 | | Cognizant of potential penalties for bump drafting in the Duels, Robby Gordon said: ""We're going to be careful as it is anyway." Credit: Autostock |
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
February 16, 2006
04:00 PM EST (21:00 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Robby Gordon and Scott Riggs didn't want to be grinding their teeth on the Thursday before the Daytona 500, but they have no choice. Because Gordon's No. 7 Chevrolet ran three hundredths of a second slower than Hermie Sadler in last Sunday's Daytona 500 qualifying, he is forced to race for one of the five remaining spots via the Gatorade 150s (2 p.m. ET Thursday on TNT). The Daytona 500 field only has eight spots available to teams that didn't finish in the top 35 in 2005, and three of those went to the fastest non-eligible cars (Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil, Hermie Sadler) on Sunday. This is exactly the situation Riggs tried to avoid, and it was unexpected for the third-year driver, who enjoyed an outstanding test at Daytona in January. He had one of the fastest cars of the test, and Riggs expected to be able to easily use a time trial to make the Daytona 500 field. But Riggs' Dodge had gear trouble during qualifying, making him one of the slowest cars in the session. As a result, he will have start the second 150-mile race from the rear. The best defense for avoiding trouble at Daytona is to run up front, but that is not an option for Riggs in the opening laps. He will start 27th. "It just makes me nervous about other people, not knowing what they are going to do, how aggressive they might be and what kind of mistakes might be made," Riggs said. Riggs feels better about his chances after running the Budweiser Shootout on Sunday, where he finished fourth. Still, it's throw-up time. One wreck -- or another gear failure -- guarantees a trip home. "I am a little nervous just because of the situation we're in," Riggs said. "I am not too nervous because I know we have got a good car. The only thing that makes me nervous -- I know we can get there, I know we can go to the front." Missing the Daytona 500 means serious repercussions for teams, and it is arguably never been more critical to get into the show. Because NASCAR reserves starting spots for the teams in the top 35 in owners' points, teams missing the Daytona 500 are assured of remaining outside the top 35 for at least the first few months of the season. Gordon missed the 2005 Daytona 500 and was never able to crack the top 35 the remainder of the year. It's not a stretch to say that the long-term future of his race team rides on his performance in the Duels. An unwelcome variable to the two 150-mile races is the looming issue of bump-drafting, which was so prevalent in the Budweiser Shootout that NASCAR has threatened to black-flag repeat offenders in future races. A black flag in the Duels is the equivalent of a death knell for a driver's Daytona 500 hopes, but Gordon doesn't seem worried. "I don't mind if someone touches me on the straightaway," Gordon said. "Obviously the triovals and the corners, it's not fun. "You know, I'll try to be as cognizant as possible about where I give someone the bumper. We're going to be careful as it is anyway." | 
