NASCAR Gordon's bad gear box puts hitch in attempt to win 'The Double'
The NASCAR driver arrived for his second race at 4:30 p.m. --an hour before the start.
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- The first hitch in Robby Gordon's plans came before he even left his hotel Sunday: His police escort never arrived and he had to navigate his own way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The second came on the 169th lap of the Indianapolis 500, when a gear box knocked him out of the race early.
With a schedule planned down to the minute, it was the first of two unexpected speedbumps in Gordon's bid to run both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Gordon arrived at Lowe's Motor Speedway outside Charlotte at 4:30 p.m., about an hour before the start of the NASCAR race. He said he took intravenous fluids on the way from Indianapolis to North Carolina.
"I feel fine," he said. "I took the IV and I feel pretty good heading into the race. I've got a little bit of a cold, but I'll be OK."
But rain had fallen on and off all day, and forecasts called for more in the evening.
Getting ready
About one-quarter of the way through the race, when rain started falling and the caution flag came out, Gordon was running 34th, a lap off the lead. Because Gordon missed the mandatory prerace drivers' meeting with NASCAR officials, he started at the back of the field.
Although Gordon finished 22nd at the Brickyard, he improvised quite nicely just getting himself to the track.
He jumped onto the tail of another caravan that did have an escort and was at the track by 9 a.m., calm and seemingly relaxed as he snacked on a granola bar before his planned 1,100 miles of racing.
"I feel good. Real good," Gordon said as he walked along the race track to his car. "It's going to be great day."
Keeping with his California-cool demeanor, Gordon gave a casual wave to the fans screaming his name and high-fived a well wisher who stopped him on the grid. After a wink to his sisters, he pulled on his helmet and got some last minute instructions from his crew.
Then he went racing, attempting the "The Double" for the fourth time in his career.
Tough breaks
Starting on the outside of the front row in a car considered one of the best in the field, Gordon settled in for the longest day in motorsports behind teammate Tony Kanaan. But he couldn't keep up with the leaders and fell into the middle of the pack.
"These old tires are really hurting me," he radioed 45 laps into the race.
In 13th place and losing ground, he told his crew the tires were completely worn out six laps later. It was awful timing, though. Caution came out as Gordon went in to pit, and it put him a lap down.
"Did I lose a lap?" he asked. "OK, what do I got to do to get it back?"
All he had to do was be patient. He caught a break on lap 62 when Richie Hearn and Jaques Lazier crashed, bringing out a caution that allowed Gordon to get back on the lead lap. But his good fortune didn't last, and the faulty gear box ended his race -- at least the first one.
Travel troubles
Travel was the biggest hurdle in Gordon's day. Because of heightened security, the Federal Aviation Administration banned helicopter flights in and out of Indy and Lowe's Motor Speedway for one hour before and one hour after the races.
So Gordon rode a golf cart out of Indy -- with a guaranteed police escort this time -- to take him to his rental car nearby. Then, it was on to the Indianapolis airport, for a plane headed to Charlotte.
His decision to get an IV drip on the way back contrasted to last year, when he declined the extra fluids. He said Friday that was a mistake, as he suffered from cramps during NASCAR's longest race of the year and finished 16th.
Gordon arrived at the Lowe's infield aboard a helicopter owned by Carolinas Medical Center -- the only aircraft allowed in the speedway so close to race time, under the FAA's rules.
Speedway officials said the helicopter was dedicated to the speedway's use, and was not diverted from any emergencies to bring Gordon.