Backseat Blonde - Moonlighting Challenges, Endangers Drivers

January 10, 2005

Moonlighting Challenges, Endangers Drivers
By Allison Wagda

“This is by far the toughest thing I have done in my life.”

That kind of statement might typically make a race
spectator think a competitor was not having any fun. But
given the crazy and celebrated life Robby Gordon has led
thus far, I’m more inclined to believe he is having a blast
right now as he races a Volkswagen Touareg over 100 mph through the dunes of
northern Africa in the Dakar Rally (after stage 9, he’s in 21st place - and moving up).

It’s been a week that has left many race fans like me, starving for a diversion as
NASCAR’s annual winter break stretches on, scouring the Internet hoping to find the
latest updates on Robby’s grand adventure. It’s one of the few times I can remember
when we’ve had the opportunity to follow one of our own through a race so vastly
different from the standard concrete ovals we see each week.

NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers finding extracurricular racing entertainment outside of
the walls of NASCAR’s top series is nothing new. Many Cup drivers moonlight in
lesser series such as the Busch or Craftsman Truck series regularly, both for fun
and as a way of gaining a competitive advantage on certain tracks.

The real entertainment for fans is when Cup drivers race against famous
competitors from other domestic and international series’. In December, Jeff Gordon
fell ill and was unable to compete in the Race of Champions Nations Cup against
Formula One superstar Michael Schumacher, a much-anticipated match.

But in the upcoming star-studded Rolex 24 at Daytona in February, ten Nextel Cup
drivers, including Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Matt
Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Casey Mears and Boris Said
will compete against many renowned racers, such as IRL’s Dario Franchitti, Dan
Wheldon and Buddy Rice, (2004 Indianapolis 500 winner), and Champ Car’s Paul
Tracy and Sebastien Bourdais. Even 79-year-old movie star and racing mogul Paul
Newman is expected to race again this year.

Stewart has been so busy during the NASCAR break, he missed testing this past
weekend to race in the Chili Bowl Midget race against fellow Cup driver Kasey Kahne.

While racing outside of their main Cup commitment may be rewarding for drivers, it
is not without risk. One of the most recent, and perhaps highest profile, examples of
this was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fiery crash at Sonoma last summer. Earnhardt was
practicing for an American Le Mans Series race, and ended up with second-degree
burns.

While he was able to stay in contention for the Nextel Cup title through NASCAR’s
scoring policy, ultimately it took several races for Earnhardt to begin regaining his
previous momentum. That crash may have had a far greater affect on his title hopes
than imagined at the time.

Given the financial stakes in Cup racing, it may almost seem foolhardy for these
intrepid men to race outside of NASCAR. Indeed, rumors have floated around that
NASCAR has considered restricting drivers from other events. Yet drivers are under
contract with their teams, which likely have guidelines built in, especially from
manufacturers who don’t like seeing their drivers in rival cars.

And not only are these races entertaining for drivers, they offer fans an opportunity to
gain exposure to other types of racing.

Robby Gordon has pulled a race-day “double” several times (competing in both
NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500 back-to-back), and his tenaciousness has
been remarkable. Unfortunately, this season he will likely be unable to repeat the
feat, given the IRL’s decision to change the start time of the Indy race.

Many drivers have support from their teams to run in NASCAR’s Busch series, a
practice often called Buschwhacking. In 2004, Greg Biffle ran the entire season of
both Cup and Busch races. It was recently announced that rookie Carl Edwards will
try the same in 2005.

Yet Biffle had high expectations for a successful Cup season, and ended the year in
a disappointing 17th place. I’ve wondered at the wisdom of a rookie trying the same.
Personally, I’d rather see Edwards focus on his first full season of Nextel Cup racing.

Men like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon don’t achieve the pinnacles of racing without
possessing an inner ambition to drive fast, regardless of the type of car or track (or
lack thereof). They are willing to sacrifice in the name of success.

And Robby Gordon? He rolled his Touareg in the sands of Mauritania “five or six
times” and has a cut on his hand, but he is rapidly regaining ground on the
competition.

“This makes the logistics from doing the Double Duty look simple” he said. “The
organization, the time requirements and the stamina of everybody involved is
unbelievable. I pitched a tent about a half hour ago. I have not done that since I was a
kid. I’m in a tent for the next two nights. Everyday we just throw away our socks and
underwear. I also get to take a cold shower for the next couple of days, but at least it’
s a shower”

Yeah, he’s having fun. If only we could watch.

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