Official 2009 shootout notes and quotes from Robby Gordon

Daytona Beach, FL (February 8, 2009) – Robby Gordon and the No. 7 Jim Beam team started Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout with a very strong car. Gordon took the green flag for the 75-lap race in the 13th position.

Gordon called into the crew on Lap 3 to say, “Looks like our car is going to be just fine!” But he spoke to soon because on the next lap, the team was involved in a multicar wreck.

“Everyone checked up at the beginning of the pack, but we didn’t get stopped in time,” said Gordon. “The No. 7 was the first car to make contact; we hit the No. 6 and then it was a chain reaction from there.”

The car sustained major damage to the right front including broken suspension. The unfixable Jim Beam Dodge Charger limped to the garage and was retired for the night, resulting in a 27th-place finish for the team.

“We’re obviously very disappointed,” continued Gordon. “We were running really well in our Jim Beam Charger. The changes we made between practice and the race were working. Our car was good, and it could have been a great night and a great way to start the 2009 season. Despite being involved in the wreck, the good news is that our team was able to learn a lot during Shootout practice and the couple laps that we did run during the race. With the new no-testing policy, any extra track time we can get is invaluable. We have a brand new Toyota Camry for the Daytona 500 next week. With everything that we learned this week, we’ll are confident that we will continue to strengthen our restrictor-plate program,” finished Robby Gordon.

The 2009 Season kicks off next week with the Sprint Cup Series’ biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500. Live TV coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. EST on FOX on Sunday, February 15th. Also in preparation of the Daytona 500, the Gatorade Duels will be held on Thursday to help set the starting field. Live television coverage of that event will be on SPEED at 2:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 12th.