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Confidence builder Gordon looks to Indy to recapture past form
Posted: Wednesday May 24, 2000 03:31 PM
There are countless sports that test an athlete’s stamina. The most notorious -- no doubt – is the Ironman Triathlon. But auto racing now has it's own version of the iron man. Last year, Tony Stewart ran in the Indy 500 and then took a helicopter to make it in time for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. This CNNSI.com Profile takes a look at this year's man with the stamina on the track: INDIANAPOLIS (CNNSI.com) -- One lap. Two and one-half miles. Another gallon or two of fuel. That's all that separated Robby Gordon from winning last year's Indianapolis 500 and finishing fourth after making a last-second pit stop for a splash of methanol. "I think, you know, obviously the things that happened last year, you learn from your mistakes, you build on it," Gordon said. "You can't dwell on it, because it doesn't do you any good anyway. It's all over with. So, right now, we're trying to make the cars as quick as we can. We are trying to make the least mistakes." Gordon was an unexpected late entry to this year's Indianapolis 500 field returning in part to regain confidence in his racing ability. Gordon switched from CART to Winston Cup cars this season, and he's struggled. He's 36th in the points standings and doesn't have a single top-10 finish in the nine races he's qualified for. In fact, the only real news Gordon has made has been his shoving match with Tony Stewart at Daytona. "Winston Cup has been very competitive," said Gordon. "When you look at the grid, you know, in one mph, you'll have thirty cars. It's probably the closest form of racing to date. We are just establishing our playbook right now. We're just trying real hard to figure out where we're at and how to make it better." Gordon will try to pull double-duty Sunday by driving in the 500 and then jetting to Charlotte for his Winston Cup ride in the Coca-Cola 600. But after qualifying fourth at Indy and turning some of the fastest times of the month, his optimism lies in Indiana. Current Winston Cup regular John Andretti drove in both races in 1994. "I know that our opportunity at the speedway is very good," he says. "We have a very quick car. We have a very good team. We have great sponsorship, great funding. The whole program here at the speedway is very good. I think our best chances are here at Indy." And the best place for Gordon to erase the memories of last year's heartbreaking finish and ease the frustrations of this season.
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