Robby Gordon wanted to race twice in one day. Now he can't race the next two weekends.
Gordon will have to sit out two NASCAR Winston Cup races after burning his hands and right leg in Tuesday's Indianapolis 500.A regular on the Winston Cup circuit, Gordon hoped to become a part of racing history by running both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
He lasted just four laps on the restart of the rain-delayed 500 before a fuel leak caused a fire in his car.
Gordon was fourth on lap 18 and moving up when he drove onto the warmup lane in turn three, flung out his steering wheel and rolled on the grass, trying to put out an invisible ethanol fire. A safety worker arrived moments later with a fire extinguisher.
"All of a sudden it got intensely hot," Gordon said. "My fingers and palm burned from trying to unbuckle myself, and this incredible heat was on my right leg.
"The invisible flame is a scary deal. . . . I just thought to myself, `Rained the last two days, wet grass, I might as well roll through the wet grass,' and it seemed to help. When I was sure the fire was out, I guess I just sat there in shock."
Actually, Gordon ran back to his Aurora G-Force and climbed in, but safety workers told him to get out while the car was towed back to the pits. He hoped to get back in the race, but a broken O-ring that caused the leak could not be fixed. He finished 29th.
Gordon was treated in the infield hospital for first- and second-degree burns on his right hand, wrist and thigh and left wrist. He will miss Winston Cup races at Dover, Del., on Sunday and Pocono, Pa., on June 8.
Gordon was supposed to run last Sunday in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte, N.C. The 500 was rained out and Gordon flew to the Winston Cup event, where he dropped out after a crash and rain delay. He was 41st in the 42-car field.
John Andretti remains the only driver to run both Indy and Charlotte in the same day.
The 28-year-old Gordon hasn't had much success in either stock or Indy cars. He is 38th in Winston Cup standings, 31st in IRL.