CART: Robby Gordon, U.S. 500 Saturday Qualifying Notes

25 July 1999

Robby Gordon
#22 Johns Manville/Panasonic/Menards Toyota-Swift
Qualifying Notes/Quotes  Saturday, July 24, 1999
US 500 Presented by Toyota
Round 12 of 20 in the CART FedEx Championship Series
Michigan Speedway - Brooklyn, Mich.

In an otherwise forgetful day for Team Gordon, Robby Gordon qualified the Johns Manville/Menards/Panasonic Toyota/Swift 25th for Sunday's U.S. 500, presented by Toyota. Gordon's time of 32.714 seconds was especially disappointing on a day that saw Toyota place two cars in the top 10, including one in the top five. Gordon's problems remain due to a lack of grip. Tomorrow's race will begin at 1:30 pm, EDT.

Quotes

ROBBY GORDON "This is definitely a first to qualify and wind up last. I've been disqualified in tech before and had to start to last, but to go out and try to qualify with a result like this is really disheartening. Actually, it looks like as of right now something happened to Jourdain to put him below us, but it still doesn't make things better. I feel bad for the team. Everyone works hard every weekend trying to give me good car. But we just don't have the grip and we can't figure it out."

MIKE HELD (co-owner) "We need to look at everything around us right now to improve our qualifying. The racing's not a problem. We've got the best in the business when the flag drops. But we can't continue to have him start as far back as he has been, lately. Something needs to change before people start getting restless."

STEVE ABRAHAMS (hospitality manager) "I don't even want to make light of this today. I know the team is frustrated, so am I - it's a trickle down effect. I've got a job to do in hospitality, but I'm here because it's racing, and it's Robby Gordon. Today, I feel like our hospitality is 25th."

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