Porsche clinches victory at the Daytona 24h after an intense battle with Cadillac, while Acura takes third place. In the LMP2 class, Era Motorsport emerges victorious after a fierce competition among five cars. Risi Competizione Ferrari secures the win in the GTD class, with the Pro category witnessing a close fight between Ferrari and BMW. Various teams faced major challenges and setbacks throughout the race, including mechanical issues and on-track incidents.
After 21 hours of racing at the IMSA SportsCar Championship season opener, the #7 Porsche Penske led the pack with an 8.3s advantage, followed by the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac. The Porsche team made a strategic move to overtake the Cadillac, extending their lead before a caution period. In LMP2, Era Motorsport maintained its lead, while Ferrari took the lead in the GTD Pro class with a strong performance from driver James Calado.
At the Daytona 24h, the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac took the lead from the #6 Porsche Penske amid penalty drama, with Mathieu Jaminet serving a 10-second stop/go penalty for exceeding energy limits. In LMP2, the #03 CrowdStrike by APR Oreca 07 moved into the class lead after an on-track battle, while the #4 Corvette led in GTD Pro after the #1 Paul Miller BMW pitted.
At the Daytona 24h, Porsche leads Cadillac as both BMWs face trouble, with Porsche's #6 Penske team battling fiercely with Action Express Racing Cadillac. In LMP2, Era Motorsport leads, while Ferrari takes the lead in GTD Pro.
In the fourth hour of the Daytona 24h race, Porsche surged past Cadillac to take the lead, with Campbell leading by 12s over Derani at the six-hour mark. In the LMP2 class, Crowdstrike and United Autosports ORECAs engaged in an intense battle, with Felipe Massa making an impact on his series debut. Meanwhile, McLaren faced disaster with a front-right upright problem, allowing BMW to lead the GTD field.
Acura takes the lead from Cadillac after a crash-filled opening at the Daytona 24h race, with Acura's Ricky Taylor leading the pack. In the LMP2 class, George Kurtz leads for Crowdstrike, while Lexus initially led in the GTD Pro class but lost its entry to a crash, allowing Aaron Telitz to take the lead.
