Coverage Begins this Weekend with Motul Pole Award 100 on NBCSN; Three Hours of Rolex 24 Coverage Airing on NBC Network
By Jeff Olson
IMSA NewsWire
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NBC Sports saw significant gains in viewership for its broadcasts of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races in 2020. This weekend, it will attempt to continue that growing momentum as the 2021 season gets underway.
Live coverage begins Sunday with the Roar Before the Rolex 24’s inaugural Motul Pole Award 100 race on NBCSN. The 100-minute race determines the starting positions for the 59th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31.
The Motul Pole Award 100 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona will draw some of the best drivers from all forms of motorsports — NASCAR’s Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon, IndyCar’s Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi — as well as WeatherTech Championship regulars like Ricky Taylor, Renger Van der Zande and Ryan Briscoe.
Former NASCAR star driver, Jimmie Johnson, will also take part in the Rolex 24, as will Kevin Magnussen, who is making the transition from Formula One to IMSA.
Dave Burns, Calvin Fish and Kevin Lee will lead NBCSN’s broadcast of the Motul Pole Award 100 qualifying race at the Roar Before the 24 on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona begins Jan. 30 at 3:30 p.m. on NBC, which will host the start and finishing hours of the 24-hour race.
Coverage of the 2021 season resumes March 20 with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts. The remaining 10 races of the season — including events at Watkins Glen International, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta — will be offered across NBC Sports’ platforms.
Overall, NBCSN will offer more than 51 hours of programming of WeatherTech races during the 12-race 2021 season, with nine hours of programming set for NBC network.
Among the highlights of live IMSA coverage on NBC are first hour and final two Hours of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, three hours of the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR at VIRginia International Raceway on Aug. 22, and the first three hours of the Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 9.
| Date | Event | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sun., Jan. 24 | Motul Pole Award 100 | NBCSN | 4:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Rolex 24 At Daytona | NBC | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Rolex 24 At Daytona | NBCSN | 4:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Rolex 24 At Daytona | NBCSN | 11 p.m. |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Rolex 24 At Daytona | NBCSN | 6 a.m. |
| Sun., Jan. 31 | Rolex 24 At Daytona | NBC | 2 p.m. |
| Sat., March 20 | Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., May 16 | Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio | NBCSN | 2:30 p.m. |
| Sat., June 5 | Detroit Grand Prix | NBCSN | 1 p.m. |
| Sun., June 27 | Six Hours of the Glen | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., July 4 | Sportscar Grand Prix (CTMP) | NBCSN | Noon |
| Sat., July 17 | Northeast Grand Prix* (Lime Rock) | NBCSN | 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Aug. 8 | IMSA Sportscar Weekend* (Road America) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Aug. 22 | Michelin GT Challenge at VIR | NBC | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 12 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | NBCSN | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 25 | Grand Prix of Long Beach | NBCSN | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 9 | Motul Petit Le Mans | NBC | Noon |
| Sat., Oct. 9 | Motul Petit Le Mans | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
*Same day-delay
Note: all coverage streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
Live streaming coverage of all races throughout the 2021 season will be available exclusively on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.