CONCORD, N.C. - This upcoming weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona kicks off early season racing activities at Daytona International Speedway, which culminates in the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500 on Feb. 26.
A full field of 60 International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) prototypes and GT cars will compete this year among four classes to chase glory in one of international racing’s crown jewel endurance events. Its prestige, illustrious history and place on the calendar has often drawn the best of the best from throughout the racing world – including drivers from Hendrick Motorsports.
Among those who have flourished in the twice around the clock classic is four-time NASCAR Cup Series champ and current Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, Jeff Gordon.
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His first taste of the race came in 2007, when he joined forces with legendary sports car racing driver and owner Wayne Taylor and his Pontiac-powered Daytona Prototype which he drove alongside teammates Max Angelelli and Jan Magnussen. His experience made a meaningful impression.
“I love the event,” Gordon said. “I tell people all the time, if you’ve never been on the grid before the race for the 24 hours – either Le Mans or Daytona – you’re missing out because it’s the only time you’ll sit there and look at every single make of a car. Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, you name it, and then these amazing prototypes on top of that and what they have to go through to compete for 24 hours.”
As always, the competition was fierce that year, and wet weather wreaked havoc on the field. It was extra challenging for Gordon, who had yet to experience green flag laps under adverse conditions such as these.
“They (the crew) asked me if I had changed the brake bias and some stuff like that. I said, ‘No. I couldn’t take my hand off the wheel,” Gordon joked to SPEED pit reporter Calvin Fish after his first-ever competitive stint in the heavy rain. “That was an experience right there. To be on the slicks is about the worst conditions you can be in when it gets to be like that. Even when we put the rain tires on … I was searching high and low just looking for grip.”
The good news was that Gordon and crew were still extremely fast and stayed in the top half of the field throughout the race. Eventually, the grabbed third overall, an excellent result for Wayne Taylor Racing and the NASCAR Hall of Famer.
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However, he wasn't satisfied, and after getting his feet wet, his competitive nature played a big role in why he waited 10 years until he retired from full-time NASCAR competition to give the race another go. One’s complete mental and physical attention is required to win an endurance race at the highest levels.
Gordon’s return in 2017 was indeed different. While Wayne had transitioned to full-time team ownership, his sons Ricky and Jordan Taylor had taken over driving duties.
“The relationship I was able to build with Wayne Taylor, with Jordan with Ricky (Taylor), Max, that’s very special, especially the way I did it the last time because I wasn’t driving (in NASCAR),” Gordon recently told HendrickMotorsports.com. “So, I got to really commit all my time, which is what I set out to do. I wanted to be good on the pit stops and the driver changes, I wanted to be contributing on the track, I wanted to be more comfortable in the rain – all these things.”
Along with Angelelli, who was also retiring at the end of the race, Gordon had joined a foursome that was as fast as anyone on the property. They also were set to drive the brand-new Cadillac DPi prototype, the company's most advanced race car to date.
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At the preseason test known as “The Roar Before the 24”, Gordon familiarized himself with the new race car, a stark departure from the lower downforce entry he wheeled in the 2007 race. Here is what he told NASCAR.com during the test.
“It’s a lot of fun for me. I treat this like I’m a rookie, having only run this race one other time,” Gordon noted. “I just tapped into this team and the teammates listening and talking to (team owner) Wayne and Max and last two months really getting to know Ricky and Jordan testing with them. It’s been an amazing experience, but I must say getting behind the wheel of a car that brakes like that and corners like that is kinda eye-opening to me, but also at the same time, so much fun."
The No. 10 Action Express Cadillac started the race third, with Ricky Taylor behind the wheel. The accomplished endurance racer handed over to Gordon one hour and 48 minutes into the race.
About ten minutes in, Gordon encountered and made contact with the No. 70 prototype of Tom Long, temporarily dropping he and the team to third. Fortunately, the damage was minimal, and the team remained at the top of the field.
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“These restarts are crazier than NASCAR restarts,” Gordon told Fox Sports about the incident with Long. “I wanted to be cautious because I was on cold tires. The tires were sliding around pretty good when I got into Turn 3. I feel sorry I got into him and spun him."
At the two-hour, 30-minute mark, after gaining his sea legs and a great deal of confidence, Gordon regained the overall race lead – taking advantage of his strong pace and a strategic pit strategy.
Gordon would return for an evening stint, which also included a bit of rain. This time he was better prepared, confidently navigating the famous 3.56-mile road course well into the evening, avoiding any wet weather pit falls and keeping his team in position for victory.
With the clock winding down and the team sitting second, achingly close to victory lane, driver Ricky Taylor set off to win the race.
Battling the pole-sitting No. 5 Cadillac DPi entry with about five laps remaining, Taylor had the momentum coming off the banking and into turns one and two. With slower GT cars out front, Taylor saw an opening and went for the lead. When Felipe Albuquerque tried to close to door, he made contact and spun, and the Wayne Taylor Racing crew would go on to win. The 0.671-second margin at the stripe is still one of the closest finishes in race history.
“This is very surreal to me, this whole experience and moment, to have this on my resume, it’s a very elite group that’s won the DAYTONA 500 and Rolex 24 together,” Gordon said in the post-race press conference. “That’s something I’m very, very proud of.”
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As Gordon noted, the list is very short indeed, as the stock car driving legend joins Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Jamie McMurray as the only other drivers to achieve the rare feat.
“To be able to say you’ve got a Brickyard 400, a Daytona 500 and a Rolex 24 hours of Daytona and the watch to remind yourself of it. It’s probably one of my greatest trophies/possessions,” Gordon said. “It’s something you wear, and you get asked about and underneath on the back it says, ‘Rolex 24 winner’. And so, I think it’s an incredible accomplishment for my career that I’m excited I got to experience.”