Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: New
England 300/July 20, 2003
Venue: New Hampshire
International Speedway
Robby Gordon’s NASCAR
Winston Cup Performance History at New Hampshire International
Speedway
Laps Completed/
Date Start Finish Total Laps
Status Money
09/15/02 29
17 207/207 Running $76,731
07/21/02 24
7 300/300 Running 84,081
11/23/01 31
1
300/300 Running 203,924
7/22/01 36
25 299/300 Running 76,999
9/14/97 26
24 299/300 Running 37,575
7/13/97 42
34 296/300 Running 26,225
TOTALS Avg. Start: 31.3 Avg. Finish: 18 Laps: 1,701/1,707 Money:
$505,535
NASCAR Winston Cup Points Position:
15th
NOTES:
- This Week’s Race Car (chassis No. 99) was
run at four other tracks this year, including Richmond where Gordon came from
three laps down and posted a fourth-place finish after starting
32nd. The car also raced at Darlington, Charlotte and Pocono earlier this
season.
- Gordon’s
first NASCAR Winston Cup win was at New Hampshire in November 2001
- Gordon
and the No. 31 Cingular Wireless team are testing at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Monday and Tuesday
- Gordon finished fifth at Loudon in 1993 in the PPG
Indycar World Series and ninth in the Aug. 1995 CART race at
Loudon
- Gordon is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial First
Pitch in the Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field on Wednesday,
July 23. He also threw out the First Pitch in the
Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field last Thursday.
- Gordon is participating in a media tour on behalf
of Watkins Glen International Tuesday, July 22 in Buffalo, N.Y.
- The New England 300 will be broadcast live on TNT and MRN on Sunday, July 20 starting
at 1:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying is scheduled for
Friday, July 18 at 3:05 p.m. ET.
ROBBY GORDON QUOTES:
“I’m
really looking forward to going back to New Hampshire again this year. The Cingular team was really good there at both
races last season. We won
there in 2001 and we’ve still got a good set-up and baseline
for that and many of the flatter tracks.
My teammates Steve Park and Kevin Harvick tested at Milwaukee recently in preparation for
Loudon. Milwaukee is a flat track and a lot
of the information they compiled there should be able to help
us at Loudon.
“They
changed the New Hampshire track last year and I’m
not really sure what that was all about.
By them laying down that sealer, lowering the bottom groove
and changing the track, the drivers were forced to run on the
apron and we weren’t able to run a rear bar to help the car’s
handling. I think that
change to the track put cars where they’d be at sharper angle
to the wall, to be honest. I
didn’t like the change. But
that’s just one guy’s opinion.
“The
key to running well at Loudon is making the car handle. It’s got to roll through the corner well
so you can get off the gas and be able to get back into the gas
without the car going sideways on you.
Brakes are very important at Loudon, also, and we’ve
got to make sure to conserve them as much as possible.
But I think the Cingular team is going to be able to put
it all together this year. Loudon suits my driving style and we’ve
been competitive each time we’ve raced there.
Hopefully, we can go back and race for a victory again.
“Things
are coming together for the Cingular team now and we seem to be
jelling well. We’ve
had some really good runs this year and we’d be back in the
top 10 in points if it weren’t for getting messed up in that
accident at Daytona. Kevin
Hamlin and I are communicating well and everyone seems to be on
the same page. We knew
all year that we had a really good team and a great bunch of guys
but now we seem to have put the entire package together.
We still have a goal of finishing in the top 10 in points
this season and having a place at the table in New York in December.”
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