All articles tagged with #daytona
Austin Hill dominated the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway, starting from pole and leading 78 of 120 laps, then withstood three late restarts to beat Justin Allgaier by 0.081 seconds for his 15th career win and a fifth straight Daytona triumph for Richard Childress Racing as the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series kicks off the season.
Felipe Nasr piloted the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 to a third consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona victory, edging Jack Aitken by 1.569 seconds as Nasr’s co-drivers Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich helped seal the win amid nine cautions and dense fog.
Dense fog forced a six-hour safety-car period at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the longest in the race’s 64-year history, before racing resumed with Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Laurin Heinrich leading overall in the GTP class. Sebastien Bourdais led LMP2, Tommy Milner led GTD Pro, and Robby Foley led GTD with six hours to go; 55 of 60 starters remained active as NBC/Peacock and IMSA.TV prepared to air the finale.
Live updates from the Rolex 24 at Daytona show dense fog keeping the field under caution; the #7 Porsche leads GTP with the #6 Porsche and #31 Cadillac close behind, while pit stops, a drive-through penalty for the #60 Acura, and FCY laps shuffle GT/GTD as LMP2 leader Cameron extends his gap—race status remains under caution as visibility slowly improves.
Porsche led the opening six hours of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 ahead of the field, while the No. 93 Acura and No. 24 BMW pressed behind. AO Racing’s Jonny Edgar led LMP2, and GTD Pro saw BMW and Corvette near the front as Ferraris led the GTD class; the race featured five cautions and 55 of 60 cars still running as IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup points began to accrue.
The 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona kicked off with a tense battle between top prototypes. The pole originally held by Acura’s ARX-06 was nullified, handing the early lead to Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 963, and by Hour 5 the order featured the No. 7 Porsche 963 ahead of the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 and the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R, amid ongoing cautions and a notable GT-related incident as night falls on the 24-hour race, with NBC/Peacock providing the live coverage.
At Daytona, a field of IMSA’s top contenders—including Corvette Racing, Lexus/Vasser Sullivan and Turner Motorsport—pursues its first Rolex 24 victory, with near-misses, seasoned veterans, and new stars aiming to kickstart a championship bid in the brutal 24-hour classic.
IMSA President John Doonan touts rising momentum for the Rolex 24 at Daytona as the pre-race notebook runs through a mix of topics: an LMP2 leader-light system issue and planned overnight inspections, Penske’s driver decisions (no Newgarden or McLaughlin in that slot) and talk of not running a throwback livery on the 963, Penske’s Porsche 963 lineage, new tech and sponsorship partnerships (Sentronics, IMSA Labs, BDO), pace-car and safety-truck updates, and comprehensive race-day media plans with NBC/Peacock, plus Ford’s 125th anniversary celebrations and Laurens Vanthoor’s planned schedule.
Laurens Vanthoor led Rolex 24 at Daytona practice in the No. 6 Porsche 963 with a 1:36.475, in a session interrupted by three red flags. He beat Ricky Taylor’s No. 10 Cadillac V-Series.R by 0.066s; Dries Vanthoor was third in the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8, followed by Julien Andlauer’s No. 7 Porsche and Louis Deletraz in the No. 2 WTR Cadillac. Pole-position No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 was only tenth-fastest; the Heart of Racing Aston Martin had limited running due to issues. Charles Milesi led LMP2 in the No. 11 TDS Oreca 07; GTD Pro was led by Maro Engel in the Express Mercedes, GTD by Scott McLaughlin in the DXDT Corvette. Red-flag incidents involved a DragonSpeed Corvette, an Intersport Oreca and a Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. The Rolex 24 starts Saturday at 1:40 p.m.
Sixty cars across four classes and 228 drivers from 32 countries will compete in the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona, opening the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship; NBC will air the start at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday and finish coverage Sunday, with flag-to-flag streaming on Peacock and IMSA platforms.
Kaulig Racing named Tony Stewart as the first driver in its Free Agent Driver Program, placing him in the No. 25 Ram Trucks entry for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at Daytona on Feb. 13, marking Stewart's return to NASCAR competition in a Truck and Ram’s first Truck Series appearance in over a decade.
Tony Stewart is set to compete in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona, driving for Kaulig Racing.
The ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for January 8-10, featuring over 50 drivers from various racing backgrounds. The practice sessions are open for on-track activity with specific rules and a detailed schedule, but are not televised. Live timing and driver interviews will be available through ARCARacing.com and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, respectively.
The ARCA Menards Series announced its 2026 Road to Daytona participants, featuring a mix of grassroots champions and rookies from various racing series who will practice at Daytona International Speedway in January, with the season kicking off in February.
NASCAR rookie Connor Zilisch will compete in the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Action Express Racing, marking his third consecutive appearance in the race and his debut in the GTP class, as he continues to build his racing career across different series.