Interview
IMSA Daytona 24
Gordon on first stint: Restarts "might be crazier than NASCAR"
Jeff Gordon was thrown straight into the hornets nest for his first stint behind the wheel of the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi.
Nick DeGroot
Edited: Jan 29, 2017, 2:49 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Gordon got behind the wheel as the second hour came to close, but not under the circumstances he and the team wanted.
“It was interesting getting in the car with the caution because it was my first restart in one of these cars,” Gordon said. “It might be crazier than NASCAR racing, trying to restart when you have some GTs and PCs in front of you and you’re on cold tires.
“That was a bit of a challenge and I lost some time. I went wide on the outside and that was the wrong move. And then I made a little contact with the Mazda, which was coming off the pit lane. I felt bad about that. But from that point on, it was a really good stint. The car feels good and strong. It was by far the most laps I've made in the car."
Despite the incident, Gordon kept the car up inside the top three and within reach of the Action Express teammates before handing the wheel off to Max Angelelli.
“I wish I had more laps coming into this, but I totally understand how the team has to balance it out between three different drivers," Gordon admitted. It was good to get comfortable, get some good laps in and work traffic. The rest of the way was very smooth and clean. I was having a blast, especially the second stint ... I had a great time.”
Experience is everything
When asked what would have been the ideal situation, Gordon didn't hesitate to reply.
"What would have been a ideal is him (Ricky Taylor) have a ten second lead and me get in the car under green because I lost about six or eight seconds on my out lap," he laughed. "Honestly, I was happy to get in the car under caution because it allowed me to get some heat in the tires and do a few things. But, at the same time, I just don't have enough experience with these cars on restarts. I just didn't know which way they were going to go. I'm in conserve mode because I know this is a long race and I don't want to tear anything up.
"I was happy with some of my laps when I was in clean air, so that's kind of mission accomplished, but I have to work on traffic and if we get another restart, I look forward to that challenge."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Daytona 24 Hours: Hr5 - Action Express finds trouble, but keeps the lead
Next article Daytona 24 Hours: Hr6 - AX Racing 1-2 as rain arrives
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Nick DeGroot
Sammy Smith wins NASCAR O'Reilly Talladega race with last-lap pass
NASCAR O'Reilly
NASCAR O'Reilly
Talladega II
6 h
Sammy Smith wins NASCAR O'Reilly Talladega race with last-lap pass
NASCAR Cup Talladega starting lineup: Chase Briscoe beats Austin Hill for pole
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
10 h
NASCAR Cup Talladega starting lineup: Chase Briscoe beats Austin Hill for pole
9/11 after 25 years: How NASCAR went back racing following September 11 attacks
Feature
NASCAR Cup
Feature
NASCAR Cup
9/11 after 25 years: How NASCAR went back racing following September 11 attacks
More from
Jeff Gordon
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
The wildest fights in modern NASCAR Cup history
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Bristol II
The wildest fights in modern NASCAR Cup history
Jeff Gordon can relate to Denny Hamlin's Kansas disappointment
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Kansas II
Jeff Gordon can relate to Denny Hamlin's Kansas disappointment
More from
Wayne Taylor Racing
Colton Herta eyes potential Indy 500 return and IMSA enduros as 2027 plans remain in flux
FIA F2
FIA F2
Colton Herta eyes potential Indy 500 return and IMSA enduros as 2027 plans remain in flux
Frederik Vesti steps up to full-time role as Cadillac Racing details 2027 IMSA lineup
IMSA
IMSA
Frederik Vesti steps up to full-time role as Cadillac Racing details 2027 IMSA lineup
'Team Cadillac' strategy delivers dual IMSA manufacturer titles for General Motors
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
'Team Cadillac' strategy delivers dual IMSA manufacturer titles for General Motors
Latest news
MotoGP's final Australian GP at Phillip Island cancelled due to poor weather
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
16 min
MotoGP's final Australian GP at Phillip Island cancelled due to poor weather
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
2 h
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
There will be even less drag in Cup cars at Talladega on Sunday
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
3 h
There will be even less drag in Cup cars at Talladega on Sunday
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
4 h
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe