Gordon doubles up.(Competition)(briefs)

For the fourth time in his career, Robby Gordon will do the double: The veteran open-wheel and stock car driver will run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, which of course are held on the same day, May 25. Gordon will sub for the injured Dario Franchitti at Andretti-Green Racing in the 500, then fly to Charlotte to handle his regular Winston Cup ride, a Richard Childress-prepared Chevrolet. Last season, Gordon finished eighth in the Indianapolis 500 and 16th at Charlotte. In eight Indy 500 starts, his best result is fourth in 1999, where he nearly won before running out of fuel just two laps from the finish.

Other drivers considered as subs by Michael Andretti reportedly included F1 star Rubens Barrichello and Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart. However, Stewart has reported he is no longer interested in the Indy 500, at least for now, saying he could not run in both races and do them both justice. In his press conference announcing the Indy 500 ride, Gordon scoffed at Stewart's reasoning, asking the assembled press, "Do you think he's in shape?'' Gordon insists he's more than prepared for the physical challenge of running the two races.

With Gordon settled in at AGR, the Indy 500 lineup is beginning to take shape. Jimmy Vasser has signed on as Kenny Brack's teammate at Team Rahal. Vasser is the first CART driver to land a ride for Indy. CART drivers won't have the easiest of ways to go this month as CART races in Germany on Indy's pole weekend, which means Vasser and others who follow must qualify at Indy on Bump Day (May 18) to make the 87th annual race.

Really close call

On a sunny April 23 in Indianapolis, living legend Mario Andretti reminded everyone of his greatness.

The former champion of USAC, Formula One, CART, Indy and Daytona carved out another piece of history in becoming the oldest driver to turn competitive-speed laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti, 63, tested at the Speedway at 225.453 mph in an IRL car owned by his son Michael. He had volunteered to be the substitute driver for the injured Tony Kanaan (broken left wrist, lacerated leg), and the plan was for Andretti to qualify the car for the upcoming 500 should Kanaan not be fit to do it himself.

Everything was going to plan until 5:58 p.m. On the final lap of the last pre-May test session, Kenny Brack had engine trouble and crashed into the first-turn wall. The impact with the SAFER barrier scattered debris all over the track. Andretti couldn't avoid it, and a piece hit under his car's front nose. The contact lifted the front of the car in the air and the wind did the rest, vaulting the machine like a plane at liftoff. Andretti went along for the ride, flipping tail-over-nose twice at least 20 feet in the air and spinning throughout. "It felt like I was [flipping] for half of an hour,'' he said later. Only the horizontal portion of the catch fence kept the car inside the track and out of the empty grandstands.