CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Robby Gordon is offering fans a chance to be on location for two races as he tries to log 1,100 miles in one day.

Gordon plans to race May 25 in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Concord. It’s the fourth time in his career he’ll try the “double duty,” and is asking for a little company.

The Winston Cup regular has put together “The Double Duty Tour,” a daylong trip that takes fans to both races. Originating in Charlotte, each fan gets transportation to and from the races, tickets for both events, a souvenir gift-pack, a race scanner and a chance to meet Gordon before the Indy 500.

“Competing in both races is an opportunity that very few drivers will ever get,” Gordon said. “This is an exciting experience for me, so I am sure that the fans that sign up will have a great time watching the both events unfold in person.

“Not many race fans would ever get this opportunity, so I am happy that we are able to make this trip possible.”

Gordon offered the package last year when he competed in both races, and fans who attended enjoyed it.

No going back

Greg Biffle’s planned return to NASCAR truck series was short-lived.

Biffle, a Winston Cup rookie and 2000 Craftsman Truck series champion, had reached a one-race deal with Ultra Motorsports to drive the No. 7 Dodge on May 16 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Biffle, who drives the No. 16 Ford in Winston Cup, had received permission from car owner Jack Roush to enter the race. But Ford Motor Co. objected to Biffle driving a Dodge.

“We approached Roush with our concerns. There was a communication breakdown I guess you could say,” said Kevin Kennedy, public affairs director for Ford Racing Technology. “We are trying to support Ford teams that are running full-time in the series and competing for the championship.

“We don’t want to take anything away from that.”

Biffle has not raced in the truck series since winning at Phoenix in November 2001 in a Ford for Roush Racing. In 80 career truck races, he has 16 wins and 12 poles.

Without Biffle, Ultra Motorsports hired Jimmy Spencer to drive the truck at Lowe’s.

No rest

NASCAR gave its Winston Cup teams the weekend off, but that won’t keep drivers from jumping behind the wheel.

Johnny Benson plans to run in the late model race at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Mich., on Saturday night. He spent much of his free time working on the car, then loaded it up and drove from North Carolina to Michigan.

“Some people like to go hunting, fishing or watching sports on television,” Benson said. “I grew up in racing and grew up building race cars. We don’t have the time to do that like we used to and they don’t let me work on my (Winston Cup) cars, so my late model is about the only time I get to be in charge of the car I drive.

“I get to build the car from the ground up, work on the car and race the car.”

Sadler’s celebrity game

Elliott Sadler has convinced former Los Angeles Lakers star John Salley to drop in on his inaugural charity basketball game.

Salley, co-host of the “Best Damn Sports Show, Period,” will play in the game May 15 at Halton Arena in Charlotte.

Hoops for Hope with Elliott Sadler will pit NASCAR drivers and other celebrities against the local media to raise money for the Autism Society of America.

Salley will play on the media’s team and Bobby Lutz, coach of the Charlotte 49ers, has signed on to coach it.

“The addition of John Salley and Bobby Lutz is great news for us,” Sadler said. “The media is going to need all the help they can get to defeat the drivers.”

“People say NASCAR drivers are not athletes, but we’ll see how it all plays out on the court. John Salley has a little bit of a height advantage on us, but I am pretty sure we will be OK.”

Other celebrities slated to play are NFL star Wesley Walls, professional wrestlers Jeff Jarrett and Ric Flair, and NASCAR drivers Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Tony Raines, Jamie McMurray and Darrell Waltrip.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: Lowe’s Motor Speedway is awarding a record purse of $12,985,818 in seven different divisions during the May racing program. The total is $2,024,494 more than the payout for the track’s May races just one year ago, and represents an increase of more than $8 million over what competitors raced for in the 1998 events.

AP-ES-05-08-03 1943EDT