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Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Max Angelelli to retire after 2017 race

By Brittany Frederick

Jan 31, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The Konica Minolta Corvette driven by Jordan Taylor, Rick Taylor, Max Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello (10) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The Konica Minolta Corvette driven by Jordan Taylor, Rick Taylor, Max Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello (10) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Max Angelelli will retire after he competes in the 2017 edition of the sportscar event for Wayne Taylor Racing this month.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is the first race of the 2017 IMSA sportscar racing season, but it will be the last for veteran driver Max Angelelli.

The 50-year-old Italian told Racer that he will retire after he competes in the Rolex 24 on Jan. 28 and 29 at Daytona International Speedway, where he’ll co-drive the No. 10 Cadillac DPi for Wayne Taylor Racing alongside brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor.

Angelelli has been the veteran presence working with the Taylor family ever since the 1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona. He won the 2005 edition of the race co-driving with Wayne Taylor, and helped the WTR entry finish second in both 2014 and 2016.

He has also driven in five 24 Hours of Le Mans (with a best finish of ninth) and was Rolex Sports Car Series champion twice, in 2005 and again during the league’s final season in 2013.

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Why is Angelelli hanging up his helmet in just a few weeks?

He said the idea was reinforced when he realized no one had called him during the holiday break.

“When we turned on our phones at the first of the year, my wife was surprised to see she had more than sixty messages,” he told Racer. “She asked how many I had and I said, ‘Zero.’ She said, ‘That’s how much everybody loves you.’

“All through the years when I was winning races, I never got messages after I won. But after word got out that I was going to retire, you have no idea of the amount of text messages, phone calls, e-mails, etc., like the people could not wait for me to say I’m done,” he continued. “That’s the way I see it. Seriously, I feel like the time is right to retire at this race, this year.”

It probably helps that he’s poised to go out on top. Max Angelelli could very well end his career with a second Rolex 24 at Daytona victory, as the No. 10 WTR car is once again one of the favorites to be the overall winner. Ricky Taylor posted the fastest lap in Saturday morning’s first practice session.

This year the team also has extra firepower on hand as NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon will replace Rubens Barrichello as WTR’s fourth driver. Since Angelelli is normally the Taylor brothers’ third for other IMSA races, fans are now wondering if his retirement means that Gordon could be drafted to do more sportscar racing with the team beyond January.

It’s obviously a little too early for Wayne Taylor Racing to comment, but for now it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate that the sportscar racing world will look a little bit different without Max Angelelli in it. He’s an equal part of what’s made the WTR squad so competitive for years and it will be no small order, even for someone like Gordon, to replace him.

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The 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona takes place Jan. 28-29 at Daytona International Speedway. Tickets for the race are still on sale through the DIS website; the event will also be nationally televised on the Fox Sports family of networks, beginning with FOX at 2 p.m. ET on Jan. 28.