- The number 7 963 LMDh fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport secured the win at the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona
- The number 7 car was driven by Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor
- The number 65 Ford Mustang GT3 was driven to victory in the GTD Pro class for production-based cars
Porsche Penske Motorsport celebrated a milestone achievement this past weekend at the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona, securing the 20th victory for Porsche in the prestigious endurance race.
The team’s number 7 Porsche 963 LMDh race car, piloted by Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor, crossed the finish line in first place. The latest win follows Porsche’s 19th triumph in the same event just a year prior, further cementing the automaker’s dominance at Daytona.
The race, which served as the season opener for the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship, delivered thrilling action and intense competition in the premier GTP class. Porsche Penske’s no. 6 963 LMDh car also put up a strong performance throughout the grueling endurance race and was on track for second place. However, Acura Meyer Shank Racing managed to disrupt Porsche’s one-two aspirations in the final minutes. Despite losing one of its ARX-06 LMDh entries earlier in the race, Meyer Shank’s second car surged to claim second place, relegating the no. 6 Porsche to third.
The race proved particularly challenging for Cadillac, whose three prototype entries faced various setbacks. Wayne Taylor Racing’s hopes were dashed Saturday night when one of its Cadillacs, which had been driven to the lead by two-time Daytona winner Kamui Kobayashi, was forced to retire due to mechanical issues. The other Cadillac entries also encountered difficulties, preventing them from contending for podium positions.
2025 24 Hours of Daytona – Photo via Porsche
Moving down the classes, the no. 8 Tower Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2 took home the class win thanks to the efforts of John Farano, Job van Uitert, Sebastian Alvarez, and Sébastien Bourdais. In the closing stages, the no. 8 car did well to survive the strong competition, particularly from the no. 11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 LMP2.
Bigger news came from the GT production-based classes, where the Ford Mustang GT3 achieved a maiden win in the GTD Pro class. The no. 65 car, fielded by Ford Multimatic Motorsports, was driven to the class victory by Dennis Olsen, Chris Mies, and Fred Vervisch. They secured the win by initially surging past the no. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at the final restart with 38 minutes to go and then holding off Corvette Racing’s no. 3 car, which ultimately claimed second in class. Third in class went to Ford Multimatic’s no. 64 car.
2025 24 Hours of Daytona – Photo via Ford
It wasn’t all bad news for the Corvette. The win in the GTD class went to the no. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of AWA Racing. The winning drivers were Matthew Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, and Marvin Kirchhöfer. The win marked a significant achievement for AWA Racing, as it was the team’s first win in the GTD class at Daytona.
Following the electrifying start, the 2025 SportsCar Championship season will continue on March 15 with the 12 Hours of Sebring.
