JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Oliver has been a staple of Corvette Racing. As a fan growing up and watching the team, he was there and always was the one to root for – the top dog and winning a lot of races. So I was a fan to begin with and then moved into competing against him in GRAND-AM when we were both racing Camaros. I remember my first race against him at VIR. I was terrified that I was in similar equipment and on the track at the same time, just knowing that I have this legend I’m racing against and how could I ever compete against him. Since then, he’s been a good friend and teammate even when we weren’t in the same car. He always treated me so well and offered a helping hand when I needed it or gave advice if I had questions when I went into the third-driver role at Corvette Racing. That was huge for me as a young guy – to come into such an intimidating team and organization to have someone at that level to be mentor. He’s been a huge help. They say to never meet your heroes, but to meet him and work with him is everything I could hope for. It’s been great to spend more time with him, getting to know him better as a person, a dad, a friend and an athlete has been a lot of fun. We’ll all miss him inside the team, but I’m sure we’ll stay connected and work with each other down the road.” | |