Felipe Nasr closed out a third consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona victory for Porsche Penske Motorsport, which became only the third team to achieve the feat in event history.
Fending off a furious charge by his former Whelen Action Express Cadillac team, Nasr again proved unflappable in the No. 7 963 and won by 1.569 seconds over Jack Aitken in the No. 31 at Daytona International Speedway.
Porsche Penske Motorsport joined Chip Ganassi Racing (2006-08) and Wayne Taylor Racing (2019-21) as the only teams to have won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener in three consecutive years.
Nasr joined fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves as drivers who have won the Rolex 24 at Daytona overall class in three consecutive years. Castroneves, the four-time Indy 500 winner, won in 2021-23. Peter Gregg (1973, 1975-76; no event held in 1974) is the third driver with three consecutive overall wins.
“It’s just a very special day,” Nasr told NBC Sports’ Matt Yocum while choking back tears in victory lane. “I dream of that. I knew we had a great car, a great team. I’m still trying to catch my breath. We had the energy to do it. I’m very proud of the whole team. I think now we can be smiling now for a couple of days. … It’ll be a day that I won’t ever forget.”
RESULTS: Click here for overall l By class
It’s the 64th running of the sports car classic, a 24-hour endurance event at the World Center of Racing.
Nasr, who co-drove with Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich, was hired three years ago after a secret meeting with team owner Roger Penske in a parking garage.
“He showed up in a blue suit, and I said he’s my kind of guy,” Penske told Yocum. “The driving he’s done for us, and at the end there was probably one of the best drives I’ve seen.”
Andlauer scored his first IMSA class win in his 14th start (his previous best finish at the Rolex 24 was eighth in 2022). It’s the first Rolex 24 overall win and first in GTP for Heinrich, who has six class wins in 21 IMSA starts.
Porsche has a manufacturer-record 21 overall victories in the Rolex 24.
The third consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona win also kicked off the 60th year for Team Penske, a storied organization that has won championships in IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA and has a record 20 Indianapolis 500 victories. Penske’s first win as a racing organization was a GT class win in 1966.
“For our 60th, this is a big deal for us at Daytona,” said Penske, who turns 89 next month. “To have three wins here is certainly special. It starts out the year the right way.”
The No. 24 BMW M Team WRT Hybrid V8 rounded out the podium in third place.
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 963 finished fourth, and the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06 took fifth after starting from the pole position.
The No. 7 963 led 375 of 705 laps completed on the 12-turn, 3.56-mile road course in a race that was slowed by nine cautions, including a yellow that lasted a race-record 6 hours and 33 minutes because of dense fog.
Winners in other categories:
LMP2: No. 04 ORECA, Crowdstrike Racing by APR with drivers George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery and Malthe Jakobsen
It’s the team’s first Rolex 24 win and third in LMP2. Crowdstrike Racing had finished second twice at Daytona, including a photo finish runner-up last year.
GTD Pro: No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing with drivers Neil Verhagen, Connor De Phillippi, Max Hesse and Dan Harper
It’s the team’s second class win in the Rolex 24 and first since GTD in 2020 with the NO. 48.
GTD: No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Winward Racing with drivers Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, Lucas Auer
Ellis outdueled Nicki Thiim (driving the No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo) by 1.367 seconds in a bruising battle over the last 30 minutes. It’s the third Rolex 24 GTD victory for Winward Racing since 2021 and its 12th class win in IMSA.
“I started sobbing like a little child on the in lap,” Ellis said. “I’m still at a loss for words. I’m so grateful for the team. That was quite something.”
2026 ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA RESULTS
Fastest laps by driver
Fastest laps by driver after race (over the weekend)
Fastest laps by driver and class after race
Fastest lap sequence
Leader sequence
Lap chart
Race analysis by lap
Stint analysis
Time cards
Pit stop time cards
Best sector times
Race distance and average speed
Flags analysis with race control messages
Weather report
NEXT: The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will continue March 21 with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway with flag-to-flag coverage on Peacock.
