Dover, DE (May 16, 2010) – Driver Robby Gordon struggled with an ill-handling and mysteriously broken race car throughout the Autism Speaks 400 in Dover, DE on Sunday. Despite an impressive driving performance and the crew’s tireless efforts, the BAMVIP.com Toyota ended up in 31st position. The team did manage to advance to 34th in the Owners Points standings to guarantee them a starting spot in the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
The race started in a typical fashion for the team, with a radio check being the first order of business. Next, Robby’s voice came over the headset with instructions to interior man, Walt, “If you would, cover up this orange tag and make it black – just because it’s going to catch the corner of my eye.” (It’s very important for a driver to have his environment inside the race car exactly how he wants it. The goal is to make him as comfortable as he can possibly be inside the scorching hot cockpit with zero wiggle-room and controlled chaos surrounding him. If something as minor as a flash of orange could distract him, it’s smart to eliminate the potential distraction.) “Got me Jason?”
Jason, the spotter replied, “10-4, loud and clear.”
Robby reported, “I’m all situated down here. Fans are on, on battery one, we are ready to roll.” Then as the cars headed down pit road he reported, “That 7 (pit sign board) doesn’t work well at all. The black and white doesn’t catch your eye at all.” The crew switched the pit sign Robby had mentioned and put up a red “7” instead.
Just before the green, Jason said, “Alright, 400 laps, just get all you can.”
Robby agreed, “Okay, most important thing is scoring all the points we can.”
The race started with Robby in position 42 (P42) but after one lap he was up to P38. Robby reported, “A little loose1 on the gas off the corner. MUCH better than yesterday.” By lap 8 he had gained another spot to move into P37 but described what he was feeling, “We need to pull a rubber out of the right rear when we stop, okay? Pull a rubber out of right rear.”
Miles answered, “10-4, we can do that.”
A few laps later Robby more fully described the car’s condition, “When I say I’m loose, I’m way, way, WAY too loose. You gotta’ tighten it up for me or I’m going to wreck.” Then a few laps later, “We definitely did what we wanted to do, just WAY too loose. Even rolling the middle2 I’m too loose.”
Miles said, “When we stop, we’ll adjust air pressure, pull a rubber and lower the track bar a little bit.”
Robby went one lap down on lap 26 when Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 passed him. Robby explained, “I can’t give any gas on the exit, it’s just sliding sideways on me.”
Robby’s lap time on lap 29 was 25.369 seconds versus race leader No. 48 at 24.337 seconds. “I have no rear side bite at all, it just slides. It’s pissed off! . . . When I say a LOT I’m not joking okay? I’m gonna’ wreck!”
Miles answered, “Hold onto it, we have to finish, we HAVE to finish!”
The first caution flag waved on lap 53 when Sam Hornish had an accident in Turn 2. The caution saved Robby from going two laps down. Robby reported, “Whew! That was tough – I’m out of breath!”
Miles reminded the crew, “Half pound out of left rear, rubber out, drop track bar 1 round.
Robby suggested, “I think I would open that shock a half round. It needs more compression.”
Miles said, “Alright. Good job, man hanging onto it for us.” Then he addressed the crew, “Alright guys, take your time here, nothing to gain. Just get it right.” The crew did a good job and got Robby back out ahead of some of the other lapped down cars.
The race restarted on lap 59 with Robby in P34. Ahead of him, one lap down were Nos. 34, 26 and 19. By lap 60 Robby had cleared the No. 34 to move into P33. By lap 62 he was clear of No. 19. Robby asked, “I’m racing the 26 right?”
Miles said, “Right you cleared the 19.” (Robby was trying to race the 26 to get the Lucky Dog3 in case a caution came out.)
Robby got in a groove and started running down the 26:
Lap 68 was 24.71 seconds.
Lap 69 was 25.007 seconds.
Lap 70 was 24.463 seconds.
Miles coached, “Good lap there, a 24.40, got a 24.50 in front of you.
Robby slowly started reeling in the 26. Then, as he approached him to pass on lap 90, Robby reported, “Aero tight4 around him, aero tight.” Robby had to get back from him a little so that the aero tight condition would go away.
On lap 97 the leader put Robby a second lap down.
Jason updated Robby, “Heads up on your tires, man. Looks like a lot of these guys have backed it way down – but I don’t know.”
On lap 119 Miles said, “Okay we’re about ten laps out from a stop, 10 laps.” Robby had moved into P31. Miles reminded him again 3 laps out, then ultimately told Robby to pit the next time by.
Robby dropped low on the backstretch, entered turn 3 on the apron and was slowing down to pit road speed by the commitment line. However, behind him Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 was closing fast, looking almost like it didn’t have any brakes. Robby was certain that Matt was going to rear end him, so he hit the gas and came back around, effectively missing his pits. Robby said, “Matt was about to run into the back of me – dammit!” Because he had slowed so much he lost about another half lap in the maneuver, but Robby safely pitted the next lap.
On exit, Jason informed him, “Alright, you got the 9 stalled at the end of pit road. They’re trying to push it, he’s in the middle of the road. Okay, he fired, you’re good!” Then Jason came back with bad news, “They’re calling you on a commitment line violation.”
Because Robby had crossed over the commitment line yet not come down pit road, he would have to serve a drive-through5 penalty.
Robby said, “I got a little sideways and had to go through. The line here is all the way to the track, there’s no room. They need to fix that!” (What Robby was referring to was that the line ran from the inside wall, all the way across the apron of the track and stopped right at the sloped turn of the racetrack. So “legally” if a car had slowed on the apron and then decided not to pit – to avoid the commitment line the car would have to veer up on the racetrack directly into the racing groove. That could potentially cause a huge wreck.)
By this time Robby was several laps down to the leader. Then something inexplicable happened. Robby radioed in, “I got a right rear flat. Something happened to the right rear!”
Jason used his binoculars and informed Robby that he couldn’t see anything. But Robby was coming back into the pits anyway.
Miles directed, “All 4 tires, one round down on the track bar.” The crew sprang into action and executed another great stop.
On his way back out onto the track Robby added, “Something just happened. If it’s not the tire it’s something else. Let me know. I don’t know what it is, but it’s weird!” Then after a few more laps he said, “I wonder if the track bar bent or something? It feels like it’s riding sideways. It’s like the first half of the corner I’m tight6, the second half I’m just loose as hell!”
Miles eventually came back and explained, “Only thing on wear was the right rear was wearing pretty hard. No cords showing or anything and it’s not worth putting the car in the wall, for sure!”
Robby said, “It’s just loose as (crap) and it feels like a vibration back there. My car is absolutely evil.”
Miles conjectured, “Maybe we should put a shock on it.”
Robby disagreed, “Too much time, just check it.”
Miles instructed the crew, “Okay, take off the bottom of the shock, give it a push-pull and make sure it’s still a shock. If it’s bad we’ll change it. If not we’ll reconnect it.”
Robby reiterated, “SOMETHING happened.”
Miles clarified, “Well there’s nothing stupid wrong with it when we looked at it.”
A frustrated Robby replied, “If you’re standing up where Jason is you can see it’s pretty friggin’ stupid!”
Miles agreed, “10-4. It looks pretty sideways from here too!”
Kyle Busch got all the credit for winning the Autism Speaks 400, most fans would think that he did a masterful job to pilot his car to victory lane; that’s not the case. The single best job of driving on Sunday was turned in by Robby Gordon. When your car is fast and you’re out front, leading the race; driving is easy. When you are mired several laps down just trying to get to the finish with an evil car that’s trying to put you in the wall lap after lap; driving is exceedingly difficult. Robby would consistently drive as close to the edge as possible to minimize his lap times – and in almost every turn, the car would cross over the edge and try to wreck. Robby caught the car in a slide and perfectly corrected it over and over. Exiting turn four he would be completely sideways and somehow bring it back under control and continue. Once in between Turn 1 and Turn 2 the front end of the car jumped out towards the wall, he immediately jerked the wheel hard and left long skid marks as he slid seemingly out of control. Miraculously he avoided the outside wall and got the car righted. Robby said, “I crashed back there. I just don’t know HOW I didn’t hit the wall?”
The team kept trying to diagnose the problem so that it could be fixed. Robby reported, “Sometimes I couldn’t turn this car in a 40-acre field. Other times it tries to spin out.” For awhile the consensus was that the ratchet in the rear end had broken and that’s what made it so darty. Then it was theorized that a torsion bar may have broken. After the race, as Robby went down pit road at a reduced speed he realized just how much play he had in his steering wheel; capable of turning from the eleven o’clock to the 1 o’clock position without ANY reaction from the front wheels. Then there would be multiple laps where the car was relatively good and Robby turned competitive lap times. Then, just as suddenly the wickedness would return. Once Robby reported that the car jumped sideways on the straightaway!
Meanwhile the crew did everything they could. At one point in the race, fearing rear end problems, a contingent raced to the garage area and set everything out for a quick rear end change, including spare axles and even a magnet to possibly pick up loose broken pieces out of the rear end housing.
When Robby pitted on lap 221 for four tires, fuel and yet another adjustment, the caution came out just 3 laps later, costing the team 2 more laps. Robby exclaimed, “No way! That’s the way it goes.” The team did take the wave around7 to regain one of those two laps lost.
They crew tried increasing the compression on the shocks – didn’t help.
They tried repeated track bar adjustments – small improvements.
They tried air pressure adjustments – no change.
Whatever the problem was, it would have to be diagnosed back at Robby Gordon Motorsports, after the race. The team’s only option was to tough it out and try to earn as many points as possible.
Through it all Robby retained his composure and his sense of humor. On one restart, Ryan Newman’s spotter wanted to know if Ryan could pass Robby for the restart. Without hesitating, Robby said, “Sure!”
At another point in the race Jason came over the radio saying, “50 to go man, 50 to go.”
Robby responded, “Thank God!”
Jason said, “Yeah, I thought you’d like that. Just 49 to go now. How about your air conditioning, is that working?” (For several weeks an electrical problem had stymied the crew and they were determined to get it working properly before the really hot races on the schedule.)
Robby reported in an emotionless voice, “Yes, my air conditioning is working.”
Jason exclaimed, “Woohoo!”
Miles reasoned, “That’s the best part of the weekend right there.”
Robby corrected him, “The best part of the weekend is that it’s almost over!”
And still Robby was tasked with turning laps on the track. He once again reported, “This car is downright evil!” In hindsight that seems appropriate for a race at the “Monster” Mile. The car would snap loose, Robby would catch it. The car would veer, Robby would straighten it. The car would push, Robby would get it back. He said, “I’m worried I’m going to wear my left hand out, the top of it from sashaying!” After the race, Robby had a deep blister in the heel of his left palm.
Ultimately Robby brought the car across the finish line for the checkered flag in 31st place. Likely the hardest fought 31st place of his career. The team actually gained a position in the Owners Points to move into 34th. Most impressive of all, this evil, wicked, dangerous car sat in the garage area after the race without a single scratch anywhere on it. Again, the best drive of the day belonged to Robby Gordon – just not the best result.
Next week the Sprint Cup Series will be at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Sprint All Star Race, a non-points paying, special event designed for the fans. The RGM crew gets to revel in over two weeks at home in the Charlotte area, sleeping in their own beds. The Coca-Cola 600 will be run on Sunday, May 30. With their 34th position in the Owners Points, the BAM Racing/RGM Toyota will be guaranteed a starting spot in the Coca-Cola 600. In test sessions leading up to the race, the BAMVIP.com Camry showed a lot of potential. The team is looking forward to a great showing at their home track.
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References:
1 “loose” A handling condition where the car oversteers, in other words the back end wants to break loose and spin the car out. It is interchangeable with “free.”
2 “rolling the middle” Typically a driver breaks the turn into as many as five points – entry, late entry or “landing,” middle, early exit and late exit. When a car is “rolling the middle” it means that it is turning through the middle of the turn. This in turn means that the car can enter and exit the turn faster.
3 “Lucky Dog” This is the nickname for NASCAR’s free lap policy. When NASCAR eliminated racing back to the caution flag back in 2003, they felt they had to come up with a way for cars to regain a lap. Whenever a caution comes out, the highest running car that is 1 (or more) laps down, gets to make one lap up; unless his is the car that brought out the caution.
4 “aero-tight” When one racecar follows closely behind another racecar, the following car loses the air pushing down on the nose of its car. This can cause the car to understeer, or get “tight” or basically start steering straight and going up towards the outside wall. This tight condition is caused solely by the aerodynamic forces of the leading car – thus it’s called “aero-tight.”
5 “drive through penalty” In order to penalize a car for breaking a given rule, NASCAR requires for a car to travel all the way down pit road at the correct pit road speed – giving up valuable seconds to the entire field.
6 “tight” This handling condition is the opposite of “loose”. It refers to a condition where the car understeers or “pushes” and wants to keep going straight. As former champion Darrell Waltrip once said, “Pushing is when you get to see the wall before you hit it.”
7 “wave around” When NASCAR went to the double file, shootout-style restarts in 2009, they wanted the leaders at the head of the field. In the past cars would stay out under caution and effectively make up a lap, but be positioned in front of the leaders, almost a lap down when the race restarted. Now, with one lap to go, those cars are ‘waved around’ the pace car and get to catch up to the back of the field. The only disadvantage is that they will not have pitted when the rest of the field has.
