Robby Gordon Mailbag: Temper, temper

Watching you in Sonoma this year, it looked and sounded like you drove your No. 31 RCR Winston Cup car deeper into the corners using the engine as a brake as you down shifted.

I could tell you were a lot more comfortable driving the road races than most of the other drivers. Keep it up and good luck for the rest of the year. --Bob Denman, New Carlisle, Ohio

	Credit: Autostock

I am extremely comfortable running the road course at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. I love both of those tracks. Running well at Sonoma requires that your car is strong through the hairpin turn, or Turn 11. You've got to carry good speed behind the grandstands going down into the hairpin turn.

When I get to that hairpin turn, I go to first gear and try to gas the car in a straight line as much as possible. It's important to try to hug the barriers and cones as tightly as possible and get the Cingular Wireless car pointed back straight and then stand hard on the gas.

There is a lot of time to be made up in that hairpin turn and it's a pretty 'gnarly' one. It's a very tight turn and I have to be cautious there because if I over brake, I can lock up a tire, which will cost a lot of time.

From there, I take the Cingular Wireless Chevrolet back to the start/finish line and try to do that perfect lap the rest of the race.

I want to congratulate you on a great season you are having. I have been a fan of yours for a few years now. I watched you race in the Indy 500 before you went to NASCAR. My question is have you ever written a book about your racing career? If so, what is the title? Thanks. --Lori Brown, Anderson, IN

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It seems like I have had more than one person ask me this question recently, but I have never thought about writing a book. Like I told someone else, I would have to make sure I was completely out of racing, because I am sure I wouldn't have a job after I wrote it ... I'm just kidding!

Robby, I'm hoping you can get into the top 10 before the season's final race. --Adam Fliehs, Rib Lake, WI

The Cingular Wireless team and I appreciate the support. We had a disappointing finish at Lowe's that relegated us back to 15th in the championship points, but getting back in the top 10 is still the goal and still attainable. Hopefully, we'll be there by the time the checkered flag waves in Homestead this November.

Robby, it has been a long season and Team Cingular has done an excellent job. Does the No. 31 team have anything left for the competition these last few races? I'd love to see you put the Cingular car back in Victory Lane one more time this year! --Rick Payne, Kennesaw, GA

The Cingular team definitely has something left for the competition. We just have fallen into a slump of some sort the past few weeks. But we haven't given up and are working just as hard as before to pull ourselves back up, get some good finishes, finish in the top 10 and hopefully, pull into Victory Lane again.

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First, I want to thank you for signing my two cars in Richmond. I was the guy who gave you one of my Operation Enduring Freedom coins that I got while I was over in the Gulf. I hope you enjoyed receiving it.

Second, my question is how does a driver keep his focus, when he is virtually knocked out of the race because of another driver's mistake? Thanks again, Robby, and keep up your great attitude and best of luck with your success on the track. --Billy Ray Johnson, Norfolk, VA

Well, it's not easy to do, that's for sure. But we've got to try to tell ourselves that staying mad or frazzled about that incident isn't going to help the team one bit. It isn't going to get us back out on the track any faster and it's not going to gain us any additional points.

If you get wrecked and are capable of getting back out on the track to 'limp around' for points, you have to put your mind to what you're doing and put out of your mind what happened earlier. Otherwise, you're no good to anyone.

Robby Gordon drives the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Before arriving in NASCAR's top division, Gordon enjoyed success in the CART Series and off-road racing.