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Harvick's aggression hits nerves
Gordon questions bumping tactics
Jim Gintonio
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 8, 2004 12:00 AM
There weren't any fireworks going off after Dale Earnhardt Jr. won Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 . . . unless you count Kevin Harvick, who ignited a few sparks among fellow drivers.
Harvick had a couple of on-track bumping and pounding incidents with Jeff Gordon and rookie Kasey Kahne before he and Kahne traded paint again on the cool-down lap.
One driver not involved, Jimmie Johnson, said of Harvick: "The guy's got the shortest fuse known to mankind. I watched him try to knock the hell out of the No. 24 (Gordon) for two laps and then pull up next to him during a caution, and he body-slammed him."
Gordon, who finished third, said he couldn't understand Harvick's actions.
"I think he took his frustration out. . . . His car wasn't that good right then, and I think he took it out on me because I felt like I passed him pretty clean," Gordon said. "I had to slide up in front of him a little bit off of Turn 4, but he just pounded me all the way down the front straight.
"He pounded me in Turn 1 and about wrecked me there. And it was kind of on from that point. My car wasn't the same after that, and so it kind of cost both of us."
Kahne, who finished fifth, said Harvick, the fourth-place finisher, pushed him a couple times before the cool-down meeting.
"It was just hard racing," he said. "I thought were all kind of having fun. I was the only one getting bumped all over the place, and I was having fun with it, and I think everybody was.
"My car and Kevin's were both all beat up. . . . After the checkers, that's just emotions from both sides. It's just racing, not a big deal."
It may have all been in fun from Kahne's standpoint, but NASCAR will look into the situation, said spokesman Mike Zizzo. He said there was some aggressive post-race behavior that will be examined to see if it merits a penalty.
Harvick didn't mention the word "fun" when he discussed the situation.
"We were just racing hard at the end there . . . and I got into him a little bit, and I think it ticked him off," Harvick said. "He started running into us after the caution, and so I just wanted to stop and ask him what the problem was.
"It's one thing to race these things under the green, but it's another thing to wreck them under caution."
Johnson said the short track, coupled with the end of the season only two weeks away and drivers fighting for their jobs, all play a role.
Asked if everyone respected the drivers racing for the points championship, he answered: "Respect? Does that word exist in our sport any more?
Is it me, or does Jeff Gordon whine over almost everything? If Kevin's car wasn't that good, then how was he bumping him down the straights? Jeff is the best racer out there, but he whines and complains worse than a 3 year old. He's guilty of the same actions from time to time, so he really has no room to talk.
Gordon questions bumping tactics
Jim Gintonio
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 8, 2004 12:00 AM
There weren't any fireworks going off after Dale Earnhardt Jr. won Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 . . . unless you count Kevin Harvick, who ignited a few sparks among fellow drivers.
Harvick had a couple of on-track bumping and pounding incidents with Jeff Gordon and rookie Kasey Kahne before he and Kahne traded paint again on the cool-down lap.
One driver not involved, Jimmie Johnson, said of Harvick: "The guy's got the shortest fuse known to mankind. I watched him try to knock the hell out of the No. 24 (Gordon) for two laps and then pull up next to him during a caution, and he body-slammed him."
Gordon, who finished third, said he couldn't understand Harvick's actions.
"I think he took his frustration out. . . . His car wasn't that good right then, and I think he took it out on me because I felt like I passed him pretty clean," Gordon said. "I had to slide up in front of him a little bit off of Turn 4, but he just pounded me all the way down the front straight.
"He pounded me in Turn 1 and about wrecked me there. And it was kind of on from that point. My car wasn't the same after that, and so it kind of cost both of us."
Kahne, who finished fifth, said Harvick, the fourth-place finisher, pushed him a couple times before the cool-down meeting.
"It was just hard racing," he said. "I thought were all kind of having fun. I was the only one getting bumped all over the place, and I was having fun with it, and I think everybody was.
"My car and Kevin's were both all beat up. . . . After the checkers, that's just emotions from both sides. It's just racing, not a big deal."
It may have all been in fun from Kahne's standpoint, but NASCAR will look into the situation, said spokesman Mike Zizzo. He said there was some aggressive post-race behavior that will be examined to see if it merits a penalty.
Harvick didn't mention the word "fun" when he discussed the situation.
"We were just racing hard at the end there . . . and I got into him a little bit, and I think it ticked him off," Harvick said. "He started running into us after the caution, and so I just wanted to stop and ask him what the problem was.
"It's one thing to race these things under the green, but it's another thing to wreck them under caution."
Johnson said the short track, coupled with the end of the season only two weeks away and drivers fighting for their jobs, all play a role.
Asked if everyone respected the drivers racing for the points championship, he answered: "Respect? Does that word exist in our sport any more?
Is it me, or does Jeff Gordon whine over almost everything? If Kevin's car wasn't that good, then how was he bumping him down the straights? Jeff is the best racer out there, but he whines and complains worse than a 3 year old. He's guilty of the same actions from time to time, so he really has no room to talk.
