Two drivers at opposite ends of their Rolex 24 careers, Hurley Haywood drove what may be his last Rolex 24 this year while Jeff Gordon participated in his first. (Photo: Grand-Am) » More Photos

Haywood's retirement
The SPEED Channel broadcast team revealed that Hurley Haywood was beginning his final season of racing. Haywood owns the record for both the number of overall victories in the Rolex 24 (five) and the number of starts (33). He also holds the record for longest time between first and last victories (1973-'91). He also is alleged to have completed 61,000 miles around the Daytona road course.

Beyond that, he also has scored three overall victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, back-to-back IMSA GT championships and a Trans-Am title.

Montoya's Firsts
The win by Montoya's team was another in a long string of firsts for the Colombian. He becomes the first person to win a Champ Car or Indy car title, the Indy 500, a Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Rolex 24.

But of note are the things that Montoya has won on his first try: the Champ Car title, the Indy 500 and now the Rolex 24. He will start his first Daytona 500 later this month….

Katherine Legge, at the wheel of the Robinson Racing Pontiac Riley, earned the distinction of being credited with the 1,000,000th lap of Rolex 24 history. (Photo: Fastlines) » More Photos

A lot of laps
Katherine Legge may not have much to celebrate about her finishing position in her first Rolex 24, but she does have one distinction to carry from the event. She was credited with the 1,000,000th lap of Rolex 24 history at 11:11 a.m. It was the 30,419th lap of the race.

Correcting errors
Montoya wasn't the only otherwise-distinguished Rolex 24 rookie on the podium. Four-time NASCAR Cup champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon was experiencing his first 24 as well (not to mention his first time racing in the rain). He hinted that it might not be the last, having left some things undone.

"I had a great experience with Wayne [Taylor] and his whole group," Gordon said. "I worked a lot with Max [Angelelli] during the tests, and him and Jan [Magnussen] were so helpful to get me up to speed. I had a blast out there, but I made some mistakes, so I'm going to have to come back because I don't like to make mistakes. I want to come back and fix those mistakes and give it another try and just be more of an asset to the team. All in all, it was a really great experience for me. All the hard work these guys put in is unbelievable. It's a very challenging race."