THE 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA CROWNS PORSCHE FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE TIME

Daytona is still speaking German. For the third year in a row, a Porsche 963 LMDh has claimed victory in the most iconic race on the IMSA calendar, confirming a technical and strategic supremacy that goes far beyond a single race result. Sealing the win was Felipe Nasr, also celebrating his third consecutive triumph on the Florida circuit, at the end of a nerve-racking finale that turned the final corners of the Daytona International Speedway into a pure exercise in composure, clarity, and pressure management.

Alongside Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich, Nasr built a victory that was decided long before the final stint: a true endurance race, shaped by management, adaptation, and the ability to read ever-changing situations. A win that carries extra weight, having come in one of the most unusual and complex editions in the race’s recent history.

The night that changed the race

The 64th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona will be remembered above all for an exceptionally long overnight neutralization: more than six hours of Full Course Yellow caused by dense fog that made the track unsafe to race on. An all-time record for the event, effectively freezing the race for more than a quarter of its duration.

In that scenario, the pit lane became the true center of the action. Porsche Penske Motorsport was able to turn a critical situation into an opportunity, using the neutralization to restore the cars and prepare for the decisive phase of the race. At dawn, the event restarted as if it were a brand-new six-hour sprint, with strategies reset and the competitive order back up for grabs.

The final dash

In the closing stages, it was Andlauer who put the 963 into the lead after the final round of pit stops, before handing the car over to Nasr for the decisive hours. From that point on, the real duel began: Jack Aitken, in the Cadillac V-Series.R, tried every possible way to break Porsche’s grip on the race, capitalizing on superior top speed but losing ground in the more technical sections.

The fight came down to the finest details: traffic management, precision on restarts, and clean exits from slow corners. Nasr held firm with surgical composure, defending the lead all the way to the checkered flag by just over one second. A finish that hands the Brazilian his third straight Daytona victory, tying a historic record shared with Peter Gregg and Hélio Castroneves.

Porsche leads, but the field is closing in

Behind the winning car, the race also offered a clear picture of the current state of the GTP category. The BMW M Hybrid V8 run by Team WRT secured a highly valuable podium, confirming clear technical progress after a difficult start to the weekend. A result that underscores the growing maturity of BMW’s IMSA program.

The second factory Porsche Penske entry finished fourth, while Acura, competitive in the middle stages, struggled as temperatures rose in the final hours. A more difficult race overall for Cadillac, which saw one car fighting for the overall win while another was forced into retirement due to technical issues.

The classes: balance, strategy, and edge-of-the-seat finishes

Daytona 2025 delivered excitement well beyond the top class:

• LMP2: A long-awaited victory for CrowdStrike Racing by APR, achieved through consistency rather than outright aggression. Clean strategy, zero mistakes, and flawless management of the final fuel window made the difference.

• GTD Pro: A BMW triumph capped by a remarkable comeback. The Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, which started from the back of the class grid, took victory after a race built on pace, pit-lane execution, and impeccable management of the final stint, holding off a furious Mercedes charge.

• GTD: A thriller of a finish, with Winward Racing’s Mercedes prevailing over Aston Martin after a wheel-to-wheel battle filled with overtakes, contact, and last-ditch defenses. A true fight to the limit that kept the race alive until the final chicane.

Daytona, once again

This edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona was more than just a race—it was a lesson in modern endurance racing. Record-setting neutralizations, flexible strategies, resource management, and constant adaptation to changing conditions defined the event. In this environment, victory is not born of speed alone, but from the ability to interpret the race as a complex, evolving system.

And within that system, once again, Porsche proved it knows how to move better than anyone else. Not only through performance, but through racing culture, organization, and strategic vision.

Daytona 2025 leaves a clear message: in the LMDh era, being fast is not enough. You must be solid, composed, adaptable—and above all, capable of reading chaos.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.