Driver Robby Gordon just wants to feel what it's like to win again.
It's been five years and 178 races since Gordon took the checkered flag, winning the 2003 event at The Glen to complete a sweep of the two Cup road races that season while driving for Richard Childress Racing.
Since starting his own team in 2005, Gordon's success has been limited. His only top-five finishes the past three seasons have been a second, fourth and fifth at Watkins Glen.
Worse, each ensuing season, sponsorship money has become harder to find and he's still got a one-car operation -- a distinct disadvantage against powerhouses like the three-car Joe Gibbs Racing, four-car Hendrick Motorsports and five-car Roush Fenway Racing operations.
But Gordon's roots are in road racing, in sports cars and IndyCars, and he was a top-notch off-road racer. He remains one of NASCAR's best on tracks with right and left turns.
"We put a lot of effort into our road racing," he said Tuesday during a video conference. "Not that we don't put a lot of effort into our oval racing as well, (but) this is something I've done for 15 years now and I have a lot of experience road racing."
There is constant speculation that Gordon's time as an owner could end soon if he doesn't find more sponsors. But Gordon, who insists he is not spending his own money, said he's confident Robby Gordon Motorsports will have a sponsor next year. Jim Beam is the current sponsor.
Gordon said getting the team running three years ago was the hardest part. He sees the outfit as mature and stable now, learning from mistakes and finding solutions to problems.
"Every year we've climbed the ladder in points and we work ourselves up into a higher position," Gordon said. "I'm confident by the end of the year this year we'll learn from some of the mistakes we made again with the Car of Tomorrow."
Even one-car teams, Gordon says, can struggle getting everyone to work together.
"It sounds crazy," Gordon said. "You would think everybody working together would be on the same team anyway. But you have a lot of cliques, a lot of groups. There's a lot of egos in this sport."
And a lot of races. The 36 events over 10 hectic months add to the challenge for a small team. Gordon likened NASCAR to a season-long version of the 16-day Dakar rally.
"By the time you get home on Monday, you got to be already having cars ready so that they can roll on the truck on Wednesday and go the next weekend," he said. "You've got to really look into the future of what you're going to need to make your team better."
Gordon's team is getting used to the routine, enough so that he would like to add a second car if the team has enough success.
"Like I said, we're four years into it now," Gordon said. "We're not racing the race of Wednesday or Thursday to get the car in the hauler. We're actually racing the race on the racetrack, and that's the most important thing."
A few wins would help, too. Perhaps starting Sunday.
Newman to leave Penske Racing
Benfica Follow Smolarek
