Rolex 24 at Daytona: Porsche’s Historic Three-Peat and Class Wins
Porsche Penske Motorsport clinched its third consecutive victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Felipe Nasr leading the charge to secure a hard-fought win against Cadillac Whelen’s Jack Aitken. The #7 Porsche 963, driven by Nasr, Julien Andlauer, and Laurin Heinrich, completed 705 laps amid a race notably impacted by a six-and-a-half-hour fog delay. Under clear skies in the closing hour, Nasr held off Aitken, finishing just 1.569 seconds ahead.
This victory marks a significant milestone: Porsche is the first manufacturer to achieve three straight wins since Acura (2021-2023), and Penske becomes the first team to do so since Wayne Taylor Racing (2019-2021). Nasr joins the elite ranks of drivers, becoming only the third to win three consecutive Rolex 24s, alongside Peter Gregg and Hélio Castroneves. Andlauer earned a victory in just his second IMSA appearance, while Heinrich claimed class victory in his debut.
The Action Express-run #31 Cadillac, with Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, and Connor Zilisch, finished in second place. The #24 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 team—featuring Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, and René Rast—secured third in their first IMSA GTP race.
In the LMP2 class, CrowdStrike Racing by APR triumphed with the #04 ORECA 07-Gibson, driven by George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery, and Malthe Jakobsen, executing a strong strategy to claim an overdue class victory.
The GTD Pro class was dominated by Paul Miller Racing’s #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, piloted by Connor De Phillippi, Neil Verhagen, Max Hesse, and Daniel Harper, marking their first class victory since 2020.
Winward Racing’s #57 Mercedes-AMG won the GTD category, with Philip Ellis narrowly beating Magnus Racing’s Nicki Thiim by 1.367 seconds in a thrilling final run. This marks Winward’s third class win in the last six years.
Key Results:
- Overall Winner: #7 Porsche 963 (Porsche Penske Motorsport)
- 2nd Place: #31 Cadillac (Action Express)
- 3rd Place: #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 (Team WRT)
- LMP2 Winner: #04 ORECA 07-Gibson (CrowdStrike Racing)
- GTD Pro Winner: #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Paul Miller Racing)
- GTD Winner: #57 Mercedes-AMG (Winward Racing)
As the dust settles on this year’s 24-hour endurance spectacle, teams and drivers will now focus on the upcoming IMSA season, following high-stakes performances that showcased resilience and precision on one of the sport’s grandest stages.
