The Rolex 24 At Daytona, the traditional curtain-raiser to the international racing season, roars into life this weekend, and RACER is bringing you a free primer on all the action.

Click here for a 22-page digital magazine experience that brings you the all the storylines ahead of a 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season that’s shaping up to be a classic.

With plenty of changes during the off-season, including new teams, new drivers, and even a new class in the shape of LMP3, get yourself up to speed before the 49-car field takes the green flag on Saturday afternoon for 24 hours of ultra-competitive racing.

In DPi, get set for another three-way brawl between Acura, Mazda and Cadillac, but with several new teams and drivers in the mix. And watch out for some star firepower making Rolex 24 one-off appearances.

Over in GT Le Mans, Corvette Racing is the only factory team running the full season, but the WeatherTech Racing Porsche, Risi Ferrari and the enduros-only BMW squad will be pushing them hard at Daytona.

And where do you even start with GT Daytona? Picking a favorite from the 19-car field of GT3-based machinery is next to impossible, but allow us to fill you in on at least a few of the prime candidates.

Same goes for the series’ other two prototype classes, with LMP2 welcoming an ultra-close 10-car entry, and LMP3 making its WeatherTech Championship debut in the longest, most unpredictable race of the season.

NBC Sports has complete flag-to-flag coverage of the event, beginning on NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday (10 minutes before the green flag), moving to NBCSN for stints running from 4:30-8 p.m. Saturday, 11 p.m. Saturday-3 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, before NBC picks coverage back up from 2 p.m. to the race completion.

The entire event, including those few hours not airing on NBC or NBCSN, will stream live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App.

And don’t forget to follow RACER.com’s comprehensive coverage of the race, including hourly reports, videos, news and analysis.