Daytona 24: Works Porsche #7 Takes Lead After #6 Crash and Customer Strategy Shift

The works Porsche Penske #7 has assumed the lead of the Daytona 24 Hours after a dramatic shuffle in the top order. The sister #6 car, which initially showed strong pace to lead early, dropped back following a collision with an LMP2 entry, while the customer #85 JDC-Miller Porsche briefly led before ceding the top spot due to an off-sequence pit strategy.

Why it matters:

With the race settling into the night, reliability and strategy are becoming the deciding factors. Porsche's attempt to control the race from the front has been disrupted by on-track incidents, opening the door for the remaining works entry to capitalize on the chaos while the field navigates through safety car periods and varying fuel strategies.

The Details:

• The #6 Incident: After Kevin Estre passed the sister #7 car early on, the #6 Porsche suffered a setback when Laurens Vanthoor made contact with an LMP2 car following a driver change. The car required repairs, dropping it to seventh overall and out of contention.
• Strategy Shuffle: The #85 JDC-Miller Motorsport entry took the lead during a Full Course Yellow (FCY) caused by a heavy crash involving the #81 DragonSpeed Corvette. However, being off-sequence, the car pitted just before the 18-hour mark, plummeting down the order and promoting Laurens Heinrich in the #7 works Porsche to the lead.
• Safety Car Chaos: Multiple FCYs bunched the field, including a significant incident between GT3 Ferrari drivers Daniel Serra and 2025 Le Mans winner James Calado, which forced Serra to retire on the spot.
• Class Leaders: Jonny Edgar leads LMP2 in the AO Racing #99, Neil Verhagen tops GTD Pro in the #1 BMW, and Thierry Vermeulen leads GTD in the #34 Ferrari.

What's next:

As the race progresses past the quarter mark, the focus shifts to consistency through the night. The #7 Porsche currently holds a solid advantage, but with over 18 hours remaining, the endurance test is far from over.