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Robby Gordon Motorsports Gearing Up for 2005
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Posted on Dec 11, 2004, 10:19
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (December 7, 2004) – Following a successful inaugural season in the NASCAR Busch Series, Robby Gordon and his team have turned their attention to 2005 and the season-opening Daytona 500, and on expanding an already successful multi-faceted racing program.
While most would characterize Gordon’s 2004 Nextel Cup season as a disappointment given the fact that he was not able to back up his three NASCAR Nextel Cup Series wins in 2003 (Dodge Save-Mart 350, Sirius at The Glen and Gatorade 125 at Daytona); the California-native looks at it in a completely different light.
“Our Nextel Cup effort did leave us short of the goals we set for ourselves, but the way we performed in the Fruit of the Loom car (NASCAR Busch Series), the Meijer Indy Car (Indianapolis 500) and the Red Bull Trophy Truck, proved to me and our entire organization that we’re ready to take our program to the next level,” Gordon said in reference to the fact he announced in October that he would form his own NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team for 2005.
“Looking back 12 or 14 months to the point when we started our Busch program with Fruit of the Loom, I don’t know that I would have said then that we would be ready to compete successfully in Cup by now. But given that we were able to compete with some of the most successful Cup teams that also operate in the Busch Series – including DEI, RCR, Hendrick, Gibbs, Ganassi and Roush – I know that we can take the same group of guys that helped us become successful last year and win races in Cup.”
In 25 starts, the Fruit of the Loom Chevrolet recorded 10 top-10 finishes and scored its first win at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10 in the Emerson Radio 250. Though the team finished 21st in the championship standings, its average points per race would have placed it solidly inside the top five in points had it participated in all 34 championship events.
“Some of the best teams in motorsports compete in the Nextel Cup Series and while I know the competition is tougher I also know that if we continue to work smart and prepare in the same fashion that we did for the 2004 Busch season, there is no reason we won’t find ourselves inside the Chase for the Championship in our first season,” Gordon said. “Once we’re there, all bets are off and who know what could happen next.”
2004 also saw Gordon return to the ranks of ownership for the Indianapolis 500. While weather delays ultimately ruined what was shaping up to be a promising day for the Meijer/Coca-Cola team, the success on and off the track with the IndyCar program has the 10-time race veteran planning to return again in 2005.
“Provided we can work on the schedule again and make things work with our Nextel Cup Series program, we’ll be back at Indianapolis again with our own program with only one goal in mind. Winning a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship would be the ultimate prize, but winning the Indianapolis 500 would have to be right up there on my list of accomplishments,” Gordon said. “Since I was a young kid I have wanted to win that race, and we’ve been very, very close a number of times, so I know what it takes to win at Indy and I’m going to go back until I don’t think I have what it takes anymore.”
Gordon’s 2004 season also included another run at the grueling Baja 1000. Given his commitments to his NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series programs, Gordon was unable to complete the entire 1,000-plus mile route; rather, he drove the first 740 miles before turning the Red Bull Chevrolet Trophy Truck over to Red Bull driver Steve Barlow. Despite the fact that Gordon had a commanding lead on the entire field when he got out of the truck, mechanical problems sidelined Barlow only a few hours later.
With Gordon’s 2004 racing season complete, he has now turned his attention squarely onto building a successful NASCAR Nextel Cup Series program under the Robby Gordon Motorsports banner.
“We’ll run a full season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series out of our shop here in Huntersville, and we plan to build on our success from last year’s Busch Series program as well,” Gordon said. “We have a lot of great things planned for 2005 and beyond. We’ll make some announcements in January about our program and I know when we get to Daytona in February we’ll be prepared and competitive just as we were with our Busch car in 2004.”
