags already
2 p.m.: VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, 45-minute race (IMSA.com and Peacock).
Sunday: Rolex 24 qualifying caps the weekend ‘Roar’ at Daytona
12:15 p.m.: VP Racing SportsCar Challenge (IMSA.com, Peacock).
1:25 p.m.: Rolex 24 At Daytona qualifying (IMSA.com, Peacock).
Rolex 24 will be carried by three NBC properties
While Peacock and IMSA.com will stream all 24 hours of next weekend’s Rolex 24, 18 of the 24 hours will be broadcast on NBC or its cable cousin, USA.
That NBC-USA coverage includes Saturday's first six-plus hours, from 1:40 p.m. to 8 p.m., as well as Sunday's final seven-plus hours, from 6 a.m. to the 1:40 p.m. checkers.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rolex 24 At Daytona | Peacock flies again; to broadcast qualifying