McLaughlin seeks to join Porsche Penske for Daytona 2026

Porsche Penske Motorsport tested Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden this week at Daytona. The two IndyCar drivers drove the Porsche 963 #6 and #7 between November 14th and 16th, in what Jonathan Diuguid described as the "first step" towards their inclusion in the January 24 Hours of 2026.

"Josef had good results in the car and this is the first step in that direction," said Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. "We haven't made any final decisions."

The team confirmed it will again use four drivers per car at Daytona after competing with three in 2025. The reason is practical: the traffic in IMSA causes more mental strain than Le Mans.

"The number of cars is very high," explained Diuguid. "Physically it's not a problem, but the main feedback from the drivers is that with so much constant traffic, Daytona is much more mentally demanding than the 24 Hours of Le Mans".

Photo By IMSA

Newgarden Gets to Know the Porsche 963

Newgarden raced as the fourth driver of the Porsche 963 #7 at Daytona 2024 alongside Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron and Matt Campbell. They won the race. Before that, he had made his GTP debut at Petit Le Mans 2023 with Porsche Penske, and in 2023 he raced LMP2 at Daytona with Tower Motorsports alongside McLaughlin and Kyffin Simpson (11th overall, 5th in class).

This week he tested the aerodynamic updates for the 963 that were not available during the Sebring tests in February. "When you drive this car, you have a great feeling of respect regarding the information you provide," he said. "You don't want to be the weak link."

McLaughlin Aims for His First GTP Race

McLaughlin has raced at Daytona four times, all in customer categories. In 2023 he finished fifth in LMP2 with Tower Motorsports alongside Newgarden and Simpson. He repeated the fifth place in LMP2 in 2024, also with Tower. This year he shared the #91 Corvette Z06 GT3.R from Trackhouse by TF Sport in GTD Pro with Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch and Ben Keating, finishing ninth.

His only experience in GTP consists of the Sebring tests in February alongside Newgarden. He has never raced in the category. In 2023 he won the LMP2 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring with John Farano and Kyffin Simpson, and raced Petit Le Mans in LMP2 with Tower.

"I love this race," he said about Daytona. "It awakens the competitive spirit, whatever the category. You're competing for a very expensive watch and a cool trophy."

Photo By IMSA

Porsche Reorganizes Its Driver Program

The team is reconfiguring its structure after confirming its exit from the WEC. In 2025 it operated with eight regular drivers across both programs. For 2026 it needs four full-time drivers plus two for Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Mathieu Jaminet, 2025 IMSA Drivers' Champion alongside Campbell, announced his departure. He is expected to sign with Genesis for their WEC debut. Stoffel Vandoorne, who had left Peugeot in October, returned to the French manufacturer in early November, which opened the spot for Jaminet at Genesis.

The tests included Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer in both cars. Laurens Vanthoor and Nick Tandy were not available due to commitments at the GT World Cup in Macau.

The definitive line-ups will be announced on November 29th at Porsche's Champions' Night.