ROBBY GORDON REMEMBERS.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Auto Racing

The last time the NASCAR Winston Cup Series visited New Hampshire International Speedway, it was a cold, November weekend after Thanksgiving, the nation's mind was on terrorist attacks rather than stock cars, and Robby Gordon won the first race of his NASCAR career.

Last year's race in Loudon, N.H., which traditionally is in the fall, originally was scheduled for the weekend after Sept. 11. Like most other major sporting events in the country that following week, the NASCAR races in New Hampshire were rescheduled.

Gordon, driver of the No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, narrowly was denied victories at least twice during the 2001 season. He finally won in New Hampshire, after a couple of run-ins with Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon that ultimately led to Jeff Gordon being penalized and falling out of contention.

As the series makes its return to New Hampshire this weekend, Robby Gordon, a former SCORE off-road champion from Cerritos, is reminded of his first victory in NASCAR, the fact he donated his winnings to a firefighters fund and his visit to the site of Ground Zero in New York.

``Winning at Loudon last Thanksgiving was the most memorable moments of my career,'' said Gordon, who is not related to Jeff Gordon. ``I just hated we were there that weekend because America had been attacked and thousands of our people killed. The only reason we raced that weekend was because of the tragedy that took place Sept. 11. That's why Richard Childress and I donated all our purse money to the Uniformed Firefighters Association's Widows' and Children's Fund. We wanted to let them know that everyone at Richard Childress Racing was thinking about them despite our bittersweet happiness for winning the race.''

Robby Gordon received $203,924 for winning the New Hampshire 300. But he has yet to win another race. The three-car team of Richard Childress Racing had been in a victory drought until Kevin Harvick won at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday in Joliet, Ill.

Returning to New Hampshire has Robby Gordon's confidence level up despite a challenging season.

``I'd worked so hard to get a Winston Cup victory,'' Robby Gordon said. ``We should have won three races last year and only ended up winning the last one. I was very happy to finally pull into Victory Lane and I think the Cingular team can do it again there.''

Because the New Hampshire race was moved to the end of the season, several modifications had to be made. Among them: The starting grid was determined by owner points, which put Gordon 31st on the grid, and a harder tire was recommended because of anticipated cold temperatures at the New Hampshire track in late November.

As it turned out, the weather wasn't much of a factor. Tire choice, however, became crucial.

``We plan on rolling out with pretty close to the same set-up we had at Loudon in November, which was very similar to what we finished with in the July race,'' Robby Gordon said. ``The tires will be different this time than they were in November because of the different weather conditions.

``Everyone keeps talking about the tire controversy when we won the race last year. There was no controversy - it was strictly a budget issue for Richard Childress Racing. There were no secrets about what we had. We took the old Martinsville (Va.) tires, but they were the same tire and the same code numbers as Goodyear brought that weekend.''

In addition to donating the team's purse to charity, Robby Gordon visited New York about a month after the attacks at the World Trade Center.

``After Richard and I presented the check to the Uniformed Firefighters Association's Widows' and Children's Fund in December, I went down to a firehouse in New York,'' Robby Gordon said. ``That was an experience I will always remember, but none of us ever want to have to see.

``It was an experience I will never forget. I was able to go all the way into Ground Zero and was able to look directly into the pit. Ground Zero was worse than anyone on television had ever been able to convey. It was the most horrible and overwhelming scene I'd ever witnessed. But I was also amazed at how much they'd already cleaned it up in December.''

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