When he crawls behind the wheel of Number 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-VR for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this weekend, Jeff Gordon will be living his trip down memory lane. The four-time NASCAR Cup Champion who retired last season before returning to racing when he filled in as a substitute driver at the Brickyard 400 for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't sitting around in a rocking chair. The 45-year old Gordon hopes to repeat his success of 2007, when he stood on the podium at the Rolex 24 alongside co-drivers Wayne Taylor, Jan Magnussen and Max Angelelli.
This time around, the driver with 93 NASCAR Cup wins under his belt will be teamed once again with Max Angelelli and joined by Wayne Taylor's sons Ricky and Jordan Taylor. The brothers who are both veterans of the IMSA Weather Tech Sports Car Championship are certainly excited to be paired with one of the legends of racing. In 1991, the year Jordan was born (and while his brother Ricky was still in diapers), Gordon captured the USAC Silver Crown at the age of 20 to become the youngest driver ever to win the open-wheel season championship. That same year Gordon was teamed with crew chief Ray Evernham to compete in NASCAR's Busch Grand National series. A move that would prove enormously successful for both men.
When Gordon left NASCAR at the conclusion of the 2015 Sprint Cup season, it was announced that he would pursue his next career as a sports commentator for Fox Sports. In 2016, Gordon replaced Larry McReynolds, who moved to the Hollywood Hotel, and was paired with Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip in the broadcast booth. Already a very successful brand spokesperson for longtime sponsors DuPont, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, the Kellogg Company, Frito-Lay, Edy's and Ray-Ban, Gordon's other business ventures include a Chevrolet dealership in Wilmington, NC, and ownership of JG Motorsports. Thankfully for racing fans worldwide, his business success and guaranteed career as a sports commentator just couldn't satisfy his need for speed. Watch for the black Number 10 to run close to the lead this weekend at Daytona.
