BUSCH SERIES HEADS NORTH; Robby Gordon Couldn't Spoil a Strong Canadian Debut.(Competition)

Byline: AL PEARCE

Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's vice president for racing operations, looked aghast, like a kid whose sibling just trashed his favorite new toy. His toy was the NAPA Auto Parts Busch Series 200 on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Robby Gordon was the sibling.

O'Donnell was part of the team that spent nearly two years working with Martin Spalding at Stock Car Montreal to bring the first-ever Busch race to Canada. (The Nextel Cup's forerunners did visit Niagara Falls back in 1952 and Toronto in '58.) By any measure and despite Gordon's antics, this northern trip was a success. The crowd of 60,000 left happy, because local hero Patrick Carpentier won the pole and finished second to Cup star Kevin Harvick. Italian sports-car driver Max Papis was third and Canadian legend Ron Fellows fourth.

Harvick led only the last two laps for his fourth Busch win this year. Gordon was actually ahead at the flag but wasn't scored. Officials pulled his card when he refused to accept their lineup ruling-read: black flag-after spinning from contact with Marcos Ambrose under the last caution.

Gordon bullied back to second, then smashed Ambrose on the restart. When NASCAR stopped scoring Gordon, the victory was Harvick's-which didn't stop Gordon from doing victory burnouts on the front straight and attempting to head to the winner's circle.

Neither O'Donnell nor NASCAR boss Brian France was too upset at the WWE-style finish. Canadian drivers showed well, the local and national media treated the race well and the event, if not the race itself, was presented flawlessly. The grandstands looked perhaps 80 percent full for Friday practice and the Grand-Am race (see Competition), then were packed on ...