Twenty minutes after the third hour began, the #10 in third place managed to close in dangerously on Felipe Nasr in the Porsche 963 #7. It was clear, what the Acura was planning. But before it could go in for the attack, Felipe Nasr was forced to enter the pit and drove straight through in direction of the paddocks. The reason: the hybrid system was causing issues. The #7 did not even manage to cross the full distance to the paddocks. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and did not discharge – as long as a GTP vehicle does not discharge, touching it was highly dangerous. It would take another twenty minutes, until the #7 could be jacked up in the paddock.

 

As the number seven had dropped out of the race, all hopes of the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team were on the #6. Fifteen minutes ahead of half time, Mathieu Jaminet want into the pit with the remaining Porsche 963 after almost having the chance to pass the last vehicle of the GTP class. He returned to the track ahead of the #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports sister car on fifth spot, only to move back up the grid after the pit stops of the opposing teams. From this spot, he had great chances to gain first position.

 

But another full course yellow caused by an accident between multiple vehicles would make the suspense of the race unbearable. Due to a mandated pit stop per class during the yellow phase, Nick Tandy would return onto fourth spot with the Porsche 963 #6 – with just two hours remaining on the race and a decisive lead for the vehicle on first spot.

 

After the remaining two hours began, Nick Tandy returned for an early pit stop compared to the remainder of the class. This kept him on fourth position and as the others headed into the pit at a later point, he moved up the grid: It was the pit stop of the leading vehicle that moved Nick Tandy up to third spot. The vehicle with the number 31 also lost its advantage and the Porsche 963 #6 managed to close in. Nick Tandy pushed his advantage: He took the second spot. A similar switch occured in the GTD class: from a spot further in the back, the Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R #16 moved up onto second spot.

The early pit stops of the leading vehicles moved Nick Tandy back up the grid, but he himself had to return to the pit at least one more time. But before he did that, the Brit gave everything. He gained as much distance as possible to his pursuers, despite the crowded grid. This provided him an impressive advantage of roughly 55 seconds until he finally headed into the pit and cleared the cockpit for Mathieu Jaminet.

 

Mathieu Jaminet received a full set of new tires for the remaining 40 minutes. Ahead of Jaminet, a LMP vehicle exited the pit and blocked his way out – this did not stop Jaminet from returning on first place way ahead of his pursuers. Still, the cold tires and the early pit stop of the BMW stopped his advance: The BMW #25 passed him and Mathieu Jaminet fell behind on second spot. But he refused to give in and reduced the distance to the leading vehicle by roughly a second with each round. Everything was depending on his driving skills and the remaining traffic on the track.

 

In the GTD Pro class, a battle for the first position broke out – far behind, the Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was pushing forwards. But the battle turned into a natural obstacle for the leading BMW #25 and it needed more time to pass. Mathieu Jaminet had less issues, as the battle had eased up as he closed in from behind. With just 18 minutes of remaining race time, the Franchman had less than five seconds to catch up to the leading vehicle.

 

With less than 15 minutes remaining, Jaminet caught up to the BMW and had it within eyeshot. The last minutes of the race became a breathtaking chase. The BMW #25 regularly tried to utilize other vehicle classes to block its pursuer, but Mathieu Jaminet practically glided past them. With less than eight minutes remaining race time, Mathieu Jaminet had reduced the distance to less than a second to the BMW #25. As the BMW and Porsche came up on the same height as the leading GTD Pro classes, Jaminet had his first chance to score the first spot. But it would take one more round until both cars were in the Toe and Mathieu Jaminet first closed in on the rear of the BMW. The moment both vehicles passed the apex of the curve, the Frenchman attacked from the inside: first spot for the Porsche 963 #6!

 

The BMW #25 attempted to catch up again, but overshot a curve in the heat of the moment. This gave Jaminet the chance to gain distance. Three minutes before the end of the race, the Watkins Glen course was closed for another full course yellow. A GT vehicle had overturned in the 11th curve – the race ended under a safety car. The Porsche 963 #6 crossed the finish line in first position. The JDC-Miller MotorSports #5 vehicle with Mike Rockenfeller finished on fifth place. In the GTD class, the Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R #16 finished third and the next Porsche vehicle belonged to Kelly-Moss with Riley, the #92 finishing on ten, followed by the #77. In the Pro class, Patrick Pilet finished with #9 on fifth spot.

Though there was time for celebrations in the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team, but the post-race analysis showed that the front skid pad of the Porsche 963 #6 was below minimum thickness. This deviation occurred due to damage throughout the race and did not offer the vehicle a performance advantage. The vehicle was penalized and the team has accepted the decision of the IMSA. Therefore, the Porsche 963 #6 was relegated onto the last position of the GTP class. However one thing is sure: Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet had shown an incredible performance in Watkins Glen. They aim to repeat this performance in Canada and achieve a spot on the podium.