---

CART: Team Gordon Portland Preview

16 June 1999

TEAM GORDON HITS THE ROAD (COURSE)
IN WELCOME RETURN TO THE WEST COAST

PORTLAND, Ore. - With all due respects to racetracks oval and points east of 
here, there's something doubly comforting about the Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 
for Robby Gordon and his first-year Team Gordon.

"It kicks off a stretch in which six of the next seven races are on road
courses, and it's just a short plane ride up the West Coast from Home
Sweet Home," said Gordon, the 30-year-old owner/driver, the only person
to hold that title on the CART FedEx Championship Series, Round 8 of
which comes this weekend (June 18-20) at Portland International Raceway.

It also comes after a much-needed weekend off that has allowed Gordon's
banged-up right leg heal from an early race accident at Gateway
International Raceway on Memorial Day weekend, and the team to recover
from a busy stretch that also included a near-victorious run at the
Indianapolis 500 that very same weekend.

Gordon will be back behind the wheel of his #22 Johns
Manville/Panasonic/Menards Toyota-powered Swift for Sunday afternoon's
shootout on the 1.967-mile PIR road course.  He made solid runs with
that package when it debuted at Rio de Janeiro, and had his best
qualifying run of the year (ninth) before the accident at Gateway.

Last time out, on the legendary Milwaukee Mile oval, Gordon had to
retire early with electrical gremlins that caused terminal problems for
his Champ Car midway through the race.

"Patience, patience, patience - that's the key to getting through the
first year with a brand new team," said the youthful Gordon, spoken like
a veteran team owner.  "Our day is coming.  We have a helluva group in
our corner, including (co-owner) John Menard and the great racing minds
at Toyota.  If we just keep working hard, the results will come.  I
believe in our package more and more every day."

Ditto, says Team Gordon co-owner Mike Held.

"We're making great strides, whether their visible in the public eye or
not," said Held, who helped orchestrate the formation of Team Gordon
this past offseason.  "When Robby crashes into the wall, like he did at
Gateway, or when he pulls into the pits with smoke pouring out of his
cockpit, like he did at Milwaukee, those aren't the visions that do
justice to how well this team is coming along.  It's all about peaks and
valleys when you're in the business of building a first-year team.  The
best way to look at where we are this very moment:  We're looking up!"

Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 weekend begins with practice and qualifying on
Friday and Saturday (June 18-19).  The green flag falls on race day at 1
p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT) on Sunday (June 20).  ABC-TV will broadcast the
race live.