Event
Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: The Winston Open/May
17, 2003
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Robby Gordon Statistics in The Winston Open (Lowe’s
Motor Speedway)*
Date
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
Completed/
Total Laps
|
Status
|
Money
|
5/17/97
|
10
|
28
|
27/50
|
Clutch
|
$1,700
|
*Qualifying race for The Winston
Robby Gordon Statistics in The Winston (Lowe’s Motor
Speedway)
Date
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
Completed/
Total Laps
|
Status
|
Money
|
5/18/02
|
16
|
7
|
90/90
|
Running
|
$44,500
|
NOTES:
- This Week’s Race Car (chassis No. 99) was last run at Richmond,
with which Gordon finished fourth after being three laps down
early in the event. It was also run at Darlington this year after
it was converted to the new 2003 Chevrolet body style. Gordon
also raced this car at Richmond, Phoenix and Atlanta in the second
half of the 2002 season.
- Gordon qualified third for the Indianapolis
500 during Sunday’s Pole Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- The No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet will
carry a special orange “reverse” paint scheme this weekend
- Gordon’s former teammate Jeff Green and
the No. 30 America Online team tested at Charlotte last month
- Gordon won the May 1997 IROC race at Charlotte
from the 12th starting position
- Gordon will be in Charlotte until Thursday
evening. He will fly back to Indianapolis early Sunday, May 18
for Bump Day at Indy.
- Gordon will participate in a photo shoot for
Boating Life Magazine Tuesday, May 20 at Lake Norman in Mooresville,
N.C., in which he will test different tubes pulled behind a ski
boat and share his performance review of them
- Gordon will sign autographs in the Food Court
at Southpark Mall in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, May 19 from
4-6 p.m.
- The Winston will be broadcast live on Saturday,
May 17 at 7:30 p.m. EST on MRN and FX
- Autograph session at Team Gordon in Mooresville
– May 23rd – 3:00p.m. – 4:00 P.m.
ROBBY
GORDON QUOTES:
On The Winston Open
“I think the Cingular Wireless team really
had a shot at winning The Winston last year until Kurt Busch punted
us with five laps remaining because he ‘wanted a caution.’
When that final segment began, we had worked our way into the second
spot. When Kurt hit me, we didn’t hit anything but ended up
with a flat tire and had to pit. Then, to add insult to injury,
NASCAR sent us to the tail end of the field for pitting before pit
road was open. We got the restart with four laps remaining and passed
three cars to finish seventh. We were really strong that day but
were the victim of circumstance.
“There is a different feeling and atmosphere
in The Winston as in the Coca-Cola 600. It’s not a points
race so it’s just different. I know we’ll have better
motors and will pull out all the stops for The Winston because if
something happens, you don’t take a fall in the points, although
you can tear up your car that might be your primary car for next
week’s 600. We just tighten our seat belts and get it on.
The Winston Open and The Winston usually have the potential to be
real ‘barn-burners.’ When you put $1 million out in front
of a bunch of hungry drivers and don’t give them any points
for where they finish, you better look out. There’s usually
a lot of torn-up sheet metal when the night is over. It’s
a no-holds barred race in which we don’t always follow the
same rules of decorum we normally would. Guys lean on each other
a little more on the track and often aren’t as concerned with
a little fender damage if it means ultimately winning the thing.
“Running The Winston and The Winston Open
is also sort of a practice for the Coca-Cola 600, at least for the
driver. It will give me more laps on the track and that’s
what I really need, and it lets you see exactly what your car can
do. You’ve got to be somewhat aggressive to stay in the race
but you also can’t get too caught up in everything and end
up in a wild wreck. You can’t wait for 10 to go in The Winston
anymore because you won’t be in the final segment and all the
waiting would have been for nothing. Drivers used to lay back a
bit and strategize about how to get to the front when it counted,
but now the new rules keep us from doing that. The Cingular team
has to go for it and go for it early. Drivers can’t sandbag
anymore. I think it will be an absolutely awesome race that the
fans will remember for a long time.”
On
his Indianapolis 500 qualifying run:
“I got a big
push coming off turn two on my last warm-up lap and I was only doing
229 or 230 mph going down into turn three. Then I ran 230.5 mph
my next three laps. I just was a little too conservative coming
to the green on that first lap. This Archipelago/Motorola car was
great today. We just needed a little more on that first lap.
“We probably
could have run 231 mph but we took a half of a turn of front wing
out of it after practice this morning and I think that took us away
from the 231 mph mark. I think we would have had a really good
shot at the pole if I hadn’t messed up on the first lap. But
I’m really happy for my teammate Tony Kanaan and his second-place
effort. Tony was able to go out after watching me qualify, practice
some more, and fine-tune his car a bit. He did a great job. I’m
disappointed for my team because we kind of threw that first lap
away. But if you look at history, not many guys have won the Indianapolis
500 from the pole. I guess we got that jinx out of the way.”
On
the Indianapolis 500:
"I love Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’ve
said it before but I wake up for the place. I love Indy and I’ll
race there every opportunity I get. It is very nice to be driving
for Michael Andretti because he understands what it feels like to
be so close to winning the race. I look at myself and say, ‘Man,
if we had done this or done this the last couple of years, we could
have probably won that race.’ And for both of us to be teaming
up on a team like Andretti Green Racing now, in which Michael is
an owner, our chances for winning just skyrocketed. Those guys
know how to win the Indy 500. And I think one of us can definitely
win this race. And the most important thing is that at the end of
the day one of our cars comes home in Victory Lane.
“The going back-and-forth between Indy and
Charlotte hasn’t been hard at all so far this year. Indy is
closed Monday and Tuesday but I’m not even going to run Wednesday
or Thursday at Indy. There’s a chance I may put in a few laps
Friday morning at Indy before heading to Charlotte for afternoon
practice. I’ll fly back to Indy Sunday morning after The Winston
because all the drivers have to be there for Bump Day. Then I’ll
fly back to Charlotte early Monday morning (May 19) for a couple
of sponsor obligations, including a photo shoot Tuesday for Boating
Life Magazine, in which I’ll test out a few different tubes
that they will pull behind a ski boat. I’ll rate them and
give a review of them. I’m looking forward to that. It will
be a nice change of pace.
“Then I will fly back to Indy on Wednesday
(May 21) evening to get ready for Thursday’s Carburetion Day.
As soon as I am done there, I’ll jump on a plane and fly back
to Concord for the 3 p.m., practice at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
We’ll qualify the Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Thursday night
and I’ll stay in Charlotte until Saturday after Happy Hour.
Then I’ll have a barbecue with the fans that are doing the
‘double’ with me late that afternoon and fly back to Indy
that evening. Then Sunday morning begins the big racing extravaganza.”
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