The spotlight is firmly focused on Porsche Penske Motorsport’s ace driver, Nick Tandy, as he sets his sights on the prestigious endurance racing’s Triple Crown at the upcoming Sebring race. Fresh off his remarkable victory at Daytona, Tandy is basking in the glory of his achievement, which is now being heralded as the “Tandy Slam.”
Tandy’s Daytona triumph, coupled with previous wins at the Rolex 24, Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Spa 24-Hour races, has earned him the distinction of being the first driver to clinch all four 24-hour races. Now, he’s gearing up to join an elite club of drivers who’ve captured the much-coveted Triple Crown of Le Mans, Daytona, and the Sebring 12 Hours.
When quizzed about his aspirations for the Triple Crown, Tandy humbly stated, “There’s high motivation, of course. But it’s no more than any other year. I’ve been lucky enough to win there three times in GT, so Sebring, it’s been a good event for me.”
Tandy is no stranger to the Sebring race track, having won the GTLM class for the factory Porsche team three consecutive times between 2018 and 2020 driving the Porsche 911 RSR. However, the last two years have seen him come tantalizingly close to an overall win, only to be thwarted by unfortunate incidents.
Had luck been on his side, Tandy would have already joined the ranks of the legendary drivers like Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Hans Herrmann, Jackie Oliver, Jacky Ickx, Hurley Haywood, A.J. Foyt, Al Holbert, Andy Wallace, Mauro Baldi, Marco Werner, and Timo Bernhard, who clinched the Triple Crown in 2010.
Tandy’s relentless pursuit of victory and his impressive adaptability across different race types make him a formidable competitor. Despite the prestige associated with winning major races, Tandy maintains that the thrill of competition remains the same, whether it’s a high-profile endurance race or a club-level contest. He said, “The big races are fantastic to win, but at the end of the day, they score the same points as any other race. And you always go into each event with maximum motivation.”
Tandy, along with his teammates Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor, are poised to achieve historic feats at Sebring. A win would also bring Nasr and Vanthoor closer to their Triple Crown, with only a Le Mans victory separating them from this illustrious achievement.
Discussing the possibility of a Sebring win, Tandy said, “It would be great. Obviously, we’re leading the championship after the first round. You’ve got to think about the championship focus, as much as the single-event stuff, but it would be nice!”
Tandy’s ambitions extend beyond the Triple Crown. He’s also aiming for an overall win at Petit Le Mans, which would round off his “big six” victories, including his remarkable win in 2015 against all prototypes in torrential conditions at Road Atlanta.
As Tandy prepares for Sebring, he knows he won’t face the same weather conditions as Atlanta, but he’s equally aware of the grueling physical and mental test that the toughest endurance race demands. This is the last individual prize that one of the greatest sports car drivers of all time is yet to bag. As the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship moves from Daytona to Sebring, all eyes will be on Tandy as he attempts to conquer this final frontier.
