For Robby Gordon, a bad '05 is now a promising '06

	Robby Gordon has the No. 7 in good position heading to Atlanta. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Three races into the Nextel Cup season, Robby Gordon has positioned himself solidly for the remaining 33 -- even though he hasn't done anything spectacular or particularly memorable.

Gordon, racing for a team he owns, is one of those drivers who is out of the preferred 35 who are guaranteed starting positions based upon points from last year. Gordon was 37th in 2005, his first as owner of the No. 7 Chevrolet, and has had to qualify into one of the few remaining spots in oversubscribed sessions.

Gordon was in the same position last year and it was a major reason he raced in just 29 events. NASCAR's quasi-franchise system can be a vicious cycle, but this year Gordon seems to be breaking out of it.

Going into this weekend's Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gordon is 14th in points, thanks to top 15 finishes at Daytona and Las Vegas. He hasn't cleared the biggest hurdle yet, but he will if he qualifies for Atlanta and at Bristol, Tenn., next week. That's because owner points are reseeded after the opening five races. If things stay the way they are now, Gordon will become a have, not a have-not.

The 36-year-old Californian, with three Cup victories under his belt, has had many detractors during his 202-race Cup career. But nobody doubts that he's a capable driver on the speedways and an outstanding driver on road courses.

He ventured out on his own after three seasons with Richard Childress. You can debate whether that was a wise move or not, but Gordon did make a poor decision in using engines from sponsor John Menard's company. They blew up regularly, with Gordon unable to finish 13 of his 29 races last year.

Gordon is now using motors from DEI and they've been reliable and competitive. Gordon's team also has more sponsorship this year from Jim Beam, Menards and Harrah's, all of which stuck with him after the 2005 season.