Jeff Gordon was done with professional racing at the end of the 2015 Cup Series season. Or so he thought at the time. However, the head injuries sustained by his former teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., forced him to play an extended cameo of eight races in the 2016 season. This stint inadvertently led to him adding a prestigious piece of silverware to his cabinet… or rather, his wrist.
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Gordon was a part of Wayne Taylor Racing’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona team in 2017. He drove a Cadillac DPi-VR in the endurance event, teaming up with Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, and Max Angelelli.
Gordon was so eager to take part that he agreed to drive in it for free. When he got behind the wheel to do his part in the race, he ran a shift that lasted 2 hours and 34 minutes. A thunderstorm hit the region that night, and rain poured on the 3.56-mile track.
Gordon’s team fired through the weather strongly. He later revealed to the press his admiration for the participants pushing themselves through the challenges posed by the weather and other factors.
“I was glued to the TV every second, every lap,” Gordon had said.
“I couldn’t sleep because I wanted to watch these guys do what they did in the rain, in the cold, in the most treacherous conditions. They did it at a level that I’ll be honest, I’m not capable of doing, and I was so impressed,” he added.
Wayne Taylor Racing ended up winning the race, and Gordon got a brand new Rolex watch as a reward.
Why Gordon values the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona win highly
With the victory, Gordon entered an elite list of drivers who’ve won both the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Only A.J. Foyt, Jamie McMurray, and Mario Andretti have achieved the feat before him. The honor left him excited even months after the race.
Gordon had mentioned that even his friends who didn’t follow racing, got in touch to congratulate him.
“Of course, everybody wants to see the Rolex watch,” he said in another interview with Racer.
“I went out and got it sized right away as soon as I got back to Charlotte. It was a fun experience walking in with that watch into a Rolex store,” added the four-time Cup Series champion.
Gordon had previously attempted the race in 2007 along with Wayne Taylor but failed to win. He acknowledged that he was the weakest link in the team back then. He was able to shoulder his responsibilities better, and bravely, in the 2017 edition. And, while on the cusp of retirement, he ended up on the top rung of the podium at the famed endurance race.
