Rolex 24 Hour 18: Green flag flies again and Penske Porsches run away at 3/4 distance
Daytona Beach, Fla. (January 25, 2026) – After a grueling six-plus-hour full-course caution that turned the overnight portion of the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona into a strategic standstill, the fog finally began to dissipate just before the 18-hour mark, allowing IMSA officials to drop the green flag once more.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
The resumption of racing injected much-needed adrenaline into the event, with position battles heating up across all classes as teams capitalized on pit strategies honed during the prolonged yellow. At the three-quarter point, Porsche Penske Motorsport has surged to a commanding 1-2 in the GTP class, while close fights in LMP2, GTD PRO, and GTD promise a thrilling final six hours.
The extended caution, which started around the 11-hour mark due to dense fog reducing visibility to dangerous levels, lasted over six hours and saw the field complete laps at reduced speeds with no overtaking. Pit stops under yellow became the primary way to gain or lose ground, as teams juggled fuel loads, tire choices, and driver changes in anticipation of a return to green.
The green flag flew at approximately 6:42 a.m. EST, just as dawn broke, with improving conditions allowing for a restart after a brief red-flag period for track inspections. The field had been bunched up, setting the stage for immediate action.
GREEN GREEN GREEN!!
WE ARE BACK TO RACING!!🟢: Saturday, January 24 | 1:30PM ET
📺: NBC | Peacock
🌍: IMSA YouTube Live | IMSA .tv
📻: IMSA Radio@Rolex24Hours | @DAYTONA pic.twitter.com/uUcGlEbx51— IMSA (@IMSA) January 25, 2026
Class Leaders at 18-Hour Mark
| Class | No | Team | Car | Drivers | Laps | Overall Pos |
| GTP | 7 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Porsche 963 | E. Nast / J. Andlauer / L. Heinrich | 502 | 1 |
| LMP2 | 8 | Tower Motorsports | ORECA LMP2 07 | J. Farano / S. Bourdais / S. Alvarez / K. Simpson | 490 | 11 |
| GTD PRO | 4 | Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R | T. Milner / N. Catsburg / N. Varrone | 474 | 22 |
| GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | P. Gallagher / R. Foley / J. Klingmann / F. Selldorff | 473 | 34 |
GTP Class
In GTP, the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963—shared by Felipe Nasr (listed as E. Nast in results), Julien Andlauer, and Laurin Heinrich—emerged as the leader at 18 hours with 502 laps completed, holding a slim 2.307-second advantage over its sister No. 6 entry (Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell).
The No. 6 had led at the 15-hour mark but ceded the top spot during the restart shuffle. Close behind in third is the No. 25 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 (Raffaele Marciello, Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann, Kevin Magnussen), just 4.936 seconds off the lead. The class remains tightly packed, with the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R (Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Colton Herta) in fourth, followed by the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 (Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Scott Dixon, AJ Allmendinger) and No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac (Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Will Stevens) all on the lead lap.
The No. 31 Cadillac spun shortly after the restart and lost about a lap.
Further back, the No. 24 BMW M Team WRT entry (Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, Rene Rast) sits seventh, 52.748 seconds down after a pit stop timing mismatch, while the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 (Tijmen van der Helm, Nick Pino, Kyle Frederick) is eighth.
The No. 93 Meyer Shank Acura (Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Alex Palou, Kazuya Ohta) and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac (Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, Connor Zilisch) are a lap down in ninth and tenth, respectively, with the latter recovering from an earlier off-track excursion during the restart.
LMP2 Class
LMP2 saw intense scrapping upon resumption, with the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 (John Farano, Sebastien Bourdais, Salvador Alvarez, Kyle Simpson) taking command at 490 laps, leading the class by a mere 0.300 seconds over the No. 343 Inter Europol Competition entry (Jakub Smiechowski, George Kolovos, Nico Siegel, Nick Cassidy). The No. 43 sister Inter Europol car (Tom Dillmann, Bijoy Garg, Antonio Felix da Costa, James Clarke), which led at 15 hours, now sits third, 2.603 seconds back.
A pack of contenders follows closely: the No. 22 United Autosports USA (Dan Goldburg, Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh, Gregoire Saucy) in fourth, No. 99 AO Racing (PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron, James Edgar, Christian Rasmussen) in fifth, and No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport (Misha Goikhberg, Ben Keating, Paul Thompson, Harry Tincknell) in sixth—all on the same lap.
The No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR (George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery, Malthe Jakobsen) is seventh, 18.763 seconds adrift, while the No. 37 Intersport Racing entry (Jon Field, Oliver Jarvis, Sam Lucas, Jean Van Uitert) trails three laps back in eighth.
GTD Pro Class
GTD PRO has been a highlight of the restart, with contact and passes adding drama. The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R (Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nicolas Varrone) leads with 474 laps, edging out the competition after a strong stint. The class battle remains fierce, with positions fluctuating as teams push in the improving light.
GTD Class
In GTD, the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Patrick Gallagher, Robby Foley, Jens Klingmann, Frederik Selldorff) has climbed to the front at 473 laps, benefiting from clean restarts and efficient pits. The category continues to see multi-car tussles, with several entries trading spots in the top five.
Unofficial results are pending final review, but the Rolex 24 is back in full swing, setting up a sprint to the checkered flag at 3:40 p.m. EST. Stay tuned for more updates as the battle intensifies.