DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Not until the final six minutes of the 24-hour race did Ricky Taylor pass Felipe Albuquerque to take the lead for the final time in the IMSA WeatherTech Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Taylor and his team mates—bother Jordan, longtime co-driver Max Angelelli, and NASCAR star Jeff Gordon—had led the sports car endurance race from its fourth hour, but lost the lead after a pit stop with just over half an hour to go.
Two minutes later a car stalled on track, bringing out a yellow flag. Taylor had to circulate Daytona’s 3.56-mile track at a crawling speed behind the safety car, watching seconds tick away.
The caution period lasted ten minutes. When it ended, Taylor only had 20 minutes to chase, catch, and pass Albuquerque.
Taylor caught his quarry with only seven minutes left in the race. He made a bravura overtaking attempt at the end of the front straight, diving inside Albuquerque at the entrance to Turn One. The two cars touched; Albuquerque spun, and Taylor moved into the lead.
Race officials decided that Albuquerque had been deliberately blocking Taylor, and let the maneuver stand. Taylor completed four more laps and crossed the finish line .671 seconds ahead of his rival, earning the overall race win.
