Aaron Steele was in superb form last season

The legendary Daytona International Speedway will provide the backdrop to the biggest race of Aaron Steele’s fledgling career this evening (Friday).

The Rochester-born driver will line up on the grid for the Grand-Am 200, one of the support races for the 50th running of the famous 24-hour race, which begins at the Florida circuit on Saturday.

Steele earned the coveted drive as part of the prize for a stunning season in the F3 Cup last year, where the 23-year-old was utterly dominant, winning 14 out of 18 races.

The race could be a potentially career changing moment for Steele, who would receive a huge amount of exposure in the States with a strong performance.

It will be a steep learning curve for the rising star. As well as learning an entirely new track, the 200-mile race will be contested by heavy Chevrolet Camaros, which are a far cry from the single seater racing with which he is more familiar.

Steele, whose research for the trip included getting to know the circuit on a Playstation game, received a boost last month when he underwent a test with the team at Daytona.

He said: “The nerves are starting and the excitement is growing.

“It was an added bonus to be able to test with the team at Daytona a few weeks ago and doing so has really helped to build my confidence up in driving on such a big circuit and in a completely different type of race car.”

The race starts at 6.30pm GMT on Friday.

Photo by PETER STILL