Tearjerker in Daytona.(NEWS)

Byline: Denise McCluggage

January's Rolex 24 at Day-tona may have been "all about the watches to the broadcast talent. Or so they kept saying and saying. But to me, it was all about connections and cheek-dampening sentiment. It connected Porsche people who have left us too soon and Porsche racing drivers with tearglistened eyes. For me, it was keep-the-Kleenex-close as I watched from home the tightest finish in the race's 47-year history. Blink! Less than that.

Consider first David Donohue. He was at the wheel of the No. 58 Brumos Riley-Porsche prototype when the checker fell. His dad, Mark Donohue, won this race exactly 40 years before. Whether or not history rode with David, he kept the Porsche ahead of a nagging Juan Pablo Montoya, Lexus-powered and still hungry after winning this race for the past two years. David took the lead from the Indy-winning, former Formula One and now NASCAR star 39 minutes from the race's end. He simply drove error-free until time ran out. Ah, icicles on your fenders, David.

Brumos Porsche, of Jacksonville, Fla., the nation's premier Porsche dealership, had its first racing successes when it was owned by the late Peter Gregg. Peter won the Daytona 24 Hours four times. His frequent co-driver, Hurley Haywood, now a vice president at Brumos, won it five times. In this year's Rolex 24, Hurley was in Brumos Porsche No. 59, finishing third. But he was a winner, too, because Brumos fields a tight team. This was the first Brumos victory in a 24-hour race since 1978. A "finally moment.

Another connection: A driver in Hurley's car, young J. C. France, is ...