DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Add yet one more historic victory to Roger Penske’s iconic profession of excessive achievement. Staff Penske kicked off its sixtieth anniversary season Sunday with the general victory within the sixty fourth Rolex 24 At Daytona – Penske’s third straight win within the world-renowned sports activities automobile race.
It featured an all-time Rolex 24 report attendance on the Daytona Worldwide Speedway highway course to kick off the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Brazilian Felipe Nasr drove the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 throughout the end line 1.569 seconds forward of Brit Jack Aitken within the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Sequence.R after a very spirited battle via the ultimate hour between the 2.
The No. 24 BMW M Staff WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 was third, 21 seconds behind the winner, within the workforce’s first race operating the IMSA BMW GTP program.
“The driving that he’s completed for us and on the finish there, in all probability among the best drives I’ve seen,” Penske stated of Nasr. “ for our sixtieth it’s an enormous deal, and right here at Daytona, to have three wins right here is actually particular. Begins out the 12 months the correct means.”
The veteran Nasr’s work now equals and follows on the heels of fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves’s three consecutive general wins (2021-23) at Daytona’s well-known 3.56-mile highway course. Peter Gregg additionally achieved the feat when he gained three straight in 1973, ’75 and ’76 (there was no race in ’74).
Each Nasr’s co-drivers, German Laurin Heinrich and Frenchman Julien Andlauer, gained their first Rolex 24s and Andlauer achieved his first WeatherTech Championship win of any variety.
Plaudits have been earned for workforce and producer as effectively. Staff Penske tied Chip Ganassi Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing with its third consecutive win and forty sixth in any IMSA class. Porsche introduced dwelling its twenty first general Rolex 24 triumph, essentially the most of any producer.
“Three in a row, it’s only a very special occasion – I dreamed of that,’’ stated Nasr. “We had a battle all the best way to the tip with the (No.) 31. … I used to be simply attempting all I might as a result of I do know in these closing hours everyone seems to be utilizing every thing they’ve contained in the automobile, and the Cadillac was a robust automobile.
“The sector has such good drivers,’’ Nasr stated. “I’ve to acknowledge that the extent of this race is getting increased and better on this GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class. It was pure racing. I used every thing I had.”
Sunny skies and 70-degree temperatures – warmer-than-usual Rolex 24 climate – straddled a heavy in a single day fog on the observe that introduced out a full-course warning flag for six hours, 33 minutes – the longest in Rolex 24 historical past.
When racing resumed after the fog simply after 7 a.m. ET, the motion picked up accordingly. The Penske Porsches battled carefully with the BMWs and Cadillacs for the general lead and, as is so typical of this legendary race, the ultimate hours fed excessive drama.
Though the Nos. 7 and 6 Penske Porsches actually dominated the occasion statistically, combining to guide 521 of the 705 laps (74 p.c of the race), they needed to fend off a robust two-car BMW effort and a strong Cadillac displaying that additionally included a pair of Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing vehicles along with the runner-up No. 31 Cadillac Whelen entry – in addition to a persistent push from the two-car Acura Michael Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 effort that claimed pole place. 9 of the 11 GTP vehicles led laps.
Twice within the closing hour, Aitken was capable of pull inside lower than a half-second of Nasr, pulling alongside in a single explicit try and go heading into Flip 1. However Nasr was on his recreation, negotiating the 60-car subject all through the race and repelling Aitken’s makes an attempt to overhaul within the closing 60 minutes.
“The blokes throughout from the workforce within the pit field to my teammates did a unbelievable job to get us again right into a place on the finish of the race,’’ stated Aitken, who was vying to place the No. 31 Cadillac in victory lane for a 3rd straight WeatherTech Championship race relationship to the ultimate two of 2025. “The Porsches have been very sturdy all race, very spectacular. We tried to problem them finest we might and I received near them just a few instances.
“Simply actually, actually heartbreaking however we had nice runs and I’m happy with that,” Aitken added.
“I had a pair moments the place I caught my nostril in there, however it was at all times from only a bit additional again simply attempting to make one thing occur. I by no means received an excellent nice run on them. I used to be looking for a gap right here and there, and (there was) a effective line between making a spot open up and inflicting a little bit of an accident.”
The Rolex 24 is the primary of 5 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races on the 2026 calendar. By main in any respect 4 junctures when endurance factors have been awarded, the No. 7 Porsche has opened a big lead over the competitors.
