Robby Gordon is 39th in the Nextel Cup Series point standings. Credit: Autostock

It's all about momentum for Robby at Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. -- Robby Gordon's own personal Daytona 500 lies just a few miles south of Sonoma, Calif.

A win at Sonoma would pay about as much -- if not less -- than a mid-pack finish at Daytona, but one can't put a price tag on momentum.

	Gordon's car was third in the opening practice session on Friday. Credit: Autostock
	Lineup Dodge/Save Mart 350 Pos. Driver Make 1. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 3. Mark Martin Ford 4. Boris Said Chevrolet 5. Robby Gordon Chevrolet Complete lineup, click here

And that is what Gordon is after.

Gordon has an excellent shot at becoming the first owner-driver to win in the Nextel Cup Series in nearly seven years. He ran a lap of 93.885 mph on Friday at Infineon Raceway, giving him a top-10 starting spot for the second consecutive week.

Gordon's cars have been famously unreliable all season -- he's completed just 85 percent of his laps this year and he's had just one finish better than 25th. Such numbers have Gordon 39th in the points, so he has to race his way in every week.

Being 39th in the points kept Gordon from making a run at the pole at Sonoma. He wound up fifth, but he couldn't risk sliding off the course and taking a DNQ for the fourth time this year.

Gordon will probably have to qualify conservatively all season long. With the four DNQs, he is a whopping 449 points from securing a coveted top-35 spot.

"Being outside the top 35 is very frustrating, but it's important for us to have a good result," said Gordon, who burned a precious test preparing for this event.

Gordon won this race in 2003 and finished second in 2001, so he clearly worked on accentuating his strengths by testing at Sonoma. He knows the confidence boost a win can give his outfit.

"It doesn't matter if it's a short track or a superspeedway," said Gordon. "We can carry some momentum into [July]."

Sonoma is one of the shortest races on the schedule, but the twisting 10-turn course can take its toll on cars, and Gordon says he has been careful to make sure it doesn't happen on Sunday.

Gordon's is the only full-time team to use Menard engines. His team was down on horsepower early in the season, but he qualified eighth last weekend at Michigan and says his patience regarding the motors will pay off.

"We have worked really hard to build reliability. Menard engineering has done a good job," said Gordon. "We have been working towards the second half of the year very hard.

"We've had some good runs lately, qualified well. We have we just got to put it up on the scoreboard."