F1 ruling is still pending, so Andretti focuses on the Daytona Rolex 24

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — So long as he can’t get Andretti Global onto the Formula One grid — seemingly a long shot at this stage — Michael Andretti has turned his attention to other areas for his expanding motor sports program.

First up is the Andretti Autosport debut in this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. A partnership with IMSA stalwart team Wayne Taylor Racing puts Andretti on the grid in the top GTP class for the most prestigious sports car race in North America and an eventual shot to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“It’s no secret that the one thing missing from our racing portfolio was IMSA sports car racing,” Andretti said ahead of the twice-round-the-clock endurance race that begins Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.

The partnership with Wayne Taylor was announced in December, and although both teams said negotiations were quick and the deal seamlessly completed, it was a bit of a surprise considering how focused Andretti has been on landing an F1 team. His 2021 failed attempt to purchase an existing F1 team led Andretti to petition governing body FIA to expand the grid to allow him to enter two cars.

Existing teams have pushed back hard on the Andretti request, and F1 simply states repeatedly that Andretti is not the only person interested in starting an F1 team. Andretti’s latest positioning was an agreement announced with General Motors that would pair him with the top automaker in the United States.

The GM partnership, along with the Andretti name, theoretically makes Andretti’s bid even more appealing as F1 expands to three races in 2023 across the U.S.

But as he waits, Andretti continues to build his empire. He broke ground late last year on what will be a state-of-the-art facility in Indiana that Wayne Taylor will move into when complete.

And Andretti will open a busy year on the Daytona grid, where his father, Mario Andretti, became one of only four drivers in history to win both the Daytona 500 and Rolex 24. Michael Andretti ran the Rolex three times in his career; Taylor won the Rolex twice in his career as a driver and four times as a team owner, most recently in 2021.

When the Rolex ends, Michael Andretti will shift to California for IndyCar testing next week as the IMSA program expands the Andretti brand into seven different racing series in 2023. That tally doesn’t include the driver development program Andretti runs for the late Dan Wheldon’s two young sons.

This weekend alone, Andretti will be…