McElrea will join IMSA SportsCar Championship full-timers Phil Fayer and Ben Hanley in the #2 car alongside Mikkel Jensen.

McElrea and Jensen join United Autosports off the back of two successful campaigns with TDS Racing, where they twice won the Indianapolis 8 Hour and Petit Le Mans in 2024 and 2025.

The sister #22 car will be driven by Daniel Goldburg, ex-Formula 1 driver Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh, and Gregoire Saucy.

United Autosports is co-owned by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and Richard Dean, the team’s CEO.

“Winning the 24 Hours of Daytona is a monumental achievement, and one which we are extremely proud of,” said Dean.

“Going for back-to-back victories is bold but with two driver line-ups that combine proven, race-winning United Autosports names and formidable new additions to the team, we are putting ourselves in the strongest possible position to lift that trophy once again in 2026.”

It marks a significant shift for United Autosports, year on year, with several drivers left out of the side.

Australian duo James Allen and Garnett Patterson were part of the 2025 Daytona 24 line-up. Other notable absentees include Intersport Racing-bound Oliver Jarvis and Nick Boulle.

The 2026 Daytona 24 takes place on January 22-26.