The Sports Monster had Robby Gordon on air (via phone), here's some of the highlights:
You've been in a slump lately, what's going on?
Robby- "It's been real frustrating. We've had really good cars lately, but we just haven't had the finishes to back it up. We've had some bad luck. Indy had the tire deal and we never could run more than 7 laps. We fought some fuel mileage issues at Watkins Glen, and we had a fire inside the car at Michigan. All of those races we had good cars, but we were never able to get the finish. "
What's been the biggest hurdle this year?
Robby- "The COT has been very hard to figure out. We seem to come prepared and run fast during practice. Our qualifying has been off, but we're tyring to focus more on that, we qualified 12th at Michigan. When you make an adjustment on these cars it has huge effects. We seem to be fighting very loose conditions everywhere, and have no grip in the rear at all. These cars are just so hard to figure out. You look at Jeff Gordon and others, they didn't forget how to drive. These cars are a handfull. You can be good one minute and then off the next."
What's your take on Kyle Busch and the year he's having?
Robby- "Kyle is very talented. He's having an amazing year. They have found the secret to these cars. It's amazing what they've accomplished."
How are you looking for next year?
Robby-"Right now we're focusing on getting some points back. We're trying to distance ourselves from the others and stay safely in the Top 35. We have some sponsors we're talking with and I feel good that Jim Beam will be back with us. They've been with us fom the start and they're a great sponsor. they understand what we're trying to achieve."
Are you still trying to add a 2nd team?
Robby "Sure. We have everything in place to grow RGM. We've had discussions with a few drivers. Sponsorship would have to be part of the deal though. We have the ability to support the #7, but we wouldn't be able to afford a driver and operating expenses without sponsor help."
Do you think a road course should be added to The Chase?
Robby- "Yes, I think it would be great to add another road course. If you look at the tracks now they have a plate track, short track, and alot of similiar tracks, but they need a road course. It would force teams to focus more on their road packages. Montreal would be a great."
I left off some things like joking about the long flights to and from Dakar to Talladega. They we're asking alot of stupid questions, but this was the stuff that stuck out that I though we would want to hear about.