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Aiming to be the best Gordon looking for pole to solidify Indy 500 bid
Posted: Tuesday May 16, 2000 10:16 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- With movie star looks and a swagger in his step, Robby Gordon had "can't miss" stamped all over him when he arrived in the CART series in 1992. Steady progress that included two wins in 1995 gave credence to the expectations. Since then, Gordon has struggled, flipping from NASCAR to open-wheel racing and back again. And after a near miss at the Indianapolis 500 last year, Gordon is back for another shot at the big victory that has proven so elusive. A full-time driver on the Winston Cup series, Gordon, 31, made a late decision to try to qualify for Indy this year in the second car of Team Menard -- and go for a rare auto-racing double on Memorial Day weekend. With the split between CART and the Indy Racing League, Gordon was the only CART regular who raced at Indy -- the IRL's biggest event -- last May. Driving a car owned by John Menard, who is one of his partners in his own team, Gordon came close to winning the big race, running out of fuel while leading less than two laps from the end. Gordon, racing again as a teammate of defending IRL champion Greg Ray, got up to speed quickly this year, posting a 223.120 mph in Monday's practice. That's the fastest lap -- by more than 1 mph -- since practice began on the 2 1/2-mile oval on Saturday. "I love racing open wheel," Gordon said. "The last couple of years have been a struggle for numerous reasons. I made a big mistake at the end of '96 and I've been struggling to get back on top and align myself with a package that is top notch." Gordon plans a doubleheader on May 28, racing first in the 500, then flying to Charlotte, N.C., for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. Former IRL champion Tony Stewart -- NASCAR's top rookie in 1999 -- managed the feat last year, as did current NASCAR regular John Andretti in 1994. "I know it's not easy, but we're going to give it a shot," Gordon said. Gordon is not eligible for The Winston -- a non-points NASCAR race Saturday night in Charlotte. But he could try to make the rich main event by running in a preliminary for non-qualifiers. Instead, he will remain in Indianapolis to take part in qualifications on Saturday and Sunday. "I'm going to stay right here this weekend and concentrate on getting into the Indy 500," Gordon said Tuesday. "I'm not going to go down there and take a chance on tearing up my car in a hooligan race when we've got a legitimate shot at the pole here." Rain, which is expected to hamper practice for several days, arrived midway through Tuesday's practice, causing an interruption of 2 hours, 56 minutes. Once action resumed, the speeds jumped. Two-time IRL champion Scott Sharp turned a lap of 223.936, surpassing Gordon's speed of the previous day. Juan Montoya, the defending CART champion and an Indy rookie, was at 222.104, followed by his teammate Jimmy Vasser at 221.775, Ray at 221.740, Stephan Gregoire at 221.254 and 1998 Indy winner Eddie Cheever and rookie Sarah Fisher, one of two women entered here, at 220.881. Gordon ran only 13 laps Tuesday, topping out at 220.292, just ahead of two-time Indy winner Al Unser Jr. at 220.018 and Lyn St. James at 219.973. There were two more crashes on Tuesday, bringing the total for the week to six. Donnie Beechler, a two-time Indy starter, hit the outside wall in turns one and two, while rookie Dan Drinan, who also crashed Monday, slammed into the turn one wall. Both escaped injury but did heavy damage to their cars.
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