Robby Gordon will try to make it as a driver-owner in 2005. Credit: Autostock

'Lame duck' R. Gordon in final races for RCR

HAMPTON, Ga. -- If George W. Bush loses the election next Tuesday, he'll have to serve two-plus months as a "lame duck" president.

Unfortunately for Robby Gordon, he knows how Bush might feel.

Earlier this week, Richard Childress Racing announced that Gordon would not return to the No. 31 Chevrolet in 2005. But Gordon will finish out the year at RCR, making him a "lame duck" driver, of sorts.

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Childress will announce his driver lineup for next season this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, while Gordon will move his Busch Series team to Nextel Cup next year.

So unlike Bush, if he loses, Gordon will be back.

"Driving for RCR has been an incredible honor and is an opportunity most drivers could only wish for," Gordon said. "I've learned as much outside the car as I have in it with RCR, and Richard has taught me a great deal about the business of NASCAR.

"He's a man of his word and someone I will always respect immensely.

Richard Childress

"But I think everyone knows what my long-term goals are, both as a driver and a car owner, and now is the time for me to start my future as an owner at NASCAR's highest level.

"If I can be half as successful as Richard has been, I'll be very happy. We have been putting the pieces in place for our own team for most of the past year, and although we don't have anything to announce yet for next season, we hope to make some announcements soon."

For now, the focus is on the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500.

Gordon will be in good spirits at Atlanta, hoping he can better the success he had there in the spring.

"The last time we raced at Atlanta, that weekend really helped pick up the morale of the Cingular Wireless racing team," Gordon said. "We weren't having the best luck earlier in the season. When we got to Atlanta, things seemed to take a turn for the better.

"It was like we finally got the opportunity to give a glimpse of our capabilities as a race team.

"We not only posted our best finish at that point in the season, but we also jumped up five spots in the standings after that race."

Gordon's 17th-place finish at Atlanta wasn't spectacular, but it was a lot better than the first four finishes of 2004: 35th, 36th and 30th.

He ended up two laps down in the Golden Corral 500, missing a couple of opportunities to get his lap back.

Still, that race helped right the ship for the No. 31 team, and the following weekend at Darlington, Gordon finished fourth.

"The caution flags were scarce at Atlanta in March, and that forced a lot of teams to make green-flag stops, which resulted in many teams becoming at least one lap down -- including us," Gordon said.

"After we fell one lap down, it was like the lucky dog position seemed to tease us, almost like it has done over the last few weeks. We would get so close to getting in position to get our lap back, and then we would fall out of position."

Gordon has done that the last three weeks, finishing off the lead lap twice since a ninth-place run at Talladega. He rallied after multiple spins at Martinsville last weekend to finish 23rd, but after a difficult race, he did finish on the lead lap.

"I guess you could say since Kansas, I've been getting some pretty good practice at working my way back into the lucky dog position and returning to the lead lap," Gordon said. "Sunday at Martinsville, I managed to work my way back to the lead lap and hold on to it, even after I had that late race spin with the No. 99.

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"My pit crew was awesome at Martinsville, too. Those guys may've had me on pit road for more than 14 seconds one or two times, but the rest of our stops had to be less than that.

"That one stop we made was phenomenal and so crucial. I came down pit road not the first car one lap down, but by the time I left pit road I was the first car one lap down, gaining a total of three positions in the process.

"That really was a turning point in the race for us. The next yellow wasn't far behind and I was given permission to return to the lead lap and that is where we stayed.

"I had to fight traffic to hold on to that position, but those guys got me there. There is no question about that."

Now, Gordon wants to return the favor to his crew, perhaps giving them a goodbye present.