DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Roger Penske snapped a 54-year shedding streak on the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Sunday when Felipe Nasr held off two-time defending race winner Tom Blomqvist within the ultimate 45 minutes of essentially the most prestigious endurance race in the USA.

The win for Staff Penske at Daytona Worldwide Speedway was its first since “The Captain” restarted his sports activities automotive program in 2018, first with Acura after which final season as a two-car Porsche manufacturing unit crew. Penske’s solely different general win on the Rolex got here in 1969 with a lineup of Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons, who was flown within the day earlier than the race as a result of common driver Ronnie Bucknum fractured his finger in a bike crash.

Staff Penske additionally received the GT class in 1966, however he has chased the general Rolex victory since 1969.

“To return again right here and have each automobiles run for twenty-four hours after which win the race, it is arduous for me to consider,” Penske stated. “This goes down as one of many largest wins we have had.”

He lauded the group — the biggest in current historical past for the Rolex — and praised IMSA for staging such a aggressive race. 5 of the ten automobiles within the high GTP class completed on the lead lap, and Nasr’s margin of victory was .0861 seconds.

“After we received in 1969 with a Lola, it was lots completely different in these days,” Penske stated. “However to consider immediately, the largest crowd they’ve had right here for a sports activities automotive race, simply to see the competitiveness, a win by [eight-]tenths of a second, that is unbelievable. That is what I am going to say.”

The profitable lineup consisted of Nasr, Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell and Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who wish to consider his win at Indy in Might is what earned him a seat within the No. 7 Porsche 963.

“I simply confirmed up, that is all I did. Porsche and Staff Penske delivered the end result,” Newgarden stated. “I used to be simply completely satisfied to be right here. You gotta speak to RP, although. I believe he was crying up there on the pit stand.”

The second Penske Porsche completed fourth.

It was a battle to the very finish, particularly the ultimate half-hour, when Nasr discovered himself buying and selling the lead with Blomqvist, who was driving for reigning IMSA champions Motion Specific Racing. Blomqvist was a part of the previous two Rolex wins with Meyer Shank Racing, however that crew shuttered on the finish of final season when it misplaced its manufacturing unit help partially due to a dishonest controversy in final January’s win.

The No. 31 Cadillac, which had dominated a lot of the race with the Cadillac from Chip Ganassi Racing, wanted Blomqvist to shut the race as a result of, with solely a three-driver lineup, common Pipo Derani had pushed greater than eight hours and was exhausted.

Blomqvist pitted three laps sooner than Nasr with about 75 minutes remaining and was capable of go Nasr for the lead after Nasr made his personal pit cease. However Nasr received it again underneath warning on the ultimate pit cease with 44 minutes remaining when he beat Blomqvist off pit highway.

Nasr pulled away on the restart with 31 minutes to go, and though Blomqvist turned the quickest lap of the race 10 minutes later, he could not catch Nasr because the 86-year-old Penske watched from the pit stand. Penske is understood for staying up all the 24 hours of the race.

The win capped a outstanding stretch for Penske, essentially the most embellished crew proprietor in motorsports historical past. Up to now eight months, he received a record-extending nineteenth Indy 500 with Newgarden’s victory, claimed back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles when Ryan Blaney received in November and celebrated the achievements at business occasions in early December and final week. He and Newgarden have been feted on the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan earlier this week and offered with their very own duplicate Indy 500 trophies.

Cadillac dominated a lot of the race, however the Ganassi automotive was eradicated with an engine failure through the in a single day stints and Penske took the lead with just below six hours remaining. Nasr handed Jack Aitken on observe to take the lead and constructed a lead of greater than 4 seconds.

Newgarden had been asking Penske for years to drive Staff Penske automobiles in different racing collection, and he wasn’t sure the Indy 500 victory was sufficient to earn him a Rolex seat. However he was severe about not being a hinderance.

“He is slot in completely with the crew. He is straightforward to get together with and clearly very skilled throughout the Penske group,” Campbell stated. “That makes it fairly straightforward for him. It is good having a man like him. He brings lots of expertise in numerous methods. I do know coming from IndyCar, it’s fairly completely different. However he is introduced some new concepts to the desk.

“Having somebody along with his experience in a unique model of racing has actually boosted us, and he is been capable of adapt very effectively.”

Newgarden stated his solely aim was to be a optimistic addition to the Porsche crew.

“After I come to work with guys like Matt or Felipe or Dane, I am studying one thing new and I am seeing a brand new perspective that I’ve by no means seen earlier than,” Newgarden stated. “I have not run sports activities automobiles that always, undoubtedly not as a lot as these guys. So that they have a approach of issues or approaching conditions a lot otherwise than we do.

“I believe that may be actually optimistic. After I say be an additive, it doesn’t suggest have 100 good concepts and they will take all of them. However when you have 100 good concepts, there could be 10 which might be relevant, and that might be an additive. I’ve received that contemporary perspective.”