ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD PREVIEW: Powering confidence
Southmont High School graduate preps Robby Gordon's car--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By John Groth
Sports Editor

Over the last week, Doug Powers has given up on getting a full night’s sleep.

Being a member of veteran NASCAR driver Robby Gordon’s crew, he’s working 14- to 16-hour days in North Carolina cleaning out the interior and wiring and re-wiring Gordon’s car.

The 2004 Southmont High School graduate wants to make it just right for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis.

It’s been six years since Gordon has finished in the Top-10 finish at the Brickyard.

Although Powers won’t be in Indianapolis, he hopes a clean car will boost his driver’s confidence.

"All this week and last week, we’ve been building the Brickyard car," said Powers, 23, who’s been with Gordon’s team for a year and a half. "It’s taken longer than usual to put that car together. It’s one of the most important races. Robby is really high up on Indy and we’ve taken the extra time to build that car up really nice and as nice as possible for him."

Gordon stands in 34th place in the Sprint Cup car series with 1,529 points.

He’s out of the top 30 by just under 200 points and trails points leader Tony Stewart (2,884) by more than 1,300.

It’s been a tough year for him.

Gordon has just one top-5 and another top-10 finish this season and also has two top-10 finishes at Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (2002 and 2003).

In fact, he hasn’t had a top-20 finish at the Brickyard since those last two races either.

But for Gordon, this race is bigger than most on the circuit.

That means plenty of extra work for Powers and his crew.

Powers has spent the last two weeks cleaning Gordon’s car.

He’s dislodged paint chips from under the hood, engine base, rubber and engine tracks.

He’s stripped the car down, scrubbing away the rust, and making its parts sparkle and shine.

"Robby likes his car really nice," Powers said. "We’re cleaning his car so when he gets done with it and straps in and is ready to go, he has a confidence about it."

The brother of Southmont volleyball coach Amber Powers, Doug, has spent the last four years in NASCAR.

Powers has worked with NASCAR’s top teams before, spending time with Robert Yates Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing before joining Gordon’s team in January of

of 2008.

"I like it. It’s kind of hard with a smaller team. There are not as many people but you have to do the same amount of work," Powers said. "It’s harder. You have to take care of more things, there’s more responsibility and you usually have to work more hours. Working for Robby, I’ve learned a lot."

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