Rolex 24 Hour 24: Porsche wins 3rd Rolex 24 in a row
The 64th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona concluded on January 25, 2026, with Porsche Penske Motorsport claiming a dominant overall victory, marking their third consecutive win at the iconic endurance event.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Amid challenging conditions, including a record-breaking fog delay that halted racing for over six and a half hours, the race transformed into a high-stakes sprint in the final stages, showcasing strategic brilliance and intense battles across all classes. This triumph coincided with Porsche’s 75th anniversary and Team Penske’s 60th year, adding historical weight to the achievement.
Race Overview and Key Events
The event kicked off under typical Florida conditions but was dramatically interrupted by heavy fog, leading to the longest full-course caution in Rolex 24 history—lasting 6 hours and 33 minutes, or more than a quarter of the total race time.
This unprecedented stoppage bunched the field and set the stage for a frantic six-hour dash to the checkered flag. Early on, both Porsche Penske entries (#6 and #7) asserted dominance, though the #6 suffered minor damage from contact with an LMP2 car, requiring repairs during the caution.
In the closing hours, strategic pit decisions proved pivotal. The #7 Porsche gained the lead by staying out one extra lap under the ninth and final caution with just over two hours remaining, flipping positions with its sister car.
Felipe Nasr then fended off a late charge from Jack Aitken in the #31 Cadillac to secure the win by a slim 1.569 seconds. Other notable incidents included the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac retiring due to engine failure and a fire (no injuries reported), and the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie finishing well down after electrical and suspension woes. Ford faced heartbreak with a late caution, while BMW’s debut in GTP showed promise but couldn’t challenge the Porsches.
The race completed 705 laps, with sunny skies prevailing in the final hour, allowing for clean, hard-fought racing. Felipe Nasr’s third straight overall win places him alongside legends Peter Gregg and Hélio Castroneves as the only drivers to achieve this feat. Julien Andlauer earned his first IMSA victory in his second start, while Laurin Heinrich triumphed in his debut for the factory GTP team.
Class Results and Highlights
GTP (Overall)
Porsche’s factory efforts swept the podium, underlining their superiority in the hybrid prototype class.
| Pos | No. | Team/Car | Drivers | Laps | Margin/Notes |
| 1 | 7 | Porsche Penske Motorsport / Porsche 963 | Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Laurin Heinrich | 705 | Winner; third consecutive victory |
| 2 | 31 | Action Express Racing / Cadillac V-Series.R | Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, Connor Zilisch | 705 | +1.569 seconds; strong late challenge |
| 3 | 24 | BMW M Team WRT / BMW M Hybrid V8 | Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, René Rast | 705 | Debut podium; late pass for position |
| 4 | 6 | Porsche Penske Motorsport / Porsche 963 | Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell | 705 | Dropped back after strategy call |
| 5 | 93 | Meyer Shank Racing / Acura ARX-06 | Details not specified | 705 | Lost lap due to wheel failure |
| 6 | 40 | Wayne Taylor Racing / Cadillac V-Series.R | Details not specified | 705 | Promoted after rival’s late stop |
| 7 | 60 | Meyer Shank Racing / Acura ARX-06 | Tom Blomqvist (partial) | 705 | Late-race stop |
| 8 | – | BMW (Wittmann involved) | Marco Wittmann (partial) | 705 | Dropped due to late pit |
LMP2 Class
CrowdStrike Racing by APR broke through for their first Rolex 24 class win after recent near-misses.
– Winner: #04 ORECA 07-Gibson (George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery, Malthe Jakobsen). This victory came after two runner-up finishes in the last three years, highlighting the team’s persistence.
Other top finishers included #43 Inter Europol (2nd, 5.590 behind), #343 Inter Europol (3rd, 20 laps down).
– DNFs: Several, including #73 Pratt Miller (612 laps, Not Running) and #11 TDS Racing (608 laps, Not Running).
GTD Pro Class
Paul Miller Racing ended a class win drought with a fuel-saving strategy in the final stint.
– Winner: #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Connor De Phillippi, Neil Verhagen, Max Hesse, Daniel Harper). Harper led in the closing hour after a quick fuel-only stop, securing their first Rolex class victory since 2020 (with Lamborghini).
– Close battles saw #75 Mercedes (2nd, 2.223 behind) and #48 Mercedes (3rd, 26.137 behind).
– DNFs: #59 McLaren (642 laps), #3 Corvette (637 laps), #64 Ford (580 laps), #62 Ferrari (62 laps).
GTD Class
Winward Racing edged out a thrilling duel to claim their third class win in six years.
– Winner: #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Philip Ellis, Russell Ward, Indy Dontje, Lucas Auer). Ellis outpaced Nicki Thiim in the #88 Magnus Racing entry by just 1.367 seconds in a wild final stint.
– #44 Aston Martin (2nd, 1.367 behind) and #27 Aston Martin (3rd, 8.924 behind) rounded out the podium.
– DNFs: Multiple, including #36 Corvette (568 laps), #66 Ford (518 laps), #16 Ford (115 laps), #120 Porsche (87 laps), #28 Porsche (5 laps).
Fastest Laps by Class:
– GTP: Matt Campbell (#6 Porsche 963) – Lap 491, 1:35.826 (133.742 mph)
– LMP2: Alex Quinn (#04 ORECA LMP2 07) – Lap 501, 1:39.387 (128.950 mph)
– GTD Pro: Dean MacDonald (#59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) – Lap 446, 1:46.278 (120.589 mph)
– GTD: Matthew Bell (#13 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) – Lap 463, 1:46.549 (120.282 mph)
– Circuit Records by Class (for reference):
– GTP: Tom Blomqvist (01/28/2024) – 1:35.554 (134.123 mph)
– LMP2: Paul-Loup Chatin (01/30/2022) – 1:35.532 (134.154 mph)
– GTD Pro: Laurens Vanthoor (01/30/2022) – 1:45.087 (121.956 mph)
– GTD: Marcos Gomes (01/27/2019) – 1:44.541 (122.593 mph)
This edition of the Rolex 24 will be remembered for its weather-induced drama, Porsche’s unyielding pace, and the emergence of new talents alongside established stars, setting a high bar for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season ahead.