International Herald- Monday August 11, 2008

Poor Judgement Costs Gordon

No Gordon didn't spin Ambrose out again and he didn't throw his helmet at Michael Waltrip, but his 27th place finish might have been worse than a penalty from Nascar. Robby Gordon has been very impressive at Watkins Glen and looked poised to make a challenge for the win in Happy Hour. Gordon turned the 2nd fastest lap in the final practice. Robby started 31st due to qualifying being rained out on Friday, but most thought Robby would be up front in the end.

Gordon and his crew started the race with what they thought was an overheating problem, but turned out that Gordon read the wrong guage. Gordon overcame that mishap and started to make somewhat of a charge until his team decided to pit early anticpating rain. The rain never came and Gordon raced the majority of the race a lap down. Once Robby was in position to gain his lap back there was little time to make up any ground.

You have to wonder how a driver of his caliber could read a guage wrong. Robby has raced in the Baja, Indy, Dakar and Nascar. How does a driver make that bad of a mistake in one of the few tracks he's favored as a winner.

You have to wonder what his crew saw on their radar the other 42 cars didn't see. Chad Knaus would have had driver Jimmie Johnson already in taking fuel, along with the other Chase contenders. No other crew was expecting rain like Gordon's crew did. It was a judgement call that turned out to be very poor. That call took Robby out of contention.

It costs Robby Gordon alot of points and a much needed shot at a win. It was Gordon's worst finish at Watkins Glen since 2001 when a camera caught fire inside Robby's car.