We Speak Cars & Racing

1.205 Seconds After 10 Hours: Porsche Penske Finally Wins Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

Published

3 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Ten hours, 368 laps and a record 16 full-course cautions came down to 1.205 seconds. The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 of Laurens Vanthoor, Kévin Estre and Matt Campbell won the 29th annual Motul Petit Le Mans on Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, closing the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with the overall victory the program had chased for years.

It was Porsche Penske Motorsport’s first overall win in the 10-hour classic and Porsche’s first top-class victory at Road Atlanta since 1987. The result also completed a 2026 sweep of IMSA’s three endurance crown jewels: the sister No. 7 car won the Rolex 24 at Daytona — the team’s third straight Daytona triumph — and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. For the No. 6 crew, it was a first win since May 2025, ending a seven-month team drought.

The race was chaos from start to finish: a record 16 cautions and a red flag for lightning, and the No. 7 Porsche’s podium bid ended when Felipe Nasr crashed in traffic with 90 minutes remaining. Vanthoor took the lead for good by passing Earl Bamber’s No. 31 Cadillac with 49 minutes left, then survived a late restart and an 11-minute sprint to hold off Sheldon van der Linde’s No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 by 1.205 seconds. The No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Jordan Taylor, Louis Delétraz and Colton Herta finished third, while the No. 60 Acura ran out of fuel on the final lap and fell from a podium spot to sixth.

It was also the final race together for the winning trio — Estre scored his first IMSA victory and Campbell made his final start for the program, while Vanthoor said afterward: “The only race I have left to win is (the 24 Hours of) Le Mans.” Class titles were settled too: CrowdStrike Racing by APR took LMP2, Paul Miller Racing’s Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi clinched GTD Pro, and Winward Racing’s Russell Ward and Philip Ellis won GTD from pole for a third straight championship. Porsche also retained the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup manufacturers’ title for a third consecutive year.

We Speak Cars & Racing

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias Brings His Classic VW Buses to LA Auto Show Industry Day

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2026

Royal Jones

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias standing beside a classic Volkswagen bus from his personal collection

The LA Auto Show is adding some serious star power to Industry Day. Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias will showcase five hand-selected classic Volkswagen buses from his famous personal collection at AutoMobility LA, the show’s industry and media day, on Thursday, November 19, and he will host meet-and-greets with attendees.

If you know Fluffy, you know the buses are no gimmick. Iglesias is one of the most devoted Volkswagen collectors in entertainment: his collection runs to nearly 30 classic buses, valued at around $3 million, and lives in a garage he calls the Fluffy Museum. It all started with his first car, a VW bus, and the obsession never left. He recently walked Ford CEO Jim Farley through the collection and the stories behind it on Ford’s DRIVE podcast.

For anyone who somehow missed him: Iglesias is one of the most successful stand-up comedians on the planet. His Netflix specials, including I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry and Stadium Fluffy, made him the first comedian to sell out Dodger Stadium. He starred in the Netflix sitcom Mr. Iglesias and has voiced characters in Coco, Ferdinand and The Book of Life. A Fluffy appearance at an auto show is exactly where entertainment and car culture meet.

Industry Day will have plenty more on the floor. Attendees can see vehicles including the Chevy Silverado, the Rivian R2 and the Nissan Rogue, and get behind the wheel at Camp Jeep and Bronco Mountain, with test rides and drives running through the day.

The LA Auto Show says more entertainment news is coming soon, and media registration for Industry Day credentials is now open. We Speak Media will be following every announcement.