Gordon, Wayne Taylor Racing win Rolex 24: Ricky Taylor used a gutsy move to fiercely grab a victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona that had seemingly slipped out of reach. The Wayne Taylor Racing team was among the most dominant in the twice-round-the-clock endurance race but found itself trailing Action Express in the final hour in a battle of brand new Cadillacs. His shot at the celebrated victory was down to one final attempt at a pass of Filipe Albuquerque, and Taylor dove inside of him entering Turn 1 of the road course.Taylor seemed to have the inside lane, but it wasn’t clear if he could complete the pass. Contact between the two cars sent Albuquerque spinning, and IMSA reviewed the action to see if Taylor warranted a penalty. No penalty was issued after the review, and the Taylor team won its first Rolex since 2005 “ when team owner Wayne Taylor was still a driver. It marks the first victory for brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor “ two of the most talented sports-car racers in America “ and longtime Taylor co-driver Max Angelelli. Their fourth driver? None other than retired NASCAR great Jeff Gordon, who won the first Rolex watch of his career. Gordon ran this race once before, in 2007, with the Taylor team. Gordon didn’t carry a very significant part of the load in victory. He drove twice for a total of three stints, his last one at night in a heavy rain that he’s not accustomed to managing. With so much poor weather into daybreak, the team left most of the heavy lifting to the Taylor brothers. Still, it’s a coveted Rolex watch for Gordon in a trophy collection that includes four NASCAR champions and three Daytona 500s. “I haven’t been this emotional for a win and an experience like this for a very long time,” Gordon said. “The reason is because I know what this means to this team, Wayne, these kids, Max. Oh my gosh. This is amazing “ Daytona has always been special, but this one sent me over the top. I’m just blown away right now.”Â(Associated Press)(1-29-2017)
