Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will join full-time co-drivers of the all-new #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R Ricky and Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli for next month’s 55th Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Gordon, who has 805 career Sprint Cup starts with 93 victories and championships in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001, retired from full-time competition in 2015. He co-drove to a solid podium finish in his only career sportscar event, the 2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona, alongside Angelelli, Jan Magnussen and team owner and three-time sportscar racing champion Wayne Taylor in the #10 WTR prototype.
“I really enjoyed racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2007 with Max, Wayne and Jan,” said Gordon. “When I announced I would no longer be competing full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, my hope was that I would get an opportunity like this to compete again in such a prestigious event, with Konica Minolta and Wayne Taylor Racing, with the hopes of winning it this time. I know that Ricky and Jordan are super-fast, and I believe it will be a very strong combination.”
Ricky and Jordan Taylor, who each have 14 major North American sportscar victories, co-drove to three wins this season – at Long Beach, California, Detroit, and Austin, Texas. They finished third in the WeatherTech Championship standings with the final two events at Circuit of the Americas. In addition to their runner-up finish at the season-opening Rolex 24 this year, they added podium finishes at Bowmanville, Ontario and Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Road Atlanta.
“Having Jeff Gordon join the team is really a dream come true for all of us,” said Ricky Taylor, who co-drove the #10 prototype full-time with Angelelli from 2010 through 2012 before joining his brother the past three seasons. “It is a huge compliment to how well-respected the team has become over the years for someone with the history and career of Jeff Gordon to want to be a part of it.
“For me, it will be surreal to drive alongside a legend and I can’t wait to hear all of the stories he has to share from his years of racing. I’m sure he will be a great addition to the lineup and hopefully we can all get our first Rolex 24 win together.”
The 2017 Rolex 24 is set to run from January 28-29 with the annual three days of testing set for three weeks prior.
Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor Racing
