Deaths, injuries steer Gordon away from Indy

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

Robby Gordon spent much of last season debating whether to continue his career in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) or move back to the more popular NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

Gordon, along with partners John Menard and Mike Held, will field a Ford Taurus in the Winston Cup Series this season under the Team Gordon banner.

The deaths of CART drivers Gonzalo Rodriguez and Greg Moore last year and Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt's paralyzing injury last month convinced the 31-year-old Gordon to return to the relatively safer environs of stock-car racing.

They also helped solidify Gordon's decision not to attempt to run the Indy 500 this season. He had planned to compete in both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 this May.

"I went to Winston Cup for numerous reasons. One is it might be a little safer -- for sure it's safer," Gordon said during a test session this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "Two, we felt that we could build a team for the future that could have some value.

"I think we were on the edge, standing on top of the fence, and when it happened to Gonzalo, we started to lean over the fence (toward NASCAR) a little bit more. And when it happened to Greg, we were even more over the fence. Then you see what happened to Sam Schmidt and I'm all the way on the other side ... we're not even going to run Indy this year."

Rodriguez was killed last September in a crash during practice at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif. Moore, a rising star in the CART ranks, died in a crash during the season-ending race at California Speedway in Fontana last Oct. 31.

Schmidt, a Henderson resident, was left paralyzed from the neck down following a violent crash at Walt Disney World Speedway last month.

Those tragic incidents, combined with what Gordon said he sees as a golden opportunity in NASCAR, led him to join fellow CART drivers Scott Pruett and P.J. Jones in leaving open-wheel racing for the stock-car circuit.

"We felt that, today, Winston Cup has more to offer for our race team," Gordon said. "The reason I say that is you look at the whole series, from the front of the grid to the back of the grid, is only 15 horsepower difference. That's a big difference from (CART) ... where one manufacturer (Honda) has pretty much dominated the last couple of years. If you don't have horsepower here, at least you can work on it and make it yourself.

"The other thing, (NASCAR races) 34 weekends -- I like to race, but this might be a bit much -- but at least the sponsors can have a consistent showing every weekend instead of one weekend on, three weekends off, then three weekends in a row, then two weekends off like CART. (NASCAR races) pretty much every weekend once the season starts and that allows momentum to build for the sponsors."

Gordon returns to NASCAR after a two-year absence. He joined team owner Felix Sabates late in the 1996 season but parted ways less than a year later after the two had repeated confrontations about the direction of the team.

"Sabates probably could have been one of the best steps in my career but, unfortunately, when I went there, he wanted to do two cars ... and it wasn't the deal I signed up for when I started racing for him," Gordon said.

Gordon had his moments of brilliance while driving for Sabates, winning the pole for the March race at Atlanta and finishing fourth at Watkins Glen.

With backing from his CART sponsors -- Duracell, Menards, Panasonic and Turtle Wax -- Gordon said he is optimistic going into this season.

"If we didn't think we were going to win, why would we even show up to the race track?" Gordon said. "We at least have to set a goal to win. We're going to do everything in our power to win and I believe we will win a race this year."

TEST NOTES: Former CART veteran Scott Pruett, a Winston Cup rookie this season at age 39, posted the fastest lap of the three-day test session Wednesday at 31.75 seconds (170.079 mph) in Cal Well's PPI Motorsports Tide Ford Taurus.

Kenny Irwin turned the second-fastest lap of the day at 32.419 seconds (166.569 mph) in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned the second-fastest lap of the three-day test on Tuesday at 167.182 mph.

David Green led all Busch Series drivers with a speed of 162.650 mph on Wednesday.