That could all change this weekend when Porsche Penske Motorsport fields three Hypercars in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Whether you include Formula 1 or not, Penske is arguably the most successful team owner in motorsport globally.
IndyCar has been his team’s domain, winning the Indianapolis 500 a whopping 20 times. No one even comes close to that feat – the next best being Andretti and Ganassi with six apiece.
Penske has won the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona three times each.
Add to that, a solitary Bathurst 1000 win (in partnership with DJR) and Penske has most of the major long-form trophies in his cabinet sans the 24-hour races at Spa and the Nurburgring.
In a social media post, Team Penske listed the four aforementioned triumphs as “the biggest wins in motorsports.”
Yet, for all the success Penske has had, a Le Mans win has gone wanting. Penske first tried as a driver in 1971 with Mark Donohue and David Hobbs. Their Ferrari 512M only lasted six hours before an engine failure.
It was over 50 years before the Penske name returned to Le Mans with Porsche in 2022. An LMP2 entry foreshadowed their Hypercar campaign for 2023. That year, the race was won by Ferrari with Toyota and Cadillac in tow.
In North America, Porsche Penske Motorsport won the IMSA SportsCar Championship with the 963 in 2024. They lead the 2025 title race have won the first three events of the year.
FIA World Endurance Championship success has largely eluded them. The 963 has won three times in its two-and-a-half years of competition, largely in the wake of Ferrari and Toyota triumphs.
“Since the regulations were introduced, the Porsche 963 has proven to be the most successful LMDh race car in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA series – a position we now intend to affirm at Le Mans in fierce competition against prototypes from seven other manufacturers,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport vice president.
“Last year we secured pole position but couldn’t convert it into the result we hoped for despite a strong performance by the team and drivers.
“We’re hopeful that the conditions are right this year. We’ll give it everything to secure the 20th overall win for Porsche. Our cars are perfectly prepped, the team is in peak form, and the drivers highly motivated.”
For Le Mans, Penske has enlisted some of its best IndyCar and IMSA talent to aid their quest for success.
“For the first time, we’ve prepped all three Porsche 963 at our facility in Mannheim – a big milestone,” said Jonathan Diuguid, Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director.
“We’ve also added personnel to support us during the Le Mans effort. We’re better prepared than ever before.
“The Porsche 963 is extremely reliable, the team is in perfect sync, and our driver line-up is world-class.”
The three-car line-up is headlined by ex-Formula 1 drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Felipe Nasr with Nick Tandy in the #4 car.
The #5 Porsche will be steered by Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, and Nico Muller.
The #6 entry will be driven by Australian Matt Campbell alongside Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor. All three drivers have never won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright before.
“I’ve been preparing physically and mentally for weeks – I feel fitter and more ready than ever,” said Vanthoor.
“We want to finally win Le Mans together. It’s the one major victory missing from Roger Penske’s resume – and mine.
“It would mean so much to so many people. But success at the world’s toughest endurance race depends on many factors. We’ll see what Le Mans brings.”
Porsche has 19 wins at Le Mans, its last coming in 2017 with Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley, and Earl Bamber in the LMP1 era with its 919 Hybrid.
24 Hours of Le Mans – How to watch, schedule, entry list & more
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