 | | Crew chief Robbie Loomis, left, might not be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with driver Jeff Gordon much longer. Credit: Autostock |
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
September 9, 2005
10:33 PM EDT (02:33 GMT)
RICHMOND, Va. -- Robbie Loomis says his adoration for stock car racing hasn't waned, but his desire to so ardently pursue it has. So much so, he says, that he's uncertain he wants to continue the year-round grind. "I told my buddy over the winter I've never been so uncertain in all my life about my future, but I've never felt so good about where I stand with everything," Loomis said Friday at Richmond. "In life, for years, it was racing, God then family. I'm trying to get it God, family then racing. "I have some things I need to work through. But I've been trying not to talk with anyone or do anything that takes my mind off getting this car in the Chase." A recent report stated that Loomis had confirmed he wouldn't be back as crew chief for Jeff Gordon's team in 2006. The report said Loomis was ready for a change and that the team had been preparing for his departure for quite some time. Gordon echoed that sentiment Friday before qualifying sixth for Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. "Truth of the matter is, he and I had talked about his future with the Hendrick Motorsports organization prior to the season even starting," Gordon said. "A lot of it had to do with his mom, his family and his priorities and, you know, the intensity that comes with being a crew chief and whether he wanted to continue to do that, and for how long." Gordon's subpar performance of late has increased speculation that Loomis is on his way out at HMS. "I love Robbie as my crew chief. Unfortunately, because we haven't put the performance out there, that speculation just continues to build as the season's gone on," Gordon said. "I want more than anything to get ourselves in this Chase and go win that championship and have Robbie Loomis as crew chief. But the future is what it is, and it's based a lot around what his desires are in his life." Loomis said his mother's illness last year, coupled with the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash last October, were enough to convince him that racing isn't the end all, be all.  |  | | It's been a struggle for the No. 24 team. Credit: Autostock |
| |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Jeff Gordon 2005 |
| Race |
Start |
Finish |
| Daytona |
15 |
1 |
| Fontana |
28 |
30 |
| Las Vegas |
11 |
4 |
| Atlanta |
25 |
39 |
| Bristol |
4 |
15 |
| Martinsville |
16 |
1 |
| Texas |
7 |
15 |
| Phoenix |
1 |
12 |
| Talladega |
2 |
1 |
| Darlington |
14 |
2 |
| Richmond |
20 |
39 |
| Charlotte |
2 |
30 |
| Dover |
5 |
39 |
| Pocono |
31 |
9 |
| Michigan |
9 |
32 |
| Sonoma |
1 |
33 |
| Daytona |
15 |
7 |
| Chicago |
14 |
33 |
| Loudon |
21 |
25 |
| Pocono |
21 |
13 |
| Indianapolis |
7 |
8 |
| Watkins Glen |
14 |
14 |
| Michigan |
2 |
15 |
| Bristol |
2 |
6 |
| Fontana |
6 |
21 |
| Avg. |
11.7 |
17.8 |
|
|
"At my age, whenever you accomplish anything, it's not the high of out-smarting them all," Loomis said. "At the beginning of the year I knew my contract would be up at the end of this year. "And when you're under contract, they hold a lot of your destiny. It's a good time for me to reprioritize my personal life and get things figured out there." Loomis said he's open to discussing a team management role similar to that which Brian Whitesell holds with the Nos. 5 and 25 teams, and formerly held with the Nos. 24 and 48 teams. "It interests me," he said. "I saw Brian's demeanor and what a great asset he was in this team. To think of anything outside of being a crew chief will take a very different mindset, and for me when you're doing it day in, day out, it's hard to slow down and think about what the future holds. "We've talked a lot over the past three or four months and it's hard to imagine being any place else. Jeff Gordon is the greatest driver in this garage area. But it's a time in my life I've got to make sure that if I'm going to commit to the next three or four years I've got to be sure it's the right decision. "Right now my total focus is this race and getting this car into the Chase." But if Gordon misses the Chase will Loomis' decision be made easier? "I don't know. I don't even want to think that thought," Loomis said. "I've spent more time talking with my mom, my dad and sister about ways for my mom to move to North Carolina to spend the summers. "That's the thing I want to get energized and work on. I feel like the good Lord gave me some extra time, and I want make sure I utilize it the right way with her. I've missed Mother's Days, birthdays. I want to get my priorities right with that." | 
