Total: 0 Sprint Cup Series: 0 Nationwide Series: 0
Robby Gordon Motorsports is a motorsports constructor owned by Robby Gordon. The company was formed in 2005 as a race team for Gordon's NASCAR career. RGM spent the years from 2005 to 2012 competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, and had part-time stints in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While in NASCAR, the team recorded one win (at Richmond in 2004) and 30 top-ten finishes. After 2012, Gordon shut down the team's NASCAR operations. RGM became the constructor of vehicles for Stadium Super Trucks, a new racing series owned by Gordon.
In 2004, Gordon and Menard bought back the former Team Menard base in North Carolina. There, Gordon started his own Busch Series team, deciding to run part-time for the 2004 season. He received a primary sponsorship from Fruit of the Loom and his team was assigned the #55. He had a fantastic Busch Series season, which was statistically, Gordon's best Busch Season of his career; he picked up over 15 top-ten finishes. He won one race that September, at Richmond in his self-owned No. 55 Fruit of the Loom/Menards/Mapei Chevrolet gaining public notice to Robby Gordon Motorsports. Like in the Cup Series, his first win was on an oval track rather than a road course. By season's end, Gordon parted ways with Richard Childress Racing, his Cup team at the time, in favor of bringing his new team up to the Cup Series.
2005
Gordon purchased the defunct Ultra Motorsports for the 2005 season with Menard as a business partner and former owner Jim Smith being listed as owner for provisional points. In 2005, Menard built engines for RGM with little success, as the engines were prone to failure. This led RGM to switch engine suppliers and lease from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. At the same time, RGM got into a sponsorship dispute with Fruit of the Loom, leading to the dissolving of their partnership and a lawsuit embroiled afterwards. The suit was settled out of court in 2006.
Robby Gordon found primary sponsorship in Jim Beam Whiskey, which became the pivotal sponsor; he also found minor sponsors in Menard's, Red Bull Energy Drink, Mapei, and Camping World RV's. While running a full-time Cup program, Robby Gordon and the team chose to cut back on their Busch Series starts. During their 2005 Busch Series season, Gordon's #55 team, mostly sponsored by Red Bull Energy Drink, finished with two top-ten finishes, including a narrow runner-up finish at Watkins Glen. For the inaugural Busch Series race in Mexico City, Gordon qualified 2nd in his #83 Red Bull Chevrolet, before suffering engine failure after charging from the back of the field towards the top-ten.
However, his 2005 Cup Series campaign was disappointing. In 2005 Gordon recorded only two top tens in total for the season. Gordon came close to winning or ending up in the top ten in the 2005 Sylvania 300 but a caution had ruined his day. After Joe Nemechek spun with Mike Bliss, Gordon had made a pass on Michael Waltrip. After the caution was reviewed for Bliss and Nemechek's crash, the camera turned to see that Gordon was wrecked severely. NASCAR heard from Gordon that Waltrip had spun him just as the caution flew seconds after he had passed Waltrip. Gordon was so furious that he first tried to turn his car around to wait for Waltrip to come back around and then crash him; but when his car failed to move Gordon tried to pull backward in front of Waltrip but when this attempt at revenge failed also, Gordon finally climbed out of his car and tossed his helmet at Waltrip's hood.[3] In reply Waltrip on the radio mockingly repeated Gordon's own words Gordon said in 2004 in one race at the same track "He just threw a helmet on my car...well that is just rude. It was his fault."[4] Then on a radio minutes later to a reporter Gordon said "You know, everybody thinks Michael is this good guy. He is not the good guy he like acts he is. The caution was out, and he wrecked me, and he is a piece of shit."[5]
To exchange peace offerings between each other, RGM permitted Gordon and Waltrip to sign the mostly unscathed helmet and auction it with the purpose of donating to the Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005. The helmet was bought by GoldenPalace.com for $51,000 and the helmet remains on display in the headquarters of GoldenPalace.
In 2006, Gordon came near to another NBS victory. At Watkins Glen in late summer, Gordon led ten laps but was passed by Kurt Busch with about 15 laps left. Busch held off Gordon for the rest of the race. On the final lap, Gordon charged at Busch and managed to nearly push Kurt into a mistake on the straightaway. Gordon tried to pass Busch in the inner loop, but he did not have enough momentum. Gordon then got side-by-side with Busch and their cars locked together. After a struggle, Kurt held onto the lead to eventually win the race. In victory lane, Busch thanked Gordon for a good fight, saying that it "reminded him of his fun fight for victory with Ricky Craven at Darlington in 2003."
In 2007, Robby Gordon Motorsports had a breakout year. In the Nextel Cup series, Gordon performed really well. He was about to end up in 25th place at the Daytona 500, but because of a last lap accident he ended up finishing in 15th place. He finished 17th at Las Vegas and qualified second at Sonoma. There, Gordon got by Jamie McMurray on lap one and had a 35-lap streak of domination. However, because of pit stop shuffling, Gordon finished in 16th place, after having the dominant car.
In late 2007, Gordon had one of his most controversial and bizarre NASCAR finishes ever. Driving in his own No. 55 Camping World-sponsored car in NASCAR's inaugural race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Gordon passed the then-leader Marcos Ambrose for first place but was turned around by Ambrose in turn three just after the caution flew for a separate incident in turn one. During the caution period, Gordon refired his car and went back up front. Gordon argued that he should have been the race leader, but NASCAR ruled that because he failed to maintain a particular speed, he was dropped to 13th for the final restart. Gordon refused to restart in that position and was black-flagged. In turn 1, Gordon intentionally wrecked Ambrose, and was disqualified, his final two laps not being scored. Gordon went on to finish 1st after ignoring repeated black-flags, and then celebrated on track as if he won the event. Upon further review, former RCR teammate Kevin Harvick was declared the winner and Gordon was visibly upset post-race, protesting that he had indeed won the race. NASCAR responded by parking Gordon for the next morning's Cup race at Pocono. Soon afterwards, Gordon apologized for his actions, but maintained that it was a poor call.
To make amends with Ambrose who had ended up in 7th place after refiring his car to finish; Gordon gave Ambrose his second RGM car the No. 77 Menards car[6] for the 2007 Centurion Boats at the Glen, in an attempt to make his Sprint Cup debut. For this race, Ambrose was sponsored by a mixture of RGM sponsors such as Jim Beam and Camping World, plus the sponsors of his Busch team JTG Daugherty Racing such as Kingsford and Clorox. Ambrose, however, did not qualify because it was rained out.
After the disappointing weekend at both Montreal and Pocono, Gordon redeemed himself from his penalty by driving from 29th spot at Watkins Glen to finish in 5th place. With four laps left, Gordon had the fastest car, but Ron Fellows was able to hold him off and he couldn't break into the top four.
In January 2008, Gordon hired a new crew chief, Frank Kerr. During preseason testing prior to the 2008Daytona 500, RGM switched to the Dodge Charger, using Evernham engines. However, due to the sudden switch, GEM could only give Gordon a Dodge Charger nose for testing. Gordon received the correct nose, a Dodge Avenger nose with Charger decals, before the Daytona 500, and finished 8th at Daytona.[7] However, he was given a 100-point penalty from NASCAR along with a $100,000 fine, while Kerr was suspended six races.[8] Fans and sponsor Jim Beam started a "Rally for Robby" campaign, protesting the penalty, although it was standard in most 2007 COT penalties.[9] On March 5, the National Stock Car Racing Commission reinstated the No. 7's driver's and owner's points and Kerr's suspension was retracted, though he remained on probation and the fine increased to $150,000.[10] Kerr would depart the team shortly thereafter, ending his RGM tenure at ten races, and was replaced by Walter Giles and Kirk Almquist.
Late in the year, GEM and RGM were embroiled in a lawsuit, concerning a potential merger between the two organizations. The suit was eventually dropped, but in the process the partnership was dissolved and Gordon switched to Penske Racing engines.
2009
For 2009, Gordon made another manufacturer switch, the team's fourth in as many years, and fielded Toyota's for the season. Gordon ran 35 of the 36 races, with David Gilliland running at Richmond, finishing 24th. Robby Gordon's best finish in 2009 came at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600. Under caution, Gordon initially stayed out, with the race possibly being declared official due to heavy rain. He chose to pit, but David Reutimann and Ryan Newman made last second decisions to stay out. When the race was soon after called official, Robby Gordon ended up in third place. Had David Reutimann and Ryan Newman pitted before the red flag, Robby Gordon would have won the race. This was still Gordon's best finish on an oval with his own team.
A second RGM team, the No. 04, debuted for the first time in 2009, with P. J. Jones finishing 43rd at Infineon and 41st at Watkins Glen. David Gilliland attempted the race at Kansas, but failed to qualify for the event.
For 2010, Robby Gordon Motorsports aligned with BAM Racing and continued with Toyota. Starting with the 2010 Daytona 500, Robby Gordon Motorsports expanded its partnership with Monster Energy Drink to include sponsorship in some Sprint Cup events. RGM's alliance with BAM Racing was to allow BAM Racing's sponsor Warner Music Nashville to sponsor Robby Gordon's No. 7 Camry starting at California as well as the events at Atlanta and Bristol. They also planned to field the BAM Racing No. 49 Toyota for a number of races out of the RGM shop.
For the first half of 2010, the team had floated in and out of the Top 35. At the 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500, the team had its first DNQ since 2005, with Ted Musgrave driving. A major penalty by another team moved the No. 7 back into the top 35. The Toyota/Save Mart 350 proved to be the best race in 2010 for Robby Gordon Motorsports, Gordon finished second in the race and a second RGM entry, the No. 07 car driven by P. J. Jones, qualified and finished 41st. Former series champion Bobby Labonte drove at New Hampshire.
Robby Gordon made his return to Montreal, for the first time since his controversial run in 2007, in his self-owned #07 Menards/Mapei Toyota. Robby Gordon qualified 10th, but was sent to the back of the field due to a pre-race change on his car. Despite this setback, Gordon charged through the field to lead a few laps early on, but then got shuffled out of the lead due to pit stops. He made another charge through the field, taking the lead with about 15 laps to go and controlling it until he ran out of gas on the last restart. He finished 14th.
Gordon stepped out of the No. 7 to allow Kevin Conway to drive. Conway, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year contender, having been released from his ride at Front Row Motorsports, brought his sponsor ExtenZe with him. Conway drove the locked-in No. 7 in the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol while Gordon moved into the No. 07 that Jones was originally supposed to drive. Conway qualified 40th and finished 36th in the while Gordon qualified 37th and finished 40th. Gordon did not enter the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta, fielding Conway in the No. 7. Conway had the slowest time of all 47 qualifiers, but due to RGM being in the top 35 in owners' points he started 42nd. Occasionally, Gordon and Conway switched between the No. 7 and No. 07 rides in order to keep the No. 7 team in the top 35. Conway started and parked in five out of the seven races he ran with the team, with his only full race coming at Fontana, resulting in a 31st-place finish. The No. 7 team finished 32nd in 2010 owner's points. It was later announced following the season that RGM would sue ExtenZe for lack of payment, much like Conway's former team, Front Row Motorsports, had done. Gordon also announced his intents to sue BAM Racing for breach-of-contract; the partnership with BAM had abruptly dissolved mid-season.
Gordon returned to Sprint Cup in 2011, but for only 25 races. He returned to Dodge and started his own brand of energy drink, Speed Energy, as a sponsor. Gordon's best finish of the year was 16th at the Daytona 500, though he also parked the car in ten starts. In May, 2007 Formula One Champion Kimi Räikkönen tested Gordon's car at Infineon, with plans of Gordon fielding an additional car for Räikkönen at the Toyota/Save Mart 350, but he crashed the car and the deal fell through.[11] He attempted the 2012 Daytona 500 with sponsorship from Mapei and Speed Energy. During practice at Bristol Motor Speedway, Gordon's Electronic Fuel Injection, or EFI, shorted out and was not repairable, therefore, the team was forced to withdraw. It was then announced that the team would not enter until Sonoma Raceway, which to date is their last attempt and start in the Sprint Cup Series. At the time, Gordon was one of two full owner/drivers in the series, the other being Joe Nemechek.[5] He later stated he had been unhappy with the gap between the larger and smaller teams in spending, which granted the former an advantage.[12]
Robby Gordon himself raced for several teams in both CART and the Indy Racing League throughout the 1990s and early 2000s including Chip Ganassi, A. J. FoytTeam Menard, and Andretti Autosport. On two separate occasions, however, Gordon fielded his own team, first in 1999 and again for a one-off Indianapolis stint in 2004. After 1999 Gordon withdrew from CART altogether, while after 2004 Gordon would never professionally race open-wheel cars again.
Complete CART FedEx Championship Series results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Besides his NASCAR racing career. Gordon has competed in a few other racing organizations as an owner. He won the Baja 500 three times in 1989, 1990, and 2005.
In 2009 Gordon was declared the winner of the Baja 500 but was stripped of the title in one of the most controversial decisions made in the sport. The officials accused Gordon of speeding illegally and having an illegal fueling system. Gordon appealed but it was denied and Gordon was put in 7th place for the final results.
In 2012 at the Dakar Rally, Gordon won the final stage under controversy of his tire inflation being illegal. This was proven false and Gordon won by 15 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher.
Michael Curtis Waltrip is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, racing team owner, amateur ballroom dancing competitor and published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500, having won the race in 2001 and 2003. He is also a pre-race analyst for the NASCAR Cup Series and color commentator for the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series broadcasts for Fox Sports. He last raced in the 2017 Daytona 500, driving the No. 15 Toyota Camry for Premium Motorsports. All four of his NASCAR Cup Series wins came on superspeedways driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Robert Wesley Gordon is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, IMSA, IROC and the Dakar Rally. While no longer competing in IndyCar and NASCAR racing, he is active in top-tier off road motorsports such as BITD, NORRA, and SCORE International.
The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 34th modern-era Cup series. The season began on Saturday, February 12. The ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400.
BAM Racing was a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2000 before moving to NASCAR in 2001. They sat out 2009 due to the recession, and have not raced since.
The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 58th season of professional Stock car racing in the United States and the 35th modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. It was started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on Monday, November 20, with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the Nextel Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17, at New Hampshire International Speedway. This was the last full-time season with the Gen 4 car.
The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.
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Kevin Conway is an American professional stock car racing driver who currently races in the Blancpain Super Trofeo Championship. He is the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year (ROTY), 2014 Super Trofeo World Champion, and two-time North American Super Trofeo Series Champion. Conway has raced in motocross, legends, the World Karting Association, United States Automobile Club (USAC), American Speed Association (ASA), NASCAR's regional K&N Pro Series West, and all three of NASCAR's national touring series.
The NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge is a discontinued NASCAR Nationwide Series race that took place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 2007 to 2012.
The 2011 Daytona 500, the 53rd running of the event, was held on February 20, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida as the first race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Trevor Bayne, driving for Wood Brothers Racing, won the race becoming the youngest Daytona 500 winner. Carl Edwards finished second, while David Gilliland, Bobby Labonte, and Kurt Busch rounded out the Top 5. Bayne had taken the lead shortly before the final restart and maintained it to win his first Cup Series race and Wood Brothers' fifth Daytona 500.
The 2012 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The 54th iteration of the event, it was held between February 27 and 28, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 140,000. Matt Kenseth driving for Roush Fenway Racing took the 202-lap race for his first win of the season and his second Daytona 500 victory. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Greg Biffle was third.
The 2012 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 34th annual running of the Budweiser Shootout, it was held on February 18, 2012 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 82,000 people. Kyle Busch of the Joe Gibbs Racing team won the 82-lap race. It was Busch's first victory in the event; Stewart-Haas Racing driver Tony Stewart finished second with Richard Petty Motorsports racer Marcos Ambrose third.
The 2012 Gatorade Duels were a pair of stock car races held on February 23, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 60-lap races, which drew 80,000 spectators, served as qualifiers for the 2012 Daytona 500, the premier event of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart won the first race, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. second, and Marcos Ambrose third. Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth won the second race, marking Kenseth's and his team's first victory in the Gatorade Duels. Regan Smith took second and Jimmie Johnson was third.
The 2012 Aaron's 499 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 6, 2012 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Contested over 194 laps, it was the tenth race of the 2012 season. Brad Keselowski of Penske Racing took his second win of the season, while Kyle Busch finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.
The 2000 NAPA 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on November 20, 2000, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. It was originally scheduled for November 19 but was postponed because of rain and run on Monday. It was the 34th and final race of the 2000 NASCAR season.
The 2013 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 6, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 161 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his fourth win of the season and his first Coke Zero 400 win, rendering him the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 in the same year. Tony Stewart finished second while Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five.
The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on September 7, 2013, at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Contested over 400 laps, it was the twenty-sixth and final race leading into the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing won the race, his second win of the season, while Kurt Busch finished second. Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, and Paul Menard rounded out the top five.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) is a museum in Mooresville, North Carolina. Formerly a race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa Earnhardt, it competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, the highest level of competition for professional stock car racing in the United States, from 1998 to 2009. Earnhardt was a seven-time Winston Cup champion who died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite his ownership of the DEI racing team, Earnhardt never drove for his team in the Winston Cup; instead, he raced for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR. In the late-2000s, DEI suffered critical financial difficulties after drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip, and sponsors Anheuser-Busch, National Automotive Parts Association and United States Army left the team; DEI consequently merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, moving their equipment into the latter's shop, while the former's closed down. Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations was subsequently purchased by Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing (RCR), is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress.
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