Robby Gordon running Baja 1000

The Southern California construction industry remains in the doldrums. And violence in Mexico is still a problem. Despite that double dose of bad news, officials of SCORE are looking forward to a strong Baja 1000 off-road race Nov. 19-22 to complete the 2009 season. More than 275 entries are expected for the 42nd edition of the desert classic, which will start and finish in Ensenada for the 20th time. The star of the show will be Sprint Cup driver Robby Gordon, who leads the overall and TrophyTruck points races going into the 673-mile season finale. For the past decade, Gordon has run SCORE events when his NASCAR schedule permitted. This year, breaks in the NASCAR schedule enabled Gordon to run in three of the first four SCORE events. H skipped the Sept. 12 Sprint Cup race in Richmond, Va., to compete in a SCORE event at Primm, Nev. Gordon won that race to widen his SCORE points lead going into the Baja 1000. Gordon will fly from Ensenada after finishing the 1000 to compete in the NASCAR season finale at Homestead, Fla. San Diego Union Tribune