WELCOME, N.C. (July 7, 2003) — Following is a statement from Kevin Hamlin, crew chief of the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet driven by Robby Gordon, concerning the incident Saturday evening at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in which the hood of the No. 31 Chevrolet flew off the car.

"Following the accident, we took our time and made all the proper repairs to the Cingular car and prepared to return Robby to the race. We correctly secured the hood and the hood tethers per NASCAR’s specifications. NASCAR is investigating how and why the hood flew off in an effort to ensure this does not happen again."