With Rolex 24 At Daytona Victory, Roger Penske Just Keeps On Winning

The drivers from Porsche Penske Motorsport, namely Josef Newgarden, Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell, and Dane Cameron, rejoiced in Victory Lane following their win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. (A picture by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images showed their celebration.)

Only five days after receiving their “Baby Borg” Trophies for triumphing in the 107th Indianapolis 500 in 2023, Roger Penske and chauffeur Josef Newgarden have now also acquired a Rolex for their stack of awards.

Roger Penske, the owner of the team, has achieved victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona race for the first time in over fifty years. The Brazilian racing legend, Felipe Nasr, successfully defended the race against a fierce challenge from Tom Blomqvist of Cambridge, United Kingdom in an intense finale to America's most highly-regarded sports car endurance competition. This is yet another remarkable accomplishment for Penske.

Penske expressed disbelief as he spoke, stating that this victory will be remembered as one of the team's most significant accomplishments. He emphasized the need to now focus on winning the notable race at Le Mans.

The time when a car owned by Penske became victorious in the Rolex 24 at Daytona was half a year before Neil Armstrong accomplished his historic walk on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

Penske shared his thoughts in Victory Lane, stating that when he reflects on the year 1969, they managed to secure a win with a Lola and that time was vastly dissimilar. Considering today, the gathering of spectators present for this sports car race has been the largest so far.

"I commend IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) and Porsche for providing us with the resources and also for the outstanding performance of Felipe towards the end."

In the race, Nasr's Porsche Penske Motorsport car with number 7 crossed the finish line ahead of Blomqvist's No. 31 Action Express Motorsports Cadillac V-Series.R car by a margin of 2.112 seconds.

At Daytona International Speedway, the gap between the leading car and the trailing car was reduced to 0.6 seconds at the end of a strenuous 24-hour race, but the presence of slower vehicles in-between provided some relief.

Penske expressed amazement at the level of competitiveness displayed, where a mere difference of about six or seven tenths of a second was observed after the completion of 24 hours. He remarked that such a feat was difficult to put into words.

Porsche nabbed their 19th victory at the Rolex 24 in Daytona. Meanwhile, Penske broke his own record at the Indianapolis 500 last May, snagging a 19th win with driver Newgarden at the helm.

Penske expressed his delight at the impressive statistic and is determined to add to his impressive tally of 19 Indianapolis 500 victories come May 26, 2024. He considers achieving this milestone as a significant accomplishment.

Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, Nasr, and Newgarden were the four drivers that made up the victorious Porsche team for Penske.

Josef Newgarden participated in the 2024 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

"I simply arrived, nothing more," remarked Newgarden while standing in Victory Lane. "It was Porsche and Team Penske who achieved the greatest outcome. However, Felipe's driving in the final moments and the efforts of Matt Campbell and others won us this race. It brings me joy to have been a part of it."

I can't believe how amazing this team is.

In my opinion, RP (which refers to Penske) seemed to be shedding tears while positioned on the timing stand.

Nasr elaborated on the last stretch that secured the triumph.

Nasr expressed amazement as he reflected on their recent success, stating that their victory was ultimately due to their ability to strategize and manage their fuel usage effectively.

During the last laps, Nasr managed to maintain his lead against Blomqvist and when the race time reached 24 hours, his Porsche crossed the finish line in first place.

Penske accomplished yet another enduring triumph, adding to their long list of successes. This latest win marks Penske's 98th Sports Car victory throughout their career.

The drivers who were not in the No. 7 Porsche also experienced a significant moment.

"It took us a decade and a half to reach this point, which is quite a substantial amount of time," Cameron expressed. "I feel immense pride for my team. Even though we faced numerous difficulties last year, these individuals proved to be extraordinary."

Campbell shared his perspective.

Campbell expressed awe at how the race had constantly changed and how the Cadillacs had performed exceptionally well. He praised their efforts and acknowledged that they had given his team a tough competition.

Getting our first significant win in this car on a global level is absolutely incredible.

"Such an amazing group of individuals. We have ultimately accomplished our goal."

Penske is approaching his 87th birthday on February 20th, but let's take a closer look at the triumphs he has achieved in his most recent racing endeavors.

Newgarden emerged victorious in the 107th Indianapolis 500 race held on May 28, 2023. The icing on the cake was that the win marked Team Penske's 19th triumph at Indy 500 and also Penske's first ever since acquiring the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Hulman-George Family on November 4, 2019.

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship of 2023 took place at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 5 and Team Penske emerged victorious. It marked their third championship win in total and their second consecutive win in the series. Ryan Blaney was the driver who helped them clinch the title.

Porsche Penske Motorsport achieved victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, marking penske's first win in this competition after 55 years.

Newgarden clinched his first-ever win at the Rolex 24, putting him in the same league as racing legends AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Alexander Rossi, Al Unser, Jr., and Dario Franchitti, who have all victoriously conquered both the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The blog portion could be paraphrased as follows: A picture of James Gilbert/Getty Images portrays Roger Penske.

Penske, who is the proprietor of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis 500, and IndyCar, felt immense pride seeing how many IndyCar drivers participated in the Rolex 24 at Daytona alongside some of the world's most exceptional sports car racers.

Penske was pleased to see several IndyCar drivers participate in the Rolex event. He expressed satisfaction with the effort put in to secure Josef a spot in the race through rigorous preparation such as practice, qualifying, and testing. Nowadays, it takes more than just hopping into the car and going full speed ahead.

"He performed exceptionally well. He was thrilled and provided us with assistance."

In the LMP2 category, the champion was the ORECA LMP2-Gibson from Era Motorsports that held the No. 18 spot. The group of drivers who achieved this victory consists of Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, Connor Zilisch, and Christian Rasmussen - who was last year’s INDY INDY NXT champion and currently competes as a rookie in IndyCar.

The GTD Pro category was won by the Ferrari 296 of Risi Competizione, specifically the No. 62 vehicle. The team was composed of four drivers, namely Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon, Alexander Pier Guidi, and James Calado.

The winner of the GTD category was the No.57 Mercedes AMG GT3 racing car from Winward Racing team, which was driven by Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, and Daniel Morad.

In January 23, 2024, at The Henry Ford located in Dearborn, Michigan, Roger Penske (on the left) and Josef Newgarden (on the right) posed with their "Baby Borg" Trophies.