IMSA Rolex 24 Hour 6: #7 Penske Porsche leads at 1/4 mark
As the Rolex 24 at Daytona reaches its quarter mark on January 24, 2026, the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 (pictured) has reclaimed the overall lead, with Laurin Heinrich at the wheel holding a slim 1.957-second advantage.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
This follows a dramatic hour where a caution flag reshuffled the order, briefly handing the top spot to the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche before Heinrich and the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura powered through.
GTP Class
The GTP category remains fiercely competitive, with Porsche Penske’s No. 7 leading the way after Heinrich overtook the JDC-Miller entry in the closing minutes of the hour. Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 sits second, having followed Heinrich past the No. 85, which dropped to third. BMW’s M Hybrid V8s hold fourth and fifth, driven by Rene Rast and Raffaele Marciello, respectively. The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R is sixth with Will Stevens aboard, followed by Connor Zilisch in the No. 31 Action Express Racing entry in seventh. Notably, the sister No. 6 Porsche Penske 963 has fallen back due to floor damage from earlier contact with an LMP2 car.
LMP2 Class
AO Racing continues to dominate LMP2, with Jonny Edgar in the No. 99 Oreca leading by a narrow 1.270 seconds over Alex Quinn in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR entry. The No. 43 Inter Europol Oreca rounds out the top three. A 40-second lead for AO Racing evaporated under the caution, but the team quickly reasserted control post-restart.
GTD Pro Class
In GTD Pro, the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO leads, piloted by Neil Verhagen. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsport follows closely, with Marvin Kirchhoefer in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in second and Nico Varrone in the No. 4 sister car in third. Jules Gounon’s No. 69 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo is fourth, while the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 holds fifth after briefly leading earlier in the hour with Andrea Caldarelli before a driver swap to Mirko Bortolotti. The No. 912 Manthey Porsche dropped to 16th in class and off the lead lap after a three-minute, 36-second hold penalty for an improper wave-by during the caution.
GTD Class
Ferrari has taken command in GTD, forming a 1-2 with Thierry Vermeulen in the No. 34 Conquest Racing 296 GT3 Evo out front, followed by Frederik Schandorff in the No. 70 Inception Racing 296. Eduardo Barrichello in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo sits third. The class saw dynamic passes, including Vermeulen overtaking Barrichello and Schandorff moving up to second. Meanwhile, the No. 23 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH faced mechanical woes, stopping multiple times and rejoining 51st overall, 15 laps down.
Notable Incidents and Strategy
The hour’s major disruption came from a caution triggered by the No. 81 DragonSpeed Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which hit the Turn 3 wall after contact with Matteo Cairoli in the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson. The Corvette required extensive bodywork repairs and rejoined 18th in class, 15 laps behind. Strategically, JDC-Miller’s decision to stay out under yellow briefly netted Tijmen van der Helm the overall lead, but it didn’t last as the faster prototypes reclaimed positions. No major driver changes were highlighted during this period, with teams focusing on tire management and fuel strategy amid the early-night conditions.
With 18 hours remaining, the race is shaping up for more twists as temperatures drop and endurance becomes key. Stay tuned for updates as the action unfolds at Daytona International Speedway.