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By KEVIN KELLY
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 10, 2001
DAYTONA BEACH -- The headaches of car ownership outweighed the advantages.
So Robby Gordon sold his race team after a troubled 2000 season, during which he shut down his team after 11 races because of sponsorship trouble, and signed to drive the No. 4 Chevrolet for Morgan-McClure Motorsports.
"I actually liked running my own team and didn't mind that too badly," said Gordon, winless in 45 career Winston Cup races since 1991. "I think if we can keep the communication open, we'll have a good situation here."
In the first official workouts for the Daytona 500, Gordon posted the fastest lap speeds of any driver during a pair of practices Friday at the 2.5-mile track. His 182.382 mph lap during the second practice was the quickest and came, Gordon insisted, without the help of the draft.
"I just went down there and parked on the left-hand side (of pit road) and waited my turn because I wanted to make sure I got a clean lap," he said.
The 32-year-old led a surprising list atop the speed chart in the second practice. The top five (Gordon, Michael Waltrip, Brett Bodine, Stacy Compton, Ricky Craven) have one win in a combined 1,089 races.
Qualifying for the top two spots in the Feb. 18 race begins at 1 p.m. today.
Compton led all 10 Dodge drivers in what were the manufacturer's first Winston Cup practices since 1985. He posted the second-best lap (182.127 mph) in the first practice and fourth-best in the second practice (181.998 mph).
"A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work to make sure these Dodges are competitive," Compton said. "A couple of Dodges are running pretty good out there right now. But a lot of people ... don't have their qualifying motors in. (Today) is going to be a different story."
CAUGHT CHEATING: Several Winston Cup teams were caught with illegal parts while going through inspection before morning practice.
Among the confiscated items: six illegal fuel cells, eight adjustable brake parts, unapproved filler material, one roof strip, one windshield, two trailing arms and four check valves.
ON HIS FEET: NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. made a surprise appearance during media day on Thursday.
"I'm kind of getting back," said France, who has battled an undisclosed form of cancer for more than one year and walked with a cane.
Among the topics the 67-year-old discussed were the prospect of Texas Motor Speedway getting a second Winston Cup race (not yet), safety of drivers and fans (more can always be done) and the quality of racing.
"We've had some great Daytona 500s," France said. "We've had some that maybe haven't been as good. Nobody ever complains about a 35 to zip football game and yet the next year it may be 28-27 in the last three seconds. The races have been pretty good. ... I don't think the racing was that bad last year."
UNRESTRICTED: NASCAR president Mike Helton said restrictor plates will not be used at New Hampshire International Speedway this season and that other safety options are being explored.
The horsepower-limiting plates were used during September's race in response to fatal crashes involving Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin at the 1.058-mile track. Jeff Burton won the Dura-Lube/Kmart 300, leading all 300 laps.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I always admired Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. He's right in the middle." -- France on seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.
Events at Daytona International Speedway:
TODAY: Winston Cup pole qualifying, Goody's Dash 200, Winston Cup Bud Shootout, ARCA and IROC practice.
SUNDAY: Winston Cup Bud Shootout, ARCA 200.
MONDAY: Winston Cup, Craftsman Trucks, IROC practice; Winston Cup second-round qualifying.
TUESDAY: Winston Cup, Busch Grand National practice; Craftsman Trucks qualifying.
WEDNESDAY: Busch Grand National qualifying; second-round Craftsman Trucks qualifying; Winston Cup, IROC practice.
THURSDAY: Winston Cup Gatorade 125-mile qualifying races; BGN practice/second-round qualifying; IROC practice.
FRIDAY: Craftsman Trucks Daytona 250, IROC race, Winston Cup, BGN practice.
FEB. 17: Busch Grand National NAPA 300; Winston Cup practice.
FEB. 18: Winston Cup Daytona 500.
TICKET INFORMATION: Call (904) 253-7223 or check http://www.daytona intlspeedway.com.
Follow Interstate 4 east to the I-95 North exit on the left toward Jacksonville. Merge onto the I-95 North exit and follow to the U.S. Highway 92 exit (No. 87) toward DeLand/Daytona Beach. Merge onto U.S. 92 East until you see the speedway.