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Robby Gordon won and Jeff Gordon is bitching!
06/23/2003

Sonoma California was the setting, it was a road course race. Lots of turns, curves and inclines. Not your normal round NASCAR track. There were the hired guns, road course specialists, who tried to win, actually won the pole but the NASCAR regulars won the race.

California drivers won the top 3 spots. Robby Gordon, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick respectively. Jeff’s car was tight on the turns but loose off. Robby managed to keep hitting his marks. He kept getting ahead of Jeff and the times were going to 2 to 3 seconds apart. A caution flew at lap 92 and brought the field back together for the restart. Robby managed to keep Jeff in his rear view mirror for the last 17 laps. Robby got into the marbles and thought he had a tire down but it was just trash. They were playing the in car audio when Richard Childress was on the radio calming Robby down. Robby clipped one of the turn walls. It was a foam barrier and the video was neat to watch, there was a camera mounted right there.

I was yelling at the TV as the last 10 laps were run. Saba kept looking out the window to see what the heck I was so excited about. Jeff kept trying to position himself for a pass and ducking under to take one of the corners. Robby just held his position. He looked confident in the car, visor up so he could see better. Lots of shifting, lots of acceleration and he held onto it. He took the Checkered flag. Nice doughnuts on the way to victory lane!

After the race, Jeff and Kevin were bitching about a yellow flag pass. I don’t recall seeing it but the replays show the pass. It was clear in the drivers meetings that that was allowed according to the press. Robby asked 3 times about it in the pre race meeting. The other drivers and the on line reports are bitching about the gentleman’s agreement. The agreement, as I see it, if you are trying to make up track position it is ok to race to the caution flag, if you are a leader it is not ok to try to make up track position. This has been a contentious item all season long.


	back \| up \| next Robby Gordon won and Jeff Gordon is bitching! 06/23/2003 Sonoma California was the setting, it was a road course race. Lots of turns, curves and inclines. Not your normal round NASCAR track. There were the hired guns, road course specialists, who tried to win, actually won the pole but the NASCAR regulars won the race. California drivers won the top 3 spots. Robby Gordon, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick respectively. Jeff’s car was tight on the turns but loose off. Robby managed to keep hitting his marks. He kept getting ahead of Jeff and the times were going to 2 to 3 seconds apart. A caution flew at lap 92 and brought the field back together for the restart. Robby managed to keep Jeff in his rear view mirror for the last 17 laps. Robby got into the marbles and thought he had a tire down but it was just trash. They were playing the in car audio when Richard Childress was on the radio calming Robby down. Robby clipped one of the turn walls. It was a foam barrier and the video was neat to watch, there was a camera mounted right there. I was yelling at the TV as the last 10 laps were run. Saba kept looking out the window to see what the heck I was so excited about. Jeff kept trying to position himself for a pass and ducking under to take one of the corners. Robby just held his position. He looked confident in the car, visor up so he could see better. Lots of shifting, lots of acceleration and he held onto it. He took the Checkered flag. Nice doughnuts on the way to victory lane! After the race, Jeff and Kevin were bitching about a yellow flag pass. I don’t recall seeing it but the replays show the pass. It was clear in the drivers meetings that that was allowed according to the press. Robby asked 3 times about it in the pre race meeting. The other drivers and the on line reports are bitching about the gentleman’s agreement. The agreement, as I see it, if you are trying to make up track position it is ok to race to the caution flag, if you are a leader it is not ok to try to make up track position. This has been a contentious item all season long.