A campaign is under way declaring Robby Gordon’s innocence for what NASCAR said was an illegal part used on his car during Speedweeks. Representatives from Jim Beam, which sponsors Gordon’s #7 Dodge, will canvas the Auto Club Speedway grandstands on Saturday gathering signatures for a petition demanding NASCAR reverse its “unfair” decision to dock Gordon 100 points. Crew chief Frank Kerr also was fined $100,000, suspended for the next six Sprint Cup Series events until April 9 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Along with the petition, “Rally for Robby” T-shirts are being made for Gordon fans to wear during this weekend’s Cup events, said Sofia Lombardo, spokesperson for Jim Beam [have not seen anyplace fans can purchase the t-shirts]. Also, Thomas Flocco, president and CEO of Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., has sent a letter addressed to NASCAR president Mike Helton, as well as other top officials, voicing the company’s frustrations. “Robby’s team earned an honest eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500 through tireless dedication, quality and character, not because of rule violations,” the letter states. “As your own officials have stated, there appears to have been no intent to circumvent the rules in order to gain a competitive disadvantage. It amounts to an honest mistake that was corrected before the race. Your decision unfairly penalizes Robby, his sponsors and his fans. … While we fully support the rules NASCAR has put in place to keep the playing field level, we ask that you closely review all the facts,” the letter continued. “Please consider not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of the rules of competition.” Gordon, who was not allowed to participate in a news conference for the top-10 Cup drivers Friday in California, is equally as frustrated and feels NASCAR continues to target him as an independent team owner. On Thursday he said that he would appeal the penalty levied against the #7 team by NASCAR.(NASCAR.com)(2-22-2008) .
