All articles tagged with #rolex 24
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.
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.
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.
The RACER Mailbag discusses IndyCar's engine options, IMSA's popularity, TV coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, red flag rules at the Indy 500, and the debate over the current IndyCar chassis, with a focus on the need for innovation and change in the series to keep up with its rivals.
The 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona ended prematurely due to an officiating error by IMSA, which led to the checkered flag being displayed early. The leading car, No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963, received the flag with 1 minute and 35.277 seconds still remaining, effectively ending the race one lap short of the planned 24 hours. While there was a possibility of a different outcome if the race had run the full 24 hours, it is unlikely that anything would have changed in the final 30 minutes.
Josef Newgarden expressed feeling "a little awkward" celebrating his Rolex 24 victory, emphasizing the collective effort of Porsche Penske Motorsport and deflecting credit to the team. This win comes after his 2023 Indianapolis 500 victory, making him one of the few drivers to achieve both within a year. Newgarden, primarily an open-wheel driver, described the experience as emotional and unfamiliar, highlighting the strong bond within the team and expressing pride in being part of it.
Felipe Nasr secured Porsche's victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, ending a 55-year drought for team owner Roger Penske. The win marked Penske's first overall victory at the endurance race classic and the first for Porsche at Daytona in 14 years. Nasr, along with teammates Matt Campbell, Dane Cameron, and Josef Newgarden, fended off challenges to claim the victory. The triumph also sets Penske's sights on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an event yet to be conquered by the legendary team owner.
Ford Performance's new Mustang GT3 made its debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with one car finishing sixth in the GTD Pro class while the other retired due to mechanical issues. Despite setbacks, Ford's global motorsports director Mark Rushbrook expressed optimism, stating that they learned a lot and are confident in addressing the issues. Driver Harry Tincknell praised the car's performance and reliability, expressing optimism for future races, particularly at Sebring.
At the Rolex 24, Hour 20, GT battles raged with Triarsi Racing leading in GTD due to a different pit strategy, while GTD PRO saw a fierce battle between Ferrari and BMW. In LMP2, Christian Rasmussen chased the lead, and Kevin Estre had a scary moment trying to overtake. Pfaff Motorsports retired due to issues, and class leaders after hour 20 were Felipe Nasr in GTP, Christian Rasmussen in LMP2, James Calado in GTD PRO, and Indy Dontje in GTD.