ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

January 28, 2024

Felipe Nasr

Dane Cameron

Matt Campbell

Josef Newgarden

Jonathan Diuguid

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are now being joined by the overall in GTP class winners from the 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porche 963, Felipe Nasr Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, Josef Newgarden.

This is the second overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona for Penske, the first since February 1st, 1969. The team also had a class win in 1966. This is Matt Campbell's second Rolex 24 win. He won in GTD Pro in 2022. Josef is the second winner to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

We also are being joined by Jonathan Diuguid, who is managing director of Porsche Motorsports.

Q. Felipe, first overall victory. Of course you chased victory in 2019. I wanted to talk about towards the end there, you looked like you were pushing so much with the car and the braking. Could you talk about the emotions during that stint?

FELIPE NASR: Well, all I can say is the race only finishes at the checkered flag, and until then, nothing is -- there's no decision until then.

The race really came down to the wire at the very final stop. It was pretty much all about the fuel numbers. Each one was the energy numbers we were reaching. I just have to say that was a great call from the team, from Porsche Penske Motorsports, just to give me the opportunity to be in the lead again in that final part of the race, and then it was down to me to hit the numbers and keep the 31 behind.

But man, 24 hours of racing, to be going that way, it does give you a lot of emotions in the end. I just knew it was not over yet. I just kept the focus until the finish line. There was a lot of traffic going through, as well, when the 31 was keeping up the pressure.

But I'm glad it came our way. After all the hard work, the difficult year we had in 2023, especially here, I feel this is the best gift we could give ourselves. Very pleased for the team, for the whole work they've done all week.

Q. Felipe, around 30 minutes before the checkered came out, the gap was very, very small, 0.8 seconds. Did you have a little bit of a panic attack in the car? And for the manager, what did you tell him over the radio when the gap was so small?

JONATHAN DIUGUID: I don't know if Felipe panicked. I think we were probably panicking more. But at those points you don't say anything, and typically if you do say something, he'll bark at you and say, stop talking, because he's just getting out and doing his work there.

I think the big thing today, there was a lot made of the four-driver lineup we had in both cars, and the fact that all four of these guys up here led the race today just shows you how strong they were all day long.

Throughout the start to the finish and through the middle of the night, the 7 car and the 6 car were in contention to win the race, and Felipe carried it across the finish line but not a single one of these guys put a single foot wrong all day and that's what put us in position at the end to win and have a car that was fast enough.

THE MODERATOR: Felipe and Matt were together in that 2022 GTD Pro win.

Q. J.D., obviously the car seemed to excel in the early morning hours, maybe more so than the daytime. Were you concerned about the closing stages of the race and the tire deg in that regard?

JONATHAN DIUGUID: I think it's something that we look at throughout the cars of the race. I think Felipe mentioned there just making sure we gave one of these guys an opportunity at the end. I think the whole day was basically geared and organized to then result in an end goal.

There were multiple opportunities at the end and luckily the yellow came out and gave us the final one, which the whole team executed.

Felipe mentioned fuel calls, pit work. Pit crews were extremely smooth all day. Any time we had any damage it was repaired quickly. It was all about creating opportunity, and in the end we executed.

Q. Dane, you've been at this for a while, and this has been the one that eluded you. I know there was some emotion post-race. Can you tell us about what this means to your resume?

DANE CAMERON: Yeah, for sure. The first 24 hours at Daytona was 2009, so in a bunch of different categories, and just never seemed to have any luck here in any way, shape, or form. Never had a podium here. Never. I don't even know if I've ever finished on the lead lap here to be honest.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the year goes when you have a head start on the points. That should make life a little bit easier.

But yeah, it's always been the one that kind of got away and the one that just didn't seem to be able to get done for some reason.

Yeah, kind of compared to what Josef went through last year at the 500, you don't want to not have one without the other. You don't want to win championships without having the big race to go with it.

Definitely proud of everything that I was able to achieve with different teams and brands in the championship, but always felt like you were missing something to not have success in the 24 hours at Daytona.

To have that as an overall is definitely something that I'm super, super proud of, super happy for. Great to do it with this team, as well, after being here for a number of years now. Kind of slipped through our fingers in the Acura days for sure.

J.D. was my race engineer in those days and a lot of other guys carried over from that program. Really cool to punch that one through because it's been a lot of work with a lot of the same people to improve that.

That program was kind of a from-scratch sports car program and it was only a few years until this one came around and then the WEC stuff ans everything, so it's been a lot of work to basically put these programs that J.D. has spearheaded in a lot of ways to put us in position to win these endure owes again.

Really proud of everything that's happened to do that, and yeah, super grateful to be here. It means a ton, and definitely can at some point stop a little happier for sure now knowing I have this one. I used to say I don't know if I can stop until I win this race, so maybe I can push that day forward now.

Q. Matt, you've won this once before in GTD Pro. How does this one compare to that?

MATT CAMPBELL: Yeah, both times I was sitting on the pit stand and both tomes it's just as nerve-racking. Definitely didn't want to move, didn't want to do anything to be able to upset anything.

I'm a little bit superstitious when it comes to things like that. Yeah, it was phenomenal. Felipe did an amazing job at the end of the race, but in saying that, Dane and Josef didn't put a foot wrong all day, and everyone within the team at Porsche Penske Motorsport did a phenomenal job.

Pit stops were flawless. Strategy was fantastic there towards the end. That's where we were really able to capitalize on the 31 car. It's a team effort, and last year, like Felipe touched on earlier, wasn't necessarily the easiest of races.

After such a big buildup to be able to get to this point with this car, and now to be able to get the victory in the second year of the program is really phenomenal and just really happy to be part of it now to get this win.

Unfortunately I'll be going across to the WEC side. I'll miss him through a lot, but now I'll have this one, so it'll maybe it a little bit nicer.

Q. Josef, seven or eight months you had a huge win at the Indianapolis 500, now you've got this. What does all that mean for you?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I've got to be honest, it's a little awkward for me because I feel like I'm just hanging out with this really great group of people that ended up winning a race and I just happened to be there in a lot of ways.

Just as all these guys touched on, this victory belongs to a great collection of people within motorsports, Porsche, Penske Motorsports is a big body of people, both in the United States and in Germany.

It's an iconic brand with Porsche and an iconic team with Team Penske, a deep legacy between the two, and they're very deserving of this victory.

For me, I feel honored to just have been here. I didn't wreck the car. Like that's how I feel. I'm so proud of these guys. It's a very awkward feeling being a race car driver in this situation. I'm not used to it. I've driven open wheel cars for the last 12 years, and you're very singular focused in a lot of ways in that sport, and over here I feel like I've got family that I'm just really proud of. I felt like that at the end of the race. I could cry thinking about it.

Pretty cool. Really happy for Jonathan, everybody in this room. There's a lot of people that are going to be celebrating this tonight.

Q. Josef, another classic is obviously Le Mans, and I'm sure with the tight schedule in INDYCAR in June it's not possible this year, but with all the opportunities that Team Penske and Porsche might be able to give you a couple of years down the road, is that something on your bucket list?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I don't think today hurts. I don't know that I've earned a spot yet, but absolutely I would love that. I'm a race car driver. I would like to compete everywhere just like the guys next to me. They're eager to sign up and be a part of a program.

This is probably one of the coolest programs in the world that you can be a part of. But yeah, one day Le Mans would be amazing to take a trek over and try and win.

Q. Jonathan, I wanted to ask some of your thoughts on the journey the team has been on the last 12 months, and what were your confidence level going into this race?

JONATHAN DIUGUID: I mean, I think the first point, it's probably been three years rather than just 12 months. A lot of test days and things like that. I think we had some tests that were nearly three days straight and we were cycling people in and out. But comparing this year's Daytona to last year's Daytona, it was all about just surviving.

When I say surviving I'm not talking about surviving the race, I'm talking about surviving day-to-day with parts and building the cars and getting the cars on track and it was a monumental effort to do that.

This year we showed up and I think we looked at each other and said, this is totally different. We had spares. We have gear boxes. We have everything, and it was all prepared in the workshop in the proper way. I think what you saw today is both cars finish on the lead lap and both cars were very competitive, and that is a huge difference from 12 months ago.

I think 12 months ago we were competing. We were probably competing to stay on the lead lap, and this year we were putting people laps down and things like that. I think it just goes to show you the steps the program has taken and the effort that everybody has put in.

Q. Felipe, we were pretty confused in here when they said it was two laps to go and then they said, no, this is the last lap. What did you know it was the checkers instead of the white, and it also appeared you might not have slowed up once you did take the checkers as if you were maybe not 100 percent sure?

FELIPE NASR: Yeah, you've got to keep on the throttle until it's over. That's what Tim Cindric said on the radio. I was confused, too. I don't know if there was two white flags. I don't know. I really don't know. I was just focused on each corner, each braking and just clearing traffic and making sure there was no mistakes and taking the car to the end.

Yeah, happy we did it. Just so proud to be here with these guys. J.D., as well. A tremendous effort from everybody in the team everybody mentioned here, but it's really a team effort. It takes every single person to believe, to really not give up on the day-to-day basis, and I feel like today is a big achievement for Porsche, for Penske and all drivers here, and I teal very honored to be sharing the car with them, and hopefully there will be some more. That's the plan. We don't stop here.

Q. (No microphone.)

FELIPE NASR: I think at the start finish, the team just said, I think now it's the final lap. That's when I knew -- I think for the second time it was the final lap.

Q. Only one this time. For you as a manager, how big, in case there is any involvement of your German-based WEC team, how big is the engineering involvement in the IMSA team?

JONATHAN DIUGUID: Yes, I think that's a good question we had. I think we had three or four people from the WEC program from engineering on-site, and then most of the engineering staff from the Mannheim base were in Weissach in the ops rooms with Porsche Motorsport during the race cycling in and out so everybody wasn't staying up 24 hours looking at computer screens across the world.

But there was a high level of support that took us to the finish line today.

Q. Is there an ops room in Germany?

JONATHAN DIUGUID: Yep. There's an ops room in -- well, they'd probably get upset -- in Flacht where the motorsport facility is, and that's staffed during all the race and all the practice sessions.