CART: Road America Notes and Quotes, Robby Gordon
12 July 1999
Robby Gordon #22 Johns Manville/Panasonic/Menards Toyota-Swift Race Notes/Quotes Sunday, July 11, 1999 Texaco/Havoline 200 Round 10 of 20 in the CART FedEx Championship Series Road America Elkhart Lake, WI. Robby Gordon's eighth-place finish in today's Texaco/Havoline 200 marked the second straight race in which Gordon has finished in the top 10. Starting 23rd, Gordon improved 15 positions in his Johns Manville/ Menards/Panasonic Toyota-powered Swift while fighting a loose condition all day. The loose condition was partially a result of running a low- downforce setup, used in an effort to give Gordon more speed on the straights. The five championship points awarded for the finish lifted Team Gordon's total to 14 for the season, which reached its halfway point today. Team Gordon heads to Toronto for next week's Molson Indy, on the winding street course where the team will run Toyota's next- generation Phase Six engine. Quotes ROBBY GORDON "I had my hands full all day. We trimmed out the car before the race to give us more straightaway speed, but it made the corners an adventure. There were a few close calls, but I had great speed on the straights and could out-brake people going in. Our strategy called for a smart race, and I'm especially proud of the guys. They screwed together another bulletproof car for me. Say what you want, but we have a good record for finishing races and they deserve some credit for that. They work really hard. Can't wait for next week when we run the new Toyota motor for the first time. It's a lot lighter and more nimble, from what I understand. So that should help our car. Who knows -- if we can keep hanging in the top 10, maybe we can pick up eight more spots on a day like today." MIKE HELD (co-owner) "Exactly what we wanted to do -- hang around and run a smart race. Road America is notorious for having races that involve attrition. We ran hard and we have our second-consecutive top 10. It may not have been pretty, but it was effective. Points are points, folks. We all want 'em, and we all know they do nothing but add up. Robby was fantastic out there again. We struggle with the car to give him a good setup, but he always manages to drive it like a maniac and keep it between the walls." JOHN MENARD (co-owner) "I love it. Patience is the name of the game, just like Indy. Rob was patient and the race came his way as a result. Good job by the crew, too. I echo Robby in acknowledging the fact that they give him a solid car every weekend.
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