Photos courtesy Historic Sportscar Racing.

Since 1966, the Daytona International Speedway has been a proving ground for both production and prototype race cars. The cars that have emerged victorious after 24 hours of competition have become the stuff of legend, and that exalted list includes the Ford GT40, Porsche’s 907 and 917K, the Lola T70, Porsche’s 911 Carerra RSR and 935 and the BMW 3.0 CSL. Those who missed the opportunity to see these cars run over 24 hours back in the day will soon get a second chance, as Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) is adding a new 24-hour Daytona endurance event to its calendar this November.

Dubbed the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona, the inaugural event is scheduled for November 12-16, 2014, and is dedicated to models that have raced at Daytona in the past. The event will feature six period-correct race groups, each running on a rotating schedule that will see continuous competition from 1:00 p.m on Saturday, November 15, until 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 16. Entrants will run the full nine-turn, 3.56-mile circuit that incorporates both the infield road course and the banked tri-oval.

The six groups will cover every period from 1966 through 2010, ensuring that historic racing fans of all ages will find something of interest to watch. Group A will consist of sports racers, prototypes and GT cars from 1960-’72 (including Corvettes, early 911s and Ferraris); Group B will consist of production-based cars from 1973-’82 (including Corvettes, Porsche 934/935 Turbos, BMW 3.5 CSL, Porsche Carerra RS and RSR); Group C will consist of Group C and GTP cars from 1983-’93; Group D will consist of GT1 and World Sports Cars (such as the Ferrari 333SP) from 1994-’02; Group E will consist of cars from 2003-’08; and Group F will include HSR-approved racing sports and GT cars. Any car that falls within these categories (and meets the HSR’s safety regulations) will be eligible for competition, whether or not it originally ran at Daytona in period.

Though only a handful of drivers have been named thus far, it’s still an impressive list. Hurley Haywood will compete behind the wheel of a Porsche 911, as will Jochen Mass, Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and Porsche factory pilot Patrick Long. Dieter Quester will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, while Le Mans-winner Jurgen Barth will compete in a Porsche 907. Brian Johnson, a vintage racer who dabbles as the lead singer of AC/DC when not on the track, will compete in a Daytona Prototype, alongside Forest Barber, and Elliot Forbes-Robinson will run a Shelby Can-Am car.

Each group will race four one-hour sessions over the course of 24 hours, ensuring that fans get to see the cars run under a variety of conditions, day and night. Per HSR President David Hinton, the event has attracted a significant amount of interest from European teams, and over 140 entries have already been confirmed. Dorsey Schroeder, the HSR’s Competition Director (and a former Trans-Am champion) expects that the field will include everything from Audi’s Le Mans-winning R8 through Ford GT40s and Porsche 917s. The chance to see such cars run at speed, piloted by legendary drivers, doesn’t come along that often, making this an event not to be missed.

For more information on the inaugural Classic 24 at Daytona, visit Classic24Hour.com.