DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Roger Penske kicked off the 60th anniversary of his team with a victory in the first race of the year — a remarkable third consecutive win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The Penske team has now become the third outfit in the 64-year history of the United States’ most esteemed endurance race to claim three titles in a row. The Porsche Penske Motorsports team now stands alongside Chip Ganassi Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing as the only teams to achieve three straight sports car wins at Daytona International Speedway.
also, this victory marked the 21st time Porsche has triumphed in this event.
What is particularly noteworthy for the 88-year-old Penske is that the team secured these three wins using three different driver lineups; Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr, the team’s closer, is the sole constant across all three entries.
“The driving he’s done for us, at the end, that was probably one of the best drives I’ve ever seen,” Penske remarked on Sunday.
This marked Porsche’s fifth overall Rolex victory and the 46th IMSA win for Penske.
It wasn’t an easy feat for Nasr, who competed in front of what Daytona officials deemed the largest Rolex crowd in race history, skillfully fending off the Cadillac from Action Express Racing during the final hour to clinch the title. Action Express, owned by NASCAR and IMSA chairman Jim France, originally secured pole position but was disqualified in post-qualifying checks.
This disqualification forced the No. 31 Cadillac to start from the back of the class, and the lineup of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Fred Vesti, and up-and-coming NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch managed to work their way to second place over the 24-hour race.
Nasr and Aitken closed the races for their respective teams. Aitken had several opportunities to overtake Nasr for the win in the final 25 minutes, yet Nasr successfully shut the door on him each time.
Nasr celebrated victory with an upgraded No. 7 Porsche 963, teamed with Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich, finishing ahead of the Cadillac by 1 minute, 0.569 seconds.
“It’s a moment I dreamed of — the desire to win is what drives you to go above and beyond,” Nasr stated. “I love this sport, I love this series, and the 24-hour race being decided in the last few minutes is simply amazing.”
Nasr’s accomplishment marks six consecutive years that a Brazilian driver has been part of the winning team, with four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves also securing victories in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The No. 24 BMW M Team WRT secured third place in the top GTP class, driven by Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, and Rene Rast.
A caution was issued for foggy conditions just before 1 a.m., lasting for a record-setting 6 hours, 33 minutes, and 25 seconds covering 120 laps. The duration of the caution was so extended that Penske, known for his commitment to remain awake and present in the pit stand throughout the entire 24 hours, took a brief midrace break.
The Rolex serves as the unofficial opener to the motorsports season, featuring this year 60 cars from 12 manufacturers, 228 drivers from 32 countries, and no clear frontrunner.
In the LMP2 Class, Crowdstrike Racing by APR triumphed in an Oreca LMP2 07, with a driver lineup of George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery, and Malthe Jakobsen. Interpol Europol Competition placed second and third with a pair of Oreca LMP2 07s.
In the GTD Pro Class, Paul Miller Racing won in a BMW M4 GT3 EVO. The Australian 75 Express team, which included IndyCar star Will Power in his Rolex debut, finished second in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 while Winward Racing took third in another Mercedes-AMG GT3.
In the GTD Class, Winward Racing also emerged victorious in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, followed by Magnus Racing in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO in second, and the Heart of Racing Team in another Aston Martin rounding out the top three.
