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Robby Gordon will return to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCTS) competition on August 25, 2004 at Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 47 Acxiom Morgan Dollar Motorsports Silverado with a special paint scheme showcasing George Thorogood and the 30-year anniversary of his Bad to the Bone tour. Gordon’s three previous NCTS starts were North Wilkesboro and Las Vegas in 1996 and October 1997 at California Speedway.
The O’Reilly 200 is the second of seven appearances by the Chevrolet Silverado Celebrity All Stars Team (All Stars). The All Stars debuted at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 21 with Michael Waltrip in the driver’s seat of the No. 47 with Sheryl Crow on the hood.
In addition to competing in the All Stars Silverado at Bristol, Gordon will drive his own No. 55 Fruit of the Loom Monte Carlo in Friday night’s NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) race. He will again take to the high banks of Bristol on Saturday night in the cockpit of the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Monte Carlo fielded by Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
“I’ve never raced a truck at Bristol” said Gordon. “So that will be something a little new for me. The #47 All Stars Silverado they have that all of us will drive seems to run really good and I look forward to doing it. Morgan Dollar is an established truck team that is competitive and wins races. It’s going to be fun.
“There is not a huge difference between the truck and the Cup car. The suspension is still the same, but the body is different. The truck body is longer and creates more down force and more grip, so that is going to be interesting to see how it different the handling is between the two.”
NASCAR veteran Randy Goss will crew chief Gordon and the No. 47 Acxiom Silverado at Bristol. Goss has an impressive record including championship-winning efforts in both the NCTS and NBS with driver Greg Biffle. Goss lead Waltrip and the team to an impressive fifth place finish after leading 49 of the 134-lap Charlotte race. Waltrip was in contention for the win until contact with another truck late in the race damaged the aerodynamics of the Acxiom Silverado.
“We really had a truck capable of winning at Charlotte,” said Goss. “Michael (Waltrip) drove the wheels off the No. 47 Silverado. We just had that late race incident that took us out of contention.
“I feel like we will have the same formula for Robby (Gordon) at Bristol. He has really proved himself to be a very versatile racer and will have no trouble feeling immediately at-home in the truck. I think we will have a really solid run and be a contender for the win. The key at Bristol is keeping the fenders on and out of trouble so you can race for the win at the end. Robby understands how to do that and always races for the win. It will be a great night under the lights.”
Serving as primary sponsor of the #47 Chevy All-Stars Silverado is Acxiom, a worldwide data services company. Acxiom has been partnered with Morgan Dollar Motorsports since 1998 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Following Gordon/George Thorogood at Bristol in the #47 All Stars Silverado will be Tony Stewart/Sara Evans, Richmond (September 9); Ricky Craven/Lee Ann Rimes, New Hampshire (September 18); Bobby Labonte/Josh Turner, Martinsville (October 23); Ron Hornaday Jr./Big & Rich, Phoenix (November 5); and Ward Burton/Joe Nichols, Darlington (November 12).