Emotional Cup Series Star Pens Heartfelt Message as Felipe Nasr Brings Team Penske Rolex 24 to Daytona Honor

At this year’s Daytona 24-hour race, Brazilian hotshot Felipe Nasr from Team Penske, who once tore up the tracks in F1 for Sauber, snatched victory by a whisker, just two seconds ahead of last year’s champ, Tom Blomqvist. Nasr, steering his Porsche to glory alongside Aussie Matt Campbell and the American duo of Dane Cameron and Josef Newgarden, left the crowd on the edge of their seats. However, in a turn of events, Blomqvist and Jack Aitken, gunning for the top spot with Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing, had to settle for the runner-up position.

And well, apparently, it’s not just the F1 circle that’s buzzing; even the NASCAR folks are sitting up and taking notice. Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron’s gritty performance in the grueling endurance race caught Michael McDowell‘s eye. So much so that he even took to Twitter to tip his hat to Team Penske, sharing a bit of a bromance moment by revealing how he’s been in the loop about these two speedsters for ages.

Michael McDowell took to social media to give a big shoutout to the Team Penske quartet after their thrilling race

Porsche raced to its 19th win, with Team Penske tasting victory for the first time since ’69. The nail-biter of a race saw the #31 Cadillac and the #7 Porsche go head-to-head. In the final pit stop, Felipe Nasr, needing less fuel, leapfrogged ahead of Blomqvist. Thanks to a breather behind the safety car, the Porsche’s slow tire warm-up didn’t hold them back.

Nasr managed to keep Blomqvist at bay, even using some nifty moves to cut the slipstream. He kept his cool, even with backmarkers in play on the final lap, crossing the finish line with a slim 2.112-second lead. This edge-of-your-seat kind of finish had Michael McDowell cheering from his living room. He posted heartfelt praise to the Penske crew, reminiscing about his days with Felipe Nasr and sharing how Dane Cameron and his family played a big part in his racing journey.

“Awesome to see @FelipeNasr and @danecameron19 win today. Felipe was my teammate for his first 24 hours of Daytona and I have known Dane since he was a little kid. Dane’s father Ricky and his uncle Steve shaped me as a driver and helped to launch my career. They all have worked and sacrificed a tremendous amount for an incredible moment like this. I was yelling at the TV the last 30 minutes,” he wrote, resharing the winning post made by the team. And well, the team deserves all the praise, for they have definitely worked upon themselves to achieve the feat.

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The win is a remarkable stretch for Team Penske

Roger Penske has now etched his name as a titan in the world of motorsport, following a string of victories that would make anyone’s head spin. In just the past eight months, he’s notched up an eye-watering 19th win at the Indy 500 with Newgarden steering to victory, bagged consecutive NASCAR Cup trophies with Ryan Blaney‘s triumph in November, and basked in the glow of these feats at gala events both in early December and just last week. Penske and Newgarden were the toast of the town at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, where they were honored with their very own Indy 500 trophy replicas.

It’s been a long road since Penske’s first major win at this endurance classic 55 years ago. This latest Rolex 24 victory marks only the second time Penske has conquered the Daytona International Speedway road course, the first being back in ’69 with a Lola T-70/Chevrolet driven by the legendary Mark Donohue, among others.

Reflecting on the journey, Penske mused to NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee from the winner’s circle, “You think about 1969? We won here with a Lola, and things were a lot different in those days. Just to think about today, the biggest crowd they’ve had here for a sports car race. My hat’s off to IMSA, obviously for Porsche to give us the equipment. But the drivers and at the end there with Felipe.”

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Now, Roger Penske has his sights set on conquering the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June—a prestigious motorsport jewel that has eluded his team thus far.