DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. In a classic battle of iconic American car brands, Dennis Olsen drove the Ford Multimatic Motorsports No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 to the models first global victory, besting Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class Sundays season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.

Considered one of the worlds greatest endurance events, the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 absolutely lived up to its reputation with both Grand Touring classes of competition ultimately decided by less than two-seconds after 24 grueling, eventful hours on the Daytona International Speedways 3.56-mile, 12-turn combination of speedway high banks and traditional road course winds and turns.

While Ford celebrated in victory lane in the 15-car GTD PRO class, the Corvette was victorious in the 22-car GTD class with British driver Matthew Bell ultimately steering the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the win by 1.454 seconds over the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).

This Detroit special in the GTD PRO class featuring Ford and Chevrolet in a dramatic trophy duel during the closing minutes of competition was not only significant for Fords new GT3 brand but also a sentimental victory between these two longtime rivals.

While it marked the Mustangs 20th victory in the race, it was the first for the new GT3 model introduced in 2024. The winning No. 65 Fords sister car the pole-sitting No. 64 Mustang completed the GTD PRO podium.

I think it is quite historical, said Belgian driver Frederic Vervisch, who shared the car with Norwegian Olsen and German Christopher Mies. Yesterday we met (Ford CEO) Jim Farley and he said, Whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet. He was joking, of course. They were extremely strong and so super proud to be ahead and perhaps out-strategize them.

At no point was there an odds-on favorite to hoist the trophy in the end. There were 10 different race leaders in the GTD PRO class with the winning No. 65 Mustang taking the lead for good on a final restart with only 42 minutes remaining.

Olsen got a little breathing room in those last laps as the No. 3 Corvette driven by Sims had to fend off Englishman Sebastian Priaulx in the other Ford. Olsen conceded after the race that both the Corvettes and BMWs speed concerned them.

The fourth-place finishing No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW was also among the mix leading nine times for 187 of the races 723 laps ultimately being spun from a podium finish by the No. 4 Corvette and driver Nico Varrone with less than 12 minutes remaining.

Only an hour earlier, the No. 1 BMWs sister team, the No. 48 was penalized for impeding the Corvettes move forward and their fight for the lead. Out of competition for the win since a multi-car accident late Saturday night, the No. 48 BMW was 55 laps off pace but raced the Corvette hard ultimately causing an off by the No. 4 Corvette that drew a penalty from IMSA.

Trackhouse Racing

Another all-star GTD PRO entry fielded in part by NASCAR team owner Justin Marks the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing by TF Sport Corvette featured NASCAR stars Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, IndyCar winner Scott McLaughlin and IMSA veteran Ben Keating. It finished ninth in class after a comeback drive to get near the podium with a little more than an hour remaining.

Its been so much fun bringing Trackhouse to IMSA and getting to run the Rolex 24 with this team, said the 18-year-old Zilisch, who sought to defend his 2024 Rolex 24 win in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2).

All my teammates were a blast to be teammates with and also to hang out with off the track. I had a lot to learn and Im very grateful I got to race with these guys and learn from them. Frustrated with how the race ended, but looking back on the last two weeks, I had so much fun.