Gordon has no regrets over how he raced Johnson
SCENEDAILY - 7:06PM ET WEDNESDAY APRIL 4, 2007 -
Print This Article RSS Feed
TIM PARKSRICHMOND, Va. - Hindsight may be preferable in some cases, but when he reflects on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway, Jeff Gordon doesn't see anything he'd do differently.
Three days after finishing second to teammate Jimmie Johnson, who he banged on as they raced on the final laps, Gordon says that he'd try just as hard to win again. He'd still opt to race his teammate cleanly instead of spinning him out just to get the win. And he's still frustrated not to have walked away from that race a winner.
"I still kind of feel the same way," Gordon said of the race. "I was pretty upset that we didn't win, and I hope we're upset like that a lot more this year because we're finishing second. That's a good reason to be upset. I think we're just upset. I was really upset because I felt like we had the car and Martinsville is such a great track for us and we've finished second or third a few times already this year.
"I know with time, if we keep patient and we keep running like that, we're going to get those wins or that win. I feel pretty much the same way, other than, 'Hey I'm happy that we're leading the points and I'm happy that we had that good of a run going just to be up there in contention for the win.'"
Asked if he'd talked with Johnson since then, Gordon said he congratulated him at the track, and then they played phone tag Monday. They did finally talk when they arrived at Richmond International Raceway for the two-day test session Tuesday.
He said that they laughed about it and went on. Gordon pointed out that this is the first time he and Johnson, both Cup champions, have battled intensely on the track in the final laps of a race.
"It was exciting for our organization, but it was also important for us not to wreck one another trying to get that 1-2 finish, and I think that going forward we'll race the same way," he said.
He tried to bang on Johnson's bumper without causing him to spin, but with the way the bumpers on the new cars of tomorrow line up, he couldn't make it happen.
Gordon pointed out that it is probably a good thing, that the so-called bump-and-run method of passing had become too easy for drivers to use. And that passing that wasn't exactly the desired way to advance through the field in a race, anyway.
"You never want to have to run into a guy, hit a guy, to pass him anyway," he said. "My goal was to make a clean pass on him, and if I look back on it at all, it's our job as a team, me as a driver and Steve [Letarte] as a crew chief to get that car to not just run fast but to be able to move it through traffic. And every car but Jimmie's, we were able to do that.
"As far as using the bumpers, the way these bumpers line up and everything, you've got to really hit the guy in the right spot if you're going to do that. I don't want to win a race that way, but it depends on how the guy is racing you and what track you're at."
SCENEDAILY - 7:06PM ET WEDNESDAY APRIL 4, 2007 -
Print This Article RSS Feed
TIM PARKSRICHMOND, Va. - Hindsight may be preferable in some cases, but when he reflects on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway, Jeff Gordon doesn't see anything he'd do differently.
Three days after finishing second to teammate Jimmie Johnson, who he banged on as they raced on the final laps, Gordon says that he'd try just as hard to win again. He'd still opt to race his teammate cleanly instead of spinning him out just to get the win. And he's still frustrated not to have walked away from that race a winner.
"I still kind of feel the same way," Gordon said of the race. "I was pretty upset that we didn't win, and I hope we're upset like that a lot more this year because we're finishing second. That's a good reason to be upset. I think we're just upset. I was really upset because I felt like we had the car and Martinsville is such a great track for us and we've finished second or third a few times already this year.
"I know with time, if we keep patient and we keep running like that, we're going to get those wins or that win. I feel pretty much the same way, other than, 'Hey I'm happy that we're leading the points and I'm happy that we had that good of a run going just to be up there in contention for the win.'"
Asked if he'd talked with Johnson since then, Gordon said he congratulated him at the track, and then they played phone tag Monday. They did finally talk when they arrived at Richmond International Raceway for the two-day test session Tuesday.
He said that they laughed about it and went on. Gordon pointed out that this is the first time he and Johnson, both Cup champions, have battled intensely on the track in the final laps of a race.
"It was exciting for our organization, but it was also important for us not to wreck one another trying to get that 1-2 finish, and I think that going forward we'll race the same way," he said.
He tried to bang on Johnson's bumper without causing him to spin, but with the way the bumpers on the new cars of tomorrow line up, he couldn't make it happen.
Gordon pointed out that it is probably a good thing, that the so-called bump-and-run method of passing had become too easy for drivers to use. And that passing that wasn't exactly the desired way to advance through the field in a race, anyway.
"You never want to have to run into a guy, hit a guy, to pass him anyway," he said. "My goal was to make a clean pass on him, and if I look back on it at all, it's our job as a team, me as a driver and Steve [Letarte] as a crew chief to get that car to not just run fast but to be able to move it through traffic. And every car but Jimmie's, we were able to do that.
"As far as using the bumpers, the way these bumpers line up and everything, you've got to really hit the guy in the right spot if you're going to do that. I don't want to win a race that way, but it depends on how the guy is racing you and what track you're at."
I have to back you on this one.
