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CART: Texaco/Havline 200 Preview, Robby Gordon finds a home away from home at Elkhart Lake

7 July 1999

	ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (July 7, 1999) - It might be a couple thousand miles
from its Southern California-based race shop, but Team Gordon enjoys a
homecoming, of sorts, with this weekend's Texaco/Havoline 200 at
venerable Road America.
	Fresh off a wet and wild ninth-place run in the CART FedEx Championship
Series' farewell performance at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport,
owner/driver Robby Gordon and his troops set up camp this weekend just a
hop, skip and a jump from the home of co-owner John Menard.
	Menard, who with Gordon and Mike Held established Team Gordon this past
offseason, makes his home in Eau Claire, Wis., from where he also runs
his midwest-based chain of some 160 Menards home improvement stores.
	"Road America has always been a homey place to race - very beautiful,
very comfortable surroundings, and one of the world's most classic road
courses," said Gordon, who at 30 became the series' only owner/driver
this season.  "The food's great, the people are very nice.  It's become
that much more special for us as Team Gordon because we can call
ourselves the home team - sort of."
	Gordon will once again pilot the No. 22 Johns Manville/
Panasonic/Menards Toyota-powered Champ Car that was running as high as
fourth late in the race at Cleveland two weekends ago.  But a pit stop
to replace a cut tire with less than 12 minutes to go dropped him back
to ninth.
	"Nonetheless, we left there feeling like we had about as much fun as we
had all year," Gordon said.  "We slid off the track several times.  It
was a mess.  But it was a lot of fun.  Hopefully, we'll be able to come
back strong this weekend on a totally different kind of racetrack.  We
go from the wide open spaces of an airport road course, to a more
traditional 4-mile road course that's got all kinds of challenges.  It's
got its fast parts and its slow parts, so finding the right balance as
quickly as possible will be the key."
	Coming off its second points-producing race of the season will also
have Team Gordon camp coming into the weekend on a high note.
	"To finish the way we did was especially sweet because we had our share
of struggles earlier in the weekend at Cleveland," Held said.  "We've
gotten into a bit of a slump on Fridays and Saturdays the last few
races.  But, sure enough, we've come out strong for Sunday-morning
warm-up.  That's a good thing, to come out strong on race day, but it's
also frustrating because you wish you could've found the right package
two days earlier, when practice began on Friday.
	"But this is what you sign up for when you start a brand new race
team.  We all bought into that when the season started.  The key is to
keep looking forward, build on your successes, learn from your mistakes,
and remember that this is all supposed to be fun.  Racing has its ups
and downs.  If it was easy, everybody would do it!"
	Practice and qualifying for the Texaco/Havoline 200 begins Friday (July
9) and continues Saturday (July 10).  Race time is 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday
(July 11).  It will be aired live on ABC-TV.

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