Magnus Racing adds Snow for Rolex 24 return

Magnus Racing’s return to the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be boosted with the addition of two-time IMSA WeatherTech GTD Champion Madison Snow to the line-up, joining John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly, and Nicki Thiim in the No. 44 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO.

“We’re excited to add Madison Snow to our lineup for 2026,” said Magnus Racing owner/driver John Potter. “With a family history well established just miles away from me in Utah, it will be something special to finally compete with one another rather than against.”

Snow comes over after spending most of the last decade with Paul Miller Racing, a partnership which yielded two IMSA GTD titles, the 2018 Rolex 24 GTD class win, and two Twelve Hours of Sebring victories. In his last season with Paul Miller Racing, Snow won  GTD PRO at Road America and finished second in the Michelin Endurance Cup standings.

“Even though I’ve competed against Magnus Racing for my entire career, this feels like a group I’ve known forever,” said Snow. “Beyond being another Utah-based group, this team is made up of a very experienced group of drivers, mechanics and engineers who I’ve gotten to know throughout my time in the sport, it was an easy choice to join the team.

“Joining John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly, and Nicki Thiim is fantastic opportunity. Obviously John and I have been in the Utah motorsport scene for quite some time together, and I’ve actually driven with Spencer in the past, including wins at Petit Le Mans. It’s a strong organization,  and I look forward to not only driving but actually enjoying the freedom to just be myself…”

Two-time Rolex 24 class winner Pumpelly continues with Magnus for what will be his 25th Daytona 24 Hours appearance, making him the most experienced driver in the field to be announced so far. Aston Martin Racing factory driver Thiim also returns to the team, in search of his first win in the event.

“This year’s GTD field is as strong as it’s ever been,” said Pumpelly. “People say this every year, but that’s largely because it’s true. This will be our fifth year with the Aston Martin, and every year we’ve been extremely competitive. The last two years have thrown us some bad luck with incidents out of our control, so we’re all hoping it’s out of the way in 2026.”

Class winners at Daytona in 2012 and 2016, Magnus Racing retired from the last two Rolex 24s after being involved in a multi-car accident in 2024, then a catastrophic engine failure this past year, in Andy Lally’s final start at Daytona.

The team has also stated it will remain committed to a limited schedule of endurance races, with further details to be revealed later in the year – and is also seeking potential partners and participants to potentially expand its participation.

Magnus stepped away from IMSA momentarily after Daytona as Potter tended to his business commitments away from racing, only to resurface for Watkins Glen and Road America with the provocative “Virtual Energy” livery, a playful take on IMSA’s 2025 implementation of magneto-elastic torque sensors for the GTD PRO and GTD classes.