Sprint Cup - 2012 Robby Gordon Daytona 500 Preview

Charlotte, February 17, 2012: While some competitors use the NASCAR off season to recharge their batteries, Robby Gordon is racing in anything he can get behind the wheel of. Gordon, one of the best off-road racers in the world, participated in the 2012 edition of the Dakar Rally; in which he placed fifth overall. A week after his return from South America, he won the Best in the Desert Parker 425. Truly a racer to the core, Gordon rounded out his “off season” with the ultimate desert race, the King of the Hammers.

Now his sights are set on the pinnacle of racing, the 54th annual Daytona 500. Having fallen out of the top 35 in owner’s point, Gordon and crew will head to Daytona Beach with one thing on their mind – to qualify for the biggest race of the year. Gordon will be piloting the No. 7 Mapei / Menards Dodge Charger in his 24th attempt at the famed 2.5 mile tri-oval.

“Daytona is the 17th race of the 2012 season for us,” says Gordon who’s hoping to carry the momentum from the off-road program to his stock car efforts. “Racing is still my passion and in order to brand our product, SPEED Energy, we need to race. We are fortunate to have Mapei and Menards on board for the 500 and I look forward to the challenge of putting our car into the show,” he continues. The restrictor plate races have been good to Robby Gordon Motorsports, who feels they have something to prove. “We’ll see how the new NASCAR rules break up the two car draft, but if not, we certainly have a fast car that can be pushed to the front,” Gordon remarked.