Daytona International Speedway hosted the 64th edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona, a race that was marked by the longest neutralization in the event's history. Dense fog stopped the action for over six hours during the night. North America's most important endurance race turned into a roughly six-hour sprint when visibility improved at dawn on Sunday.

Porsche Penske Dominates the Race

Porsche Penske Motorsport won the 24 Hours of Daytona for the third consecutive edition, matching the streak also held by Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing in the modern era of the IMSA championship. The Porsche 963 #7 finished at the front with Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, and Laurin Heinrich sharing driving duties.

The 21st victory for Porsche at Daytona extends the absolute record of the German manufacturer in this competition. For Porsche Motorsport, it is a special achievement coinciding with the 75th anniversary of its sports division and the 60th anniversary of Team Penske.

Photo By IMSA

Nasr became the third competitor in history to win three consecutive editions, joining Peter Gregg and Helio Castroneves in that exclusive group. The Brazilian also extends his country's streak to six consecutive years in the IMSA GTP category, following Castroneves' period between 2021 and 2023.

Heinrich was only competing in his second race in an LMDh prototype but contributed the necessary pace for the victory. Andlauer added his first Daytona win after competing in European endurance championships.

Cadillac and BMW Complete the Podium

Action Express Racing placed the Cadillac V-Series.R #31 in second position with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti. The team executed a solid race after starting last in GTP due to a post-qualifying inspection penalty, consistently climbing positions during the 24 hours.

BMW M Team WRT finished third with the M Hybrid V8 #24 shared by Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, Sheldon van der Linde, and Rene Rast. The result marks the successful debut of the Belgian team in the premier category of the American championship.

Photo By IMSA

The Porsche #6 of Porsche Penske finished fourth with Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell. Both of the team's prototypes took advantage of the extensive nighttime neutralization to perform mechanical work that under normal conditions would have been costly in track time.

Meyer Shank Racing placed its two Acura ARX-06 cars in fifth and sixth but could not match the speed of Porsche and BMW when temperatures rose during the day. The #93 had lost a lap when the front left wheel came off during the night period but recovered ground with the prolonged neutralization.

Wayne Taylor Racing placed the Cadillac #40 in seventh position. The #10 from the same team had a mechanical failure with two hours remaining that resulted in a fire in the rear of the car. Ricky Taylor stopped the Cadillac in the pitlane and evacuated without injuries.

Heart of Racing Team completed its IMSA debut with the Aston Martin Valkyrie after multiple electrical problems and a rear suspension failure left the car more than 45 laps down from the leader.

CrowdStrike Finally Wins in LMP2

CrowdStrike Racing by APR achieved victory in LMP2 with George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Malthe Jakobsen, and Toby Sowery sharing the ORECA 07 #04. For Kurtz, this is the most elusive result of his endurance career after winning at Le Mans, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Petit Le Mans.

The 55-year-old businessman had dramatically lost the 2022 edition of this race against Proton Competition in a close finish. The Daytona victory completes his collection of results in major international endurance races.

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Inter Europol Competition placed its two ORECAs in second and third. United Autosports finished fourth, defending the category title won in 2025.

AO Racing led the first hours by taking advantage of its Bronze-rated driver completing his mandatory driving time during that phase, building a considerable lead. The fog neutralization eliminated that advantage, and the team finished fifth.

Tower Motorsports lost positions due to gearbox problems. Pratt Miller Motorsports and TDS Racing retired in the final hours on Sunday.

BMW Breaks Six-Year Winless Period in GTD Pro

Paul Miller Racing won GTD Pro with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO #1 shared by Connor De Phillippi, Dan Harper, Max Hesse, and Neil Verhagen. This is BMW's first victory in any category at Daytona since 2020, and the team's first successful result since that edition when they won GTD with a Lamborghini.

De Phillippi adds his second Daytona victory after his 2019 result in GTLM. The team executed the final pit stop round perfectly, completing the car service faster than the main competition. Harper completed the final segment without a working radio but managed fuel correctly to take the checkered flag.

Kenny Habul Express finished second with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #75 of Maro Engel, Will Power, and Chaz Mostert. Winward Racing was third with the Mercedes-AMG #48.

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Corvette Racing seemed on track for victory when its two Z06 GT3.Rs were running up front after the nighttime neutralization. The #3 suffered a failure of the right rear suspension with five hours remaining, losing 45 minutes in repairs. The #4 led until the final stages but on-track incidents and strategy decisions left it in fourth place.

Manthey placed its Porsche 911 GT3 R 'Grello' in fifth position in its debut in the American championship. Pfaff Motorsports finished sixth with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 #9 in the model's final race before being replaced by the new Temerario GT3.

Proton Competition suffered an engine failure in the Ford Mustang GT3 #64 that caused the ninth and final neutralization of the race. The car expelled fluids in turn 3 of the oval with approximately two and a half hours remaining.

Winward Wins GTD Category

Winward Racing won GTD with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #57 of Philip Ellis, Russell Ward, Indy Dontje, and Lucas Auer. Ellis defended the position against the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo #44 of Magnus Racing with Nicki Thiim during the final hour.

The battle included multiple contacts between the two cars. Race control issued a warning to Ellis for avoidable contact, but Ellis maintained the lead until the finish. Thiim finished second, the Aston Martin #27 of Heart of Racing was third with Tom Gamble and Mattia Drudi.

Photo By IMSA

Turner Motorsport had led large segments of the race with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO #96, but Robby Foley received a penalty in the final hour that eliminated victory chances. The team finished tenth in the category.

The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 12 Hours of Sebring, scheduled for March 18 at Sebring International Raceway.