Former NASCAR Racer's Dad, Stepmom Found Dead in Upscale Home

Robby Gordon says family is in shock
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 15, 2016 2:15 PM CDT
Former NASCAR Racer's Dad, Stepmom Found Dead in Upscale Home
This April 2008 photo shows Robert Gordon, father of NASCAR racer Robby Gordon.   (Michael Goulding/The Orange County Register via AP)

Auto racer Robby Gordon says his family is in shock and grieving the loss of his father and stepmother, who were found dead inside their Southern California home, the AP reports. Gordon spoke briefly to reporters Thursday near the gated house in an upscale neighborhood in Orange where police discovered the bodies of 68-year-old Robert Gordon and 57-year-old Sharon Gordon. Police say a rifle was found at the scene Wednesday, and investigators do not believe a suspect is at large. A neighbor said the Gordons were longtime residents of the quiet neighborhood where large homes sit on expansive hillside properties and many people own horses. Gordon says he will speak about the deaths again once authorities conclude their investigation. The former NASCAR star thanked the racing community for its support.

Another neighbor, Greg Saunders, tells the AP everyone in the area knew the family. He said Robert Gordon had a horse feed business and would regularly drop hay off at neighbors' homes. The younger Gordon, 47, said his father, a one-time off-road racer, instilled in him a passion for motorsports and competition. Robby Gordon currently races in an off-road series he created in 2013 called Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, following the path of his father. Known as "Baja Bob," Robert Gordon was also an accomplished off-road racer. Gordon says an event featuring his off-road racing team scheduled for this weekend in Orange County will go on as planned. Gordon is one of only four drivers, joining John Andretti, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch, to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. He nearly won the 1999 Indy 500 before running out of fuel in the closing laps. (More California stories.)

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