Gordon Plans Busy Day of Driving in Races at Las Vegas, Del Mar

Robby Gordon of Orange, the two-time defending champion competing in only his third International Motor Sports Assn. race this year, put a Ford Mustang on the pole Friday for today’s one-hour Exxon Supreme Series event around the Del Mar Fairgrounds road course.

Gordon, who has spent most of this season driving Indy cars for Chip Ganassi and his own truck in off-road racing, took the Mustang around the 10-turn, 1.6-mile circuit at 85.726 m.p.h.

He left immediately after qualifying for Las Vegas, where he will drive this morning in the Gold Coast 300 off-road race. He will then return here for the 4 p.m. start of the Exxon race.

Steve Millen, needing to finish only fifth or higher to win the series championship, was second-fastest in a Nissan at 84.736 m.p.h. Paul Gentilozzi, the only driver with a chance of catching Millen, was next at 83.759 in an Olds Cutlass.

“We couldn’t be happier,” Millen said. “All we were looking for was to qualify in the top six, and we surprised ourselves to wind up second.”

Besides the one-hour race for GTS, GTO and GTU cars as part of the Vons Grand Prix of San Diego weekend, today’s schedule includes qualifying for the Camel GTP cars, which will race in a two-hour sprint Sunday.