Any race car with the name “Penske” on it is bound to have success, especially during the past three years.
Since the 2022 racing season across all forms of motorsports, legendary team owner Roger Penske has practically dominated them all.
That long, growing list of accomplishments includes:
- NTT IndyCar Series championship (2022, Will Power)
- Back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories (2023 and 2024, Josef Newgarden)
- Three straight NASCAR Cup Series championships (2022, Joey Logano, 2023, Ryan Blaney, 2024, Joey Logano)
- IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series Championship title (2024, Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr)
- FIA World Endurance Championship title in Hypercar (2024, Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor)
Following the conclusion of Sunday’s 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona, that list includes back-to-back Rolex 24 overall triumphs.
With drivers Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor, the team held on to win the famed endurance race aboard the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963.
“All these races, they’re never easy,” Jonathan Diuguid, managing director, Porsche Penske Motorsport, said. “They may look easy from the outside, but I think it takes a lot of hard work. I think I talked to a couple guys on the timing stand a couple hours into the race when it was looking pretty dire as far as our pace and where we were and how competitive we were and nobody ever really gave up.
“I don’t think any of our six drivers on either car ran off the asphalt today or hit anything or broke apart. That’s basically what put us in a position to win.”
The team nearly swept the podium with its sister car, the No. 6 driven by Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell and Kevin Estre, however, had to settle for third behind Acura Meyer Shank Racing.
To some, having too many irons in the fire can be a detriment to a team. However, for Team Penske, it only seems to strengthen its efforts.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact Porsche Penske Motorsport is still fairly new to the sports car landscape, having returned to the scene in 2023.
However, it didn’t matter as the team has found success almost instantly.
The racing season is young and series are just beginning to take flight again. Rest assured, the famed “Penske perfect” mentality is sure to make its mark across the globe again this year.
