Robby Gordon badly needs to qualify

Robby Gordon just wants to go racing.

A week ago, Gordon failed to make the field for the Daytona 500 despite finishing seventh in his 150-mile qualifying race. Then, to compound the agony, NASCAR fined his crew chief $50,000 and docked the team 25 car owner points for an illegal intake manifold they found before the start of Daytona practice.

Now, just when he needed most to be on the track for practice at California Speedway, his car failed its first inspection.

With NASCAR guaranteeing the top 35 teams in the car owner standings a starting spot in Nextel Cup races, Gordon – driving for a new team he co-owns with Jim Smith – is one of 13 drivers competing for the eight remaining spots in the 43-car field for Sunday’s Auto Club 500.

With the guaranteed starting spots and new rules switching Cup qualifying to today and eliminating the final “Happy Hour” practice, Friday’s two practice sessions have become more important – particularly for the non-qualified drivers.

Gordon missed the first practice because of the extended inspection process that also kept eight other non-qualified cars off the track.

“We have a good team with good cars,” he said. “We just want to get out there on the track and prove it.”

Greg Biffle topped Friday’s speed chart at 186.809, followed by surprising Daytona fourth-place finisher Scott Riggs at 186.800, Carl Edwards at 186.714, Ryan Newman at 186.711 and defending race champion and Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon at 186.162.

All of the non-qualified drivers finally did get onto the 2-mile oval for the second practice session, with former champions Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte, both starting limited schedules this season, leading the way. Elliott was seventh-fastest and Labonte 15th.

Robby Gordon was 20th overall but third-fastest among drivers needing to qualify their way into the lineup.

There is yet another new rule adding a twist to the weekend. The cars making the field will be impounded by NASCAR following qualifying and will have to start the race with the same tires and chassis setup with which they qualify.

The teams will be allowed to make some minor adjustments before race time, including changing tire pressures, removing tape from the grill that helps with aerodynamics in qualifying but would cause overheating in longer runs, adding up to 5 gallons of gas, adjusting the track bar, shocks and wedge bolts.

“Basically, it’s anything you can adjust without jacking the car up,” said Elliott Sadler, who won the Cup race here last fall.

McSwain to call race from phone

Instead of sitting on a pit box for Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race, Michael “Fatback” McSwain will be making his calls on race strategy by long distance – literally.

Ricky Rudd’s crew chief underwent surgery in Charlotte, N.C., to repair a disc in his lower back. But McSwain and the Wood Brothers team, determined the procedure not disrupt their routine in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, have arranged to use cell phones and two-way radios to keep McSwain on the job.

“What we’re trying to do now is have it where he’ll actually be able to call the race from his home in North Carolina,” explained Eddie Wood, the team’s co-owner.

Park earns first truck win

Steve Park completed his comeback from a serious head injury sustained in 2001, capitalizing when leader Mike Bliss ran out of gas with six laps remaining Friday night for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race victory in Fontana, Calif.

The win at California Speedway was Park’s first since taking the checkered flag in a Winston Cup race at Rockingham in February 2001, making him the 10th driver to win races in each of NASCAR’s top three professional series.

The 38-year-old Park sustained a serious head injury in September 2001 in a crash at Darlington.

“I never doubted,” Park said. “Other people doubted me, but I feel great and I can win races. I just needed an opportunity.”

Bobby Hamilton was second, 1.229 seconds behind.