Robby Gordon gets back driver, owner points

[wayne1218]

By David Newton
ESPN.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Robby Gordon hasn't had much luck on the track since the Daytona 500, but he got a break from the National Stock Car Racing Commission on Wednesday.

The commission rescinded NASCAR's fine of 100 driver and 100 owner points for Gordon's unapproved nose cover on his Dodge Charger discovered before Daytona qualifying. Gordon finished eighth in the race.

It also rescinded the six-race suspension of crew chief Frank Kerr, but increased Kerr's fine from $100,000 to $150,000.

Gordon was ninth in points after Daytona, but had fallen to 37th after consecutive finishes of 18th and 42nd at California and Las Vegas. Getting the 100 points back moved him to 21st overall.

"We see this as good news," Gordon said in a statement. "We are grateful the commissioners rescinded the points penalty and suspension but disappointed by the fine. Still, we see this as a victory for Robby Gordon Motorsports. We feel like justice was done and appreciate NASCAR creating a system that allowed us to take our appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission."

[kbsooner21]

This is huge for Robby!

[dakingisdead]

Huge decison for Gordon, and I think the right one. There is no way Dodge would throw themselves under the bus for him if they really didn't screw up. He's a small fish, and for Dodge to step up and admit they screwed up should have sealed the reversal.

[kbsooner21]

Huge decison for Gordon, and I think the right one. There is no way Dodge would throw themselves under the bus for him if they really didn't screw up. He's a small fish, and for Dodge to step up and admit they screwed up should have sealed the reversal.

Definitely! I thing Robby Gordon Motorsports would have been out of the sport had the ruling stood.

[dakingisdead]

Didn't he lose 4 million of his own money as some sort or spponsor or promoter for a race that was canceled?

[kbsooner21]

Didn't he lose 4 million of his own money as some sort or spponsor or promoter for a race that was canceled?

Yes, the Dakar Rally he races in every year in Africa I believe. Cost him 4 mill to ship all his equipment over there and the day before the endurance race began they canceled it over fears of an attack from some terrorist group over there.

[dakingisdead]

And that's what started the late scramble to get a car together for Daytona? He wasn't even going to be in it?

[kbsooner21]

And that's what started the late scramble to get a car together for Daytona? He wasn't even going to be in it?

Yes, he had to scramble to get together and find extra sponsorship money. He had a deal with Ford and couldn't find any team to allign with from Ford. He found a deal with Gillett Evernham which drives Dodges, so he had to rebuild a couple new cars with Dodge parts. So he had Ford cars ready, but had to build Dodge cars cause of his new partnership.

[dakingisdead]

I like his David vs Goliath sort of story.

[kbsooner21]

I like his David vs Goliath sort of story.

As bad as a driver as I think he is on the ovals, I do too. NASCAR dislikes him imo, and I like to see him go toe to toe with them and stand up for himself and fight to keep his race team going.