November 19, 2012
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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Over the course of his Hall of Fame career, Jeff Gordon has certainly not been a stranger to on the track controversy. Last week at Phoenix, Gordon wrecked Clint Bowyer with two laps remaining in the race in retaliation for Bowyer getting into him and ultimately sending the No. 24 car into the wall.
It's not the first time this season the two drivers have had issues. Earlier this year at Martinsville, Gordon and his teammate Johnson were racing for what would have been the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports. Bowyer got underneath them on a restart and wrecked both teammates. So there certainly already were some harsh feelings between the two drivers.
This time, however, Gordon's retaliation had far reaching effects. It effectively ended Clint Bowyer's slim championship hopes. A brawl erupted between Gordon's Hendrick crew and Bowyer's Michael Waltrip Racing crew. Bowyer jumped from his car and sprinted toward the scuffling crew members but was restrained before he got there.
Gordon was fined $100,000 and docked 25 championship points as a result of his actions. Several drivers have stated that Gordon's actions weren't very champion-like and that they had lost some respect for him. Joey Logano was caught up in the accident and was one of the drivers who voiced his opinion.
The incident may not have endeared Gordon with his fellow drivers but it may have made him more popular with fans. The driver stated at a recent press conference that he gained Twitter followers after the incident.
"The thing that I regret and the thing that I messed up on is that I allowed my anger and my emotions to put me in a position to make a bad choice. I felt like that Clint needed to be dealt with, but that wasn't the right way to go about it, certainly not the right time," Gordon was quoted as saying during a press conference this weekend at Miami-Homestead Speedway. "And what I hate most about it is that other guys were involved with it and it affected their day."
In today's age of political correctness, Gordon's actions certainly weren't the right course of action. However, what Gordon did harkens back to days of old in NASCAR.
According to Gordon, Bowyer started the incident when he made contact the No. 24 car.
"You know, I've always said this as it relates to the Chase, the championship, that if you're contending for the championship, you've got to be as smart about the things you do on the racetrack as the guys that you're racing that might be outside the championship. And there was absolutely no reason to run into me."
Bowyer wasn't the only one with something to lose. Gordon lost a lot as a result of the wreck and the penalties that were levied against him.
"We were racing for fourth in points in that race, and so there was a lot on the line for us as well as for them, and so I think that it just wasn't very smart of Clint to run into me coming off of Turn 2 on the straightaway, almost cut my left rear tire down, and know that we had past history this year."
Essentially, what Gordon did was to stand up for himself. He was asked if he thought his action tarnished his reputation among his peers.
"Yeah, you know, I've been through a lot of moments throughout my career, some that I was more proud of than others. This is definitely not one of my proudest moments, but I also understand what kind of led up to it and I stand by that," Gordon said. "If they get into incidents with you you're going to tarnish your respect among guys. I don't think they're going to be messing with me for a little while. I think they realize that that message was sent pretty clear. And I think that's something, too.
They may respect Gordon, or they may not. But one thing is clear, don't mess with him.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Jeff Gordon won the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
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