The 2026 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona started with opening lap carnage as a tangle of LMP2 cars in turn one resulted in a debris caution with under two minutes completed. Tobi Lutke spun early in the brake zone ahead of turn one, collecting several other entries. Phil Fayer took the brunt of the damage but returned to the race 20 laps down.
A second incident occurred when Dries Vanthoor dropped a wheel off the track and spun. When the race restarted, Porsche Penskes took charge with Felip Nasr making a pass for the lead on Renger van der Zande in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 and Kevin Estre in the No.
6 moving to third ahead of Louis Deletraz in the No. R before the new Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance tires were warmed up. Before the 15-minute mark, a second caution was waved for a major hit when Eric Zitza hit the point of the pitlane separator, dislodging his right wheel from the chassis of his Porsche GTD.
The No. 28 RS1 GTD is the first retirement of the race. On the second restart, Estre and van der Zande quickly found themselves embattled in a fight for second position, with the Porsche driver ultimately pulling through to chase his teammate in the lead.
With one hour complete, the GTPs were led by Nasr ahead of his teammate Estre, followed by the No. 93 Acura and No. 40 Cadillac.
Following the first round of pit stops, Estre took the lead for the No. 6 team. The Porsche Penske's dominance in the opening hour sets the stage for a thrilling race ahead.
The early carnage and subsequent restarts are not uncommon in endurance racing, but it will be interesting to see how the teams adapt their strategies as the race progresses. With the Porsche Penske's strong start, they will likely be looking to maintain their lead and push for a win.
