Jeff Gordon dominates to win first Rolex 24 at Daytona

Jeff Gordon returned to the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the first time in ten years and helped lead the Wayne Taylor Racing team to a dominant overall victory.

Jeff Gordon can now add Rolex 24 at Daytona winner to his NASCAR championships.

Driving in America’s signature endurance race for the first time since 2007 and only the second time overall, Gordon joined forces with IMSA drivers Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli to drive the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac entry to the finish line first on Sunday afternoon.

The No. 10 ran in front for a large part of the day-long event, but it took a gutsy pass by Ricky Taylor to get it past the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi driven by Filipe Albuquerque in the closing stage and on the top step of the podium.

But it finished first, and that meant history was made on Sunday – not only for Gordon but for the entire Wayne Taylor Racing team.

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Not only was it Gordon’s first Rolex 24 victory, but it was also sweet redemption for the Taylor brothers, who had finished as runners-up last year when driving alongside Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello.

That was one of four times that the Wayne Taylor Racing car has come in second place at Daytona, including two times in the previous three years.

They also almost had a victory in 2014 when the Taylor brothers co-drove with their father (and team owner) Wayne Taylor and Angelelli. Now they can say they’ve gotten over the hump.

It’s also a sweet way to go out on top for sportscar veteran Angelelli, who declared earlier in January that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the Rolex 24. Now he can leave with a victory in one of the world’s premier endurance races.

The race wasn’t without its challenges, most notably pouring rain that persisted through most of the night, but the top racers found a way to power through. Chip Ganassi Racing captured the GT Le Mans class victory with its No. 66 Ford, while the No. 38 Oreca won Prototype Challenge and the No. 28 Porsche 911 captured top honors in GT Daytona.

But it’s Gordon helping Wayne Taylor Racing finally capture the prized watch in Prototype class and the overall title that people will remember from this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Watch the team’s post-checkered flag reaction below:

Next: IndyCar drivers prepare for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Jeff Gordon’s addition to the Wayne Taylor Racing lineup automatically made the No. 10 car the favorite when the green flag dropped on Saturday, and there was never much doubt that he would be in Victory Lane. Now one of America’s favorite drivers can cross America’s longest endurance race off his to-do list.