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Tina Gordon Notes, Quotes: Atlanta 300
10-25-04
This weekend Tina Gordon and the #39 Yahoo! Ford team head to the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway located in Hampton, Ga., for Saturday’s Atlanta 300. Gordon will be returning to the fast tri-oval for the first time since her accident in the March Truck Series race in which she suffered a broken leg.
Gordon, 33, is a native of Cedar Bluff, Ala., and driver of the Yahoo!-sponsored Ford fielded by Jay Robinson Racing of Charlotte, N.C. Robinson is the first car owner in major league motorsports to have fielded full-time rides for different female drivers, the other being Tammy Jo Kirk the second half of last season. Gordon comes to the Yahoo! Ford team from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but also brings strong experience credentials from the weekly short tracks of Alabama, the same tracks that spawned racing legends such as Davey Allison, and helped build legends such as Bobby and Donnie Allison, Red Farmer and Neil Bonnett.
Microtel Inn and Suites, which has received the J.D. Power & Associates award for highest guest satisfaction the past two years, and, Vasarette, a top of the line lingerie manufacturer, have joined Jay Robinson Racing as associate sponsors on the #39 Yahoo! Ford.
Jay Robinson Racing, in its fourth season of operation, is one of the fastest-growing teams in NASCAR. Robinson, a Charlotte, N.C., native who is a successful businessman, founded the team as a high-value endeavor that offers high-end equipment and efforts, while proving to be one of the most cost-efficient teams in the sport. Robinson fields two sponsored cars fulltime on the Busch Series: the #39 Yahoo! Ford and the #49 Advil Ford, and runs a third car in many Busch Series events.
The thoughts of Yahoo! Ford driver Tina Gordon heading into Atlanta:
“This, of course, will be my first trip back to Atlanta since that pretty bad wreck I had there in the spring in the Craftsman Truck race. A lot of people wonder about a driver’s mentality when they return to a track that has physically injured them in the past. The only thing I can say is, just don’t think about it. We’re such competitors, if anything we’d like to get back on the very same track the next week following the accident.
“I love Atlanta Motor Speedway. I’ve only had a couple chances to race there in ARCA and the Trucks, and this week will be my first race in the Busch Series at Atlanta. The track is smooth and fast, plenty of room to race; the sensation of speed there is about as good as it gets. It’s like a home track for me. I live only about two hours away from the track. It’s great to have all of my family and friends there supporting me for the weekend.
“I can’t say enough about the safety improvements inside of these race cars, especially in the past few years, motorsports in general and especially NASCAR has taken great measures to make the whole sport safer. Some of the licks I’ve taken over the past few years, I for one, am definitely glad those safety improvements have been there. The hardest lick for me had to be at Charlotte in an ARCA event there several years ago. Luckily for me it was the first race I ever used a HANS device. I got turned sideways between turns three and four and took a hard driver’s side impact. It caved the chassis in 26 inches on that side and ended up pinning my leg up against the transmission.
“I walked away fairly unscathed from that incident. Thanks largely in part to the ‘Lajoie Seat’ I was using in addition to the HANS device. There’s never been a sturdier seat, in my opinion, than the Lajoie seat. I’ve been using it now for about five years, it’s well built, comfortable; I’ve taken a few driver’s side shots and been able to walk away with minimal or no damage each time.
“Of course, if it were up to me, I’d just as soon not be a crash-test dummy. I really can’t wait to get back out to Atlanta Motor Speedway. It’s kind of like that cowboy that falls off the bull. You just can’t wait get back in the saddle. That’s how I’ll feel this weekend. Again, I love coming to Atlanta. There’s a lot of my family and friends that will be there supporting me, and hopefully this Yahoo! Ford team will have a good run in front of the home crowd.”
