NASCAR WCUP: Robby Gordon to have 'special paint scheme' at next two events
26 April 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Fontana, California.Beginning with
this weekend's California 500 at the California Speedway, as well as next
weekend's race in Richmond, Robby Gordon's normally bright-colored,
Duracell/Turtle Wax Ford Taurus will take on a different level of
recognition, sporting a neon orange paint scheme with Fred Flintstone's
trademark, triangle spots, courtesy of Universal Studios and Burger King.
It's all part of Universal Studios' kick-off for the theatrical release of
"The Flintstones, Viva Rock Vegas" on Friday, April 28.For Robby Gordon, bringing spots to Fontana is great, but this weekend's race represents an opportunity to come home to California and visit with family and friends.
"We all just sort of picked up and left town after Thanksgiving last year when we decided to race in Winston Cup," said Gordon, a native of Orange, California, only 30 minutes from the California Speedway. "I've been back for a day or two, here and there on business, but not for any extended time. It's nice to have a week to see everyone and relax for a change."
On the racing front, The California Speedway is a track Gordon is no stranger to running, having raced each of the last three years at the 2-mile oval with the CART Series. Last October, Gordon finished 11th in his Menards Champ car, but he cautions that the added experience will not be as big a help throughout the weekend as one might think.
"The cars are so different that it would be tough to say I gain much from the races I've run here. Other than feeling comfortable walking into the track and knowing where the amenities are, I still feel pretty green," laughed Gordon. "The biggest boost for us is the testing we just completed here last week. Everyone was very pleased with the way we ran and I believe we'll show that come Friday when practice begins. Other than that, it's just nice to be in Southern California, I think I gain confidence from that alone. We had a good race at Talladega the weekend before last in the early going and the team is motivated to carry that on, so hopefully we can do that and give Fred, Barney and the folks at Burger King a good ride Sunday."
Fontana also marks Richard Buck's second race as Team Gordon General Manager. Over the last week, Buck's initial impressions on where this young team is headed were very positive.
"We experienced it all at Talladega, the team got a taste of success early, and then a little bit of humble pie late in the race when Robby was taken out in the crash," said Buck, who brings to Team Gordon 20 years of experience in the CART series. "Some of the guys were down, but I was quick to let them know this operation has all the tools to win. Racing has its good days and bad days, you have to survive all of them to truly succeed, and we will here. It's like I told Robby, 'We're going to cross all the t's and dot all the i's, then we're going to watch your talent take over on the track and start winning some races."
Text provided by Kinnon Marshall