NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II: Robby Gordon race report
Robby Gordon Finishes 32nd at Phoenix International Raceway PHOENIX, Ariz. (Nov. 12, 2006) -- Being a previous winner at the one-mile oval back in his open-wheel days, Robby Gordon came into Phoenix International Raceway with an air of confidence, ...
Edited: Nov 15, 2006, 2:25 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Robby Gordon Finishes 32nd at Phoenix International Raceway
PHOENIX, Ariz. (Nov. 12, 2006) -- Being a previous winner at the one-mile oval back in his open-wheel days, Robby Gordon came into Phoenix International Raceway with an air of confidence, optimistic of a top five and hoping to find some momentum before heading into the season finale on Nov. 19th at Miami-Homestead Speedway.
Missing valuable practice time due to an engine failure early in the weekend's final session, Gordon, relegated to a 43rd-place starting position, would have to drive his way through the field if he was to complete his goal.
It was evident early though that a top-five finish wasn't in the cards for Gordon and his No. 7 Harrah's Chevy as Gordon felt a vibration coming from the engine bay as early as the sixth lap.
Battling issues under the hood, Gordon also fought an ill-handling race car.
"We missed the majority of final practice on Saturday because of the engine change and that really put us behind with the final adjustments to the car. We were pretty consistent in the morning session, but the (weather) conditions were a lot different than in final practice, which was pretty similar to what saw during the race. The new motor was down on power, and I had to drive the car deeper into the corner just to keep up with everyone else. We had to make some serious adjustments to the car during the race to try and make it turn in the corner like I needed."
A bad day turned worse as Gordon was spun in turn 1 by the No. 61 of Chad Chaffin, forcing him down pit road to repair the damage after backing the No. 7 Chevy into the SAFER barrier. After repairs were complete, Gordon returned to the track five-laps down to the leaders in 39th. With less than 100 laps to go, Gordon continued through the rest of the caution-littered race to post some of his fastest laps of the day.
Ultimately bringing it home in 32nd, Gordon's hopes of finishing the season out on the right foot still remain high.
"Going into the final race of the season, it's important to every team that they have a great finish and hopefully carry that momentum to Daytona next year. We'll be looking to do just."
Gordon and the No. 7 Menards/Energizer Chevy hit the road for the final time of 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season to Miami-Homestead Speedway and the Ford 400.
-credit: rgm
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Chase loop update 2006-11-14
Next article Chase wrap: Johnson holds the edge
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Robby Gordon
The exclusive club Katherine Legge hopes to join with historic 'Double' attempt
IndyCar
IndyCar
Indianapolis Road Course
The exclusive club Katherine Legge hopes to join with historic 'Double' attempt
Justin Haley "turned down one or two" rides for the Indianapolis 500
IndyCar
IndyCar
St. Petersburg
Justin Haley "turned down one or two" rides for the Indianapolis 500
Gordon secures Dakar return after two years out
Dakar
Dakar
Gordon secures Dakar return after two years out
Latest news
Catching Larson in the NASCAR Chase has to start at track where 'I suck'
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
55 min
Catching Larson in the NASCAR Chase has to start at track where 'I suck'
Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth as GetSpeed wins Portimao GTWC finale
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 1 h
Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth as GetSpeed wins Portimao GTWC finale
Colton Herta “maybe underestimated the difference” from IndyCar – F2 boss
FIA F2
F2 FIA F2 5 h
Colton Herta “maybe underestimated the difference” from IndyCar – F2 boss
WEC Barcelona: Genesis secures maiden series pole from Toyota
WEC
WEC WEC
Barcelona
6 h
WEC Barcelona: Genesis secures maiden series pole from Toyota
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe