Photos for Headline Surfer / TOP: The Porsche Penske Motorsport entrant took the checkered flag on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2026, to win the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona in Daytona Beach, Florida. The top 5 race finishers in the endurance race. LEFT: Felipe Nasr in front at 8 am. Sunday in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Porsche Penske Motorsport secured its third consecutive victory at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Felipe Nasr driving the No. 7 Porsche 963 to the overall and GTP class win.
Nasr, alongside teammates Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich, held off the No. 31 Cadillac by 1.5 seconds in a dramatic race.
The race was the 64th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona and served as the season-opening round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
FINAL RESULTS (Top 5 Overall/GTP):
1. #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Laurin Heinrich) - 781 Laps (GTP Winner)
2. #31 Cadillac Whelen (Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, Connor Zilisch)
3. #24 BMW M Team WRT (Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, Rene Rast)
4. #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell)
5. #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing (Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Alex Palou, Kakunoshin Ohta)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
• Three-Peat: Porsche Penske Motorsport and driver Felipe Nasr achieved their third consecutive overall win, matching historical records. There were 60 entrants in the race.
• The No. 31 Cadillac Whelen entry finished the race second overall despite having all qualifying times disallowed and being moved to the rear of the GTP field after failing post-qualifying technical inspection regarding rules for skid block tolerances.
• Race Conditions: A severe, six-hour-plus caution period due to heavy fog significantly impacted the race strategy overnight.
• Close Finish: The No. 7 Porsche held off a late-race charge from the No. 31 Cadillac, which finished just 1.5 seconds behind, followed by the No. 24 BMW in third.
• GTD Class: The No. 57 Mercedes-AMG won the competitive GTD class by a narrow margin of 1.3 seconds.
• The 2026 race was the opening round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship season.
RACING SUMMARY:
• Early Hours Entering turn 1 immediately after the start, there was a four-car crash in the LMP2 class. Two of those cars collided again in the runoff while trying to return to the track.
• At 12:46 am local time, the yellow flag was waved due to low visibility caused by fog. The yellow flag would continue for six hours, thirty-three minutes, and twenty-five seconds. The green flag was waved at 7:19 am local time, restarting the race.
• Class Winners:
GTP: No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Felipe Nasr).
LMP2: No. 04 CrowdStrike ORECA.
GTD Pro: No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
GTD: No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.
• Podium Finishers:
(GTP): 1. #7 Porsche 963, 2. #31 Whelen Cadillac (1.569s back), 3. #24 BMW M Team WRT.
IMSA TEACH RESULTS / 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona
MULTIMEDIA: 2026 IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona | Highlights | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | Daytona Beach, FL
Headline Surfer YouTube download / IMSA Official video / Jan. 25, 2026 / Extended highlights from the 64th running of the IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Previous Related Coverage:
2026 Rolex 24 under way at Daytona International Speedway / Published: Sat, 01/24/2026 - 16:13
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