Robby Gordon had the second fastest lap Saturday before rain washed out Nextel Cup qualifying. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Rain deals blow, but Gordon stays optimistic

Robby will start 39th after rain washes out fast lap

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Persistent rain that halted Saturday's Nextel Cup qualifying session at Watkins Glen International knocked Robby Gordon from second to 39th on the starting grid for the Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen.

Only nine cars had not taken laps when rain began to fall. Watkins Glen qualifying has now been rained out for the second consecutive year and the third time in the last six years.

	Credit: Autostock
	ROBBY GORDON •   2005 Stats •   Driver Page •   Merchandise Inside the Numbers Robby Gordon at Watkins Glen Event Date Start Finish 08/15/2004 23 16 08/10/2003 14 1 08/11/2002 7 3 08/12/2001 4 40 08/13/2000 42 4 08/10/1997 10 4 Average 16.7 11.3

"We've got a car good enough to win the race," Gordon said. "But we're spotting them 20 seconds (by starting at the back) -- so if we pull it off, hat's off to the team.

"We've got a lot of work cut out for us, but it is what it is. I don't make the rules -- I just play by the rules.

"At least we're doing our job on our road race stuff. Our Nextel Cup car and our Busch car were on par when we showed up here, so from where we are now compared to where we started the season the team has really advanced forward, and we're looking for some good results."

Gordon finished fourth after starting 42th in 2000 -- when qualifying was also rained out. He won the race from 14th in 2003 -- when he swept both Cup road races -- and started 23rd and finished 16th last year.

Gordon said he might have run faster than he did in qualifying but he had to exercise caution because his team is 39th in the owner standings and not automatically locked into the field.

He thought he could have matched pole-sitter Tony Stewart, who starts first based on his status as point leader.

"I'd like to have had the opportunity to hang it out and (try to) match it," Gordon said. "But if we get sideways and get the car off course, we go home (because) we had to get the car in the show.

"I think we have a decent shot for the race when it comes down to it."

Gordon said his road race earlier this season at Infineon Raceway made him optimistic for Sunday.

"We broke a transmission and went to the back and came back up to 11th in 20 laps, before we ended up finishing 16th," Gordon said. "I'm pretty confident we can go from 39th to the front in 90 laps."

Gordon said his team had gone back to a more reliable transmission, "from the same manufacturer and the same gearbox I ran in 2002."

Gordon did say that one change the racetrack made prior to this event wouldn't help him. Gordon said cutting the curb heights down in the chicane or "Inner Loop" at the end of the backstretch would help all the drivers who weren't such agile road racers.

"The (change at the) chicanes probably gave everybody a couple tenths back because I think we had everybody by about three-tenths through the chicanes on the back straightaway -- so we gave back a little bit there but it's not a big deal."

Gordon said the changes in the Loop wouldn't make it easier to pass there, "but it'll be easier to get through there without crashing."