Roger Penske's team wins third consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona in thrilling finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Felipe Nasr's time in Formula 1 had ended after two underwhelming seasons and the Brazilian was left with little to do as an open-wheel racing driver.

He migrated to sports cars and spent four seasons driving for the team owned by NASCAR chairman Jim France. Then came an opportunity he couldn't turn down: a clandestine meeting with Roger Penske to discuss developing a new sports car program with the factory backing of Porsche.

They met in a parking lot and Penske was immediately impressed.

“He showed up in a blue suit and I said, ‘That’s my kind of guy,'” the 88-year-old team owner said Sunday.

Team Penske opened the 60th anniversary of its organization with a win in the first race of the year — a three-peat, no less — in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“The driving he’s done for us, at the end, that was probably one of the best drives I’ve ever seen," Penske said.

The Penske squad became the third team in the 64-year history of the most prestigious endurance race in the United States to win three in a row. His Porsche Penske Motorsports team joined Chip Ganassi Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing as the only teams to win three straight sports car races at Daytona International Speedway.

It was the fifth overall Rolex victory in the event for Porsche and the 46th overall IMSA victory for Penske.

What's most impressive for Penske is that the team has won three years in a row with three different lineups; Nasr, the Penske closer, is the only mainstay on all three entries, and he was openly weeping in victory lane.

“It's a moment I dreamed of — the desire to win is what makes you go beyond and further,” Nasr said. “I love this sport, I love this series, and the 24-hour (race) being decided in the last few minutes is just incredible.”

Nasr's feat makes it six consecutive years that a Brazilian driver has been part of the winning team. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was part of the winning team in 2021, ‘22 and ’23.

“The Penske was in a good form from beginning to end,” Nasr said. “The winning feeling — they are special — it's hard to pick a favorite one. I have no words to describe it, it's just a unique feeling.”

Nasr actually has four Rolex titles — except his fourth was not in the top class.

This one didn't come easy for Nasr, driving in front of what Daytona officials called the largest Rolex crowd in race history, as he held off his former team, the Cadillac from Action Express Racing, over the final hour to win the overall title. The Action Express car originally won the pole but was disqualified in post-qualifying inspection.

That forced the No. 31 Cadillac to start last in class, and the lineup of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Mercedes Formula 1 driver Fred Vesti and NASCAR rising star Connor Zilisch weaved their way to second over the 24 hours.

Nasr and Aitken closed the races for their respective teams and Aitken got several good looks at passing Nasr for the win in the final 25 minutes, but Nasr closed the door on him at every chance.

Nasr cruised to victory in an overhauled No. 7 Porsche 963 with teammates Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich. The Porsche beat the Cadillac by 1 minute, .569 seconds.

The No. 24 BMW M Team WRT finished third in the top GTP class with the quartet of Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns and Rene Rast.

The caution was thrown for foggy conditions shortly before 1 a.m. and lasted for a race-record 6 hours, 33 minutes, 25 seconds covering 120 laps. The caution was so long that Penske, who prides himself on staying awake and on the pit stand the entire 24 hours, actually took a midrace break.

The Rolex marks the unofficial start of the motorsports season, and this year’s race featured 60 cars from 12 different automakers, 228 drivers from 32 countries and no clear favorite aside from the two-car Penske effort.

Crowdstrike Racing by APR won in an Oreca LMP2 07 with the lineup of George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery and Malthe Jakobsen.

Interpol Europol Competition was second and third in a pair of Oreca LMP2 07s.

Paul Miller Racing won the GTD Pro class in a BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

75 Express — an all-Australian team that featured IndyCar star Will Power in his Rolex debut — finished second in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Winward Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 was third.

Winward Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 won the GTD class.

Magnus Racing in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO was second, followed by Heart of Racing Team in another Aston Martin rounding out the podium.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Felipe Nasr, of Brazil, celebrates after he and his teammates won the Rolex 24 hour auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Driver Felipe Nasr, left, of Brazil, is congratulated by team owner Roger Penske after winning the Rolex 24 hour auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Winners of the Rolex 24 hour auto race, from left, Felipe Nasr, of Brazil, Laurin Heinrich, of Germany and Julien Andlauer, of France celebrate with the championship trophy in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Felipe Nasr, of Brazil, enters a turn in a Porsche 963 during the Rolex 24 hour auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A man was arrested Friday night at a party during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, for allegedly assaulting a Florida congressman.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost wrote on X Saturday that he was punched in the face by a man who told Frost that President Donald Trump was going to deport him. The altercation occurred at a private party hosted by talent agency CAA at the High West Distillery, a popular venue for festival-adjacent events.

“He was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off,” Frost wrote. “The individual was arrested and I am okay.”

Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress, thanked the venue security and the Park City Police Department for their help. A Park City Police Department representative said officers arrived on the scene just after midnight.

Christian Joel Young, 28, was arrested for aggravated burglary, assaulting an elected official and assault and transported to Summit County Jail, according to court records.

Young is also accused of grabbing a woman by the shoulder. He appeared to have crashed the party by jumping a fence and had a Sundance Film Festival pass that was not issued in his name, according to the police affidavit.

The Sundance Film Festival representatives released a statement saying that they “strongly condemn” the assault, noting that while it occurred at a non-affiliated event that the behavior is “against our values of upholding a welcoming and inspiring environment for all our attendees.”

“The safety and security of our festival attendees is always our chief concern, and our thoughts are with Congressman Frost and his continued well-being,” the statement read. “We encourage anyone with additional information on this matter to contact the Park City Police Department.”

County Judge Richard Mrazik ordered Young held without bail, on the grounds that he would constitute, “a substantial danger to any other individual or to the community, or is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court if released on bail.” Young has a prior misdemeanor conviction, according to court records.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X that he was horrified by the attack and that “the perpetrator must be aggressively prosecuted.”

“Hate and political violence has no place in our country,” Jeffries continued.

Messages seeking comment were left for representatives for CAA.

For more coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival

FILE - Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Pedestrians walk down Main Street on the first day of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Main Street is seen at the start of the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)