Jeff Gordon Ditches Chevy in Favor of Cadillac
Jeff Gordon will once again be competing at Daytona, but in a very different type of racecar
Photo: © Casey Kelley
For more than 20 seasons, Jeff Gordon drove the No. 24 Chevrolet in NASCAR’s premier series, winning 93 races and a total of four championships, but he recently announced he’s leaving the Bowtie brand for the Cadillac Crest.
Gordon will be piloting the new Cadillac DPi-V.R racecar in the 55th Rolex 24 at Daytona. The NASCAR legend will share driving duties with Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli, and Jordan Taylor. All of those drivers are members of the Wayne Taylor Racing team.
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Gordon officially retired from NASCAR following the 2015 season. A year in which he finished third in the overall points and had a chance to win the title in the season finale, but he just couldn’t pass eventual champion Kyle Busch.
This year, Gordon filled in for eight races when former Team Chevy teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. sustained an injury. In those eight starts, Gordon managed two top-10 finishes and led a total of seven laps.
2017 Cadillac DPi-V.R racecar
Photo: © General Motors
Gordon is now entering the next phase of his racing career, by agreeing to participate in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“When I announced I would no longer be competing full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, my hope was that I would get an opportunity like this to compete again in such a prestigious event — with Konica Minolta and Wayne Taylor Racing — with the hopes of winning it this time,” Gordon said in a statement. “I know that Ricky and Jordan are super-fast, and I believe it will be a very strong combination.”
The racecar that Gordon will be driving, the Cadillac DPi-V.R, uses a Dallara LMP2 chassis, 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8, and only weighs 2050 pounds, making it much different than the bulky stock car he’s grown accustomed to driving.
The only other time Gordon competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona was back in 2007. His team finished third overall, making the podium.
Gordon will be 45 years old when the Rolex 24 at Daytona begins on Jan. 28. This makes the adage appear true that Americans drive Chevrolets when they’re young and spry, then switch to Cadillac when they’re older, wiser, and have more money in their bank accounts.
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It’s expected that Gordon will help test this new Cadillac at Daytona in mid-December
Photo: © General Motors
News Source: NASCAR
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