$6.5B NASCAR mogul-backed driver Felipe Nasr reigns supreme in Rolex 24 Daytona

Felipe Nasr of Porsche Penske Motorsports claimed the 2025 Rolex 24 Daytona victory in a thrilling finish at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. Nasr led home the German manufacturer Porsche's victory. He had the backing of $6.5 billion (as per Forbes) NASCAR mogul Roger Penske.

Nasr, a former Formula 1 driver who was active in the sport for two seasons in 2015 and 2016, successfully defended his Rolex 24 Daytona crown. He won the iconic race last year as well, driving for the same team. Along with Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor, Nasr defied Acura Meyer Shank Racing.

However, the Brazilian driver showed his valiance prior to Acura Meyer Shank Racing's arrival. Nasr in the Porsche fought hard against another Porsche Penske Motorsports team, the #6 entry of Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell, and Kevin Estre.

As Felipe Nasr was able to snatch back-to-back Daytona 24 wins by winning in the GTP category, here's how he reacted to the victory:

“I like winning, that’s all, and that’s what I’m here for,” Felipe Nasr told NBC Sports. “I’m proud I did it again back to back. Incredible work by everybody at Porsche Penske Motorsport."

"The two cars run very strong all the way to the end, and hey, it’s never over ‘tll it’s over. So I did everything I could behind the wheel to get ourselves set up. And it’s just an incredible, incredible feeling. I just cried in the car. I don’t know what to say. Incredible," he added.

Felipe Nasr triumphed despite tough competition as renowned racing drivers such as Kevin Magnussen, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti, Kamui Kobayashi, Tom Blomqvist, Pascal Wahrlein, Alex Palou, Roman Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat, Colton Herta, Paul Di Resta, and Felipe Massa were a part of the iconic race.

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Roger Penske hailed Porsche and his team after Felipe Nasr-led emphatic win

Following the emphatic win and the 1-2 at the Rolex 24 Daytona, an elated Roger Penske, who will turn 88 in February, hailed Porsche, and his team. Here's what he said:

“Terrific job by the whole team, when you think about all the drivers we had, they ran strong all day. And the cars, this Porsche car we have has just been amazing. And to think we did it two years in a row, it’s a credit to all the people here, all the people from Germany and from Porsche and our team here. So we’ve got one organization, and now we’ve been able to say we did it again."

Team Penske drivers Felipe Nasr, Laurens Vanthooer and Nick Tandy hold their new Rolex watch in Victory Lane after winning the Rolex 24, Sunday Jan. 26, 2025 at Daytona International Speedway. - Source: Imagn

The 2025 Rolex 24 Daytona added another feather to the already illustrious cap of Roger Penske. Penske-backed teams have claimed two back-to-back Rolex 24 Daytona in 2024 and 2025, won two back-to-back Indy 500 in IndyCar in 2023, and 2024. He has also triumphed in the NASCAR Cup Series as owner in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

NASCAR drivers such as Connor Zilisch, Austin Cindric, and Shane Van Gisbergen also participated in the race, while Trackhouse Racing made its debut in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.