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Packed agenda R. Gordon spending NASCAR's off week practicing at IndyPosted: Monday May 05, 2003 12:37 AMINDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - While most people would take it easy after only 3 1/2 hours of sleep, Robby Gordon doesn't believe in that. The NASCAR Winston Cup regular jumped into one of Andretti/Green Racing's Indy cars and laid down a lap at 220.636 miles per hour on Sunday's opening day of practice for the Indianapolis 500. Although that was pretty far down the speed list, Gordon's agenda was to get acclimated to the high-speed machine after finishing fourth in Saturday night's NASCAR Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway. After returning to Charlotte, North Carolina from Richmond, Virginia at 2 a.m. EDT, Gordon got to bed a few hours later and was up at 7 a.m. to fly to Indianapolis. "I normally only sleep about five hours a night, so today was no problem," Gordon said. "I had a good run last night. We have a great team at Richard Childress Racing. We have our short-track and superspeedway programs figured out, but we struggle on the intermediate ovals. We kind of threw it away at California and let it slip away. It was good to come back and be as strong as we were at Richmond." Gordon, who has done the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double twice in his career, is driving in the IRL for Michael Andretti, who used to be his adversary when both were competing in CART. Gordon and Paul Tracy once wore T-shirts that said, "Michael Andretti Driving School for the Blind - If you can't see them, hit them" into a CART driver's meeting. Andretti was not happy about that, but over the years, the son of 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti has become a little more forgiving. "I think it's definitely amazing," Andretti said. "You have to do what is best for the team and we feel that Robby can win the race. His association with Cingular is definitely good for Motorola, so it's all about what is best for the team." Gordon believes that hard feelings among drivers on the race track are often blown out of proportion. He contends that was never more evident than in his personal situation with Andretti in CART. "People take things too serious," Gordon said. "Jimmy Vasser said a long time ago -- we actually race cars for a living and get paid for it. It just shows what happens on the race track doesn't stick around forever. It's just a racing incident and it shows how competitive we are. "I see basketball players go up against each other week in and week out, but they still hang out together. I think this shows I can be as competitive as ever against Michael Andretti on the race track, but still get along enough to race for each other." It didn't take Gordon long to get up to speed as his first lap was over 215 mph and his second above 220 mph. On Monday, the team will take away some of the downforce of the car to search for more speed. "I know weather isn't on our side, but we'll try to make the most of it," Gordon said. The talented driver from Orange, California has driven at Indy for two-car teams, but this May he is part of a four-car fleet at Andretti/Green Racing that also includes Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon. Gordon is replacing the injured Dario Franchitti, who continues to recover from injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash in Scotland last month. "It's amazing to look down the aisle here and see all these guys working on these cars," Gordon said. "I've looked over all of them and they have done an excellent job on every race car. We all have the same tools to do our job, so may the best man win." Gordon likes the car specifications for the IRL and has seen the series grow since its inception in 1996. With powerhouse teams like Marlboro Team Penske and Andretti/Green in the lineup, he believes this will be a very competitive race. Gordon has an ideal schedule to participate in both Winston Cup and the Indy 500 this year. Next weekend, there are no Winston Cup races, so Gordon's Pole Day is unencumbered. He can also practice for a few days the following week but will participate in The Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 17. The driver from Orange, California will be able to participate in Carburetion Day -- the final practice session before the Indy 500 -- on May 22 before returning to Charlotte for practice and qualifications for the Coca-Cola 600. Gordon will attempt to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day for the third time in his career. "I'm here to win, that's the only reason we're here," Gordon said.
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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