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Ex-NASCAR driver Robby Gordon's father and his wife found dead in California

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer

UPDATED 8:30 p.m. ET

Robby Gordon made a brief statement in front of his father’s home Thursday afternoon and said the truth about what happened would come out.

“The truth will come out, what went down there,” Gordon said via the AP.

According to police, Robert Gordon strangled his wife Sharon and shot himself.

Gordon’s father, known by many as “Baja Bob,” helped immensely with his son’s racing career and also helped drivers like six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson move through the racing ranks.

“He taught me at a young age that 1 horsepower wasn’t going to be enough – go do something different,” Gordon said. “And I was fortunate enough to do something different.”

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Robby Gordon’s father and his father’s wife were found dead in an Orange County, California, home Wednesday evening.

The bodies of Robert Gordon, 68, and Sharon Gordon, 57, were found at approximately 5 p.m. Police told KCBS in Los Angeles that a weapon was found in the home and they “believe they are dealing with a murder-suicide.”

Robby Gordon won three Sprint Cup Series races (Getty).
Robby Gordon won three Sprint Cup Series races during his career (Getty).

Robby Gordon has been the listed owner of the home since 1989. The 47-year-old last raced in NASCAR in 2012 when he competed in three races. His last full season was 2009, when he finished 34th in the standings.

Gordon won three races in his NASCAR career, including two in 2003 when he swept the season’s road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Gordon currently is involved in the Stadium Super Trucks Series. The trucks in the series can reach 130 MPH and “feature man-made ramps set up in strategic locations throughout each course which allow the trucks to fly through the air nearly 20 feet off the ground and hundreds of feet down course.”

Gordon’s sister, Beccy, is married to IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. The couple welcomed their second child on Wednesday.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!