Actor Patrick Dempsey Emotional After 1st Podium Finish at Le Mans 2015

Actor Patrick Dempsey has finally managed to grab his first podium finish at Le Mans 24, finishing the 2015 race in second place in the amateur class in his fourth attempt, and the former Grey's Anatomy star was visibly emotional during his post-race press interview.

As reported by the Associated Press (for ABC News), the 49-year-old said it was a dream come true and an incredible experience after putting so much work into his racing career:

"

I think it's hard to put into words how much it means to be on the podium in Le Mans. Phenomenal effort and support from Porsche. It's an amazing accomplishment, you always dream about moments like this. I've worked really hard over the last three years to make this happen and I'm here. Vive la France!

"

As shared by AP Sports, he didn't exactly hold back on the podium, either:

Driving for the Dempsey-Proton Porsche 911 RSR team, along with compatriot Patrick Long and Germany's Marco Seefried, Dempsey finished one lap behind SMP Racing in the GTE Amateur division.

Dempsey has been racing for several years now and drove in the Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona earlier this year, but the Le Mans 24 remains the cream of the crop when it comes to endurance racing.

David Vincent/Associated Press

He more than held his own throughout the race, despite lacking the racing pedigree of Seefried or Long, and looked particularly impressive during his first stint. Dempsey previously finished fourth and fifth at the 24 Le Mans in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

According to People's Peter Mikelbank, the actor will race in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship series next. 

Follow @ReverschPass