Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
about the bump drafting???
Earnhardt calls driving style pushing; Gordon calls it dangerous
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
October 8, 2006
08:54 PM EDT (00:54 GMT)
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon apparently have a different definition of bump-drafting.
Gordon said the way Earnhardt pushed several cars around Talladega Superspeedway during Sunday's Nextel Cup race violated the warning that NASCAR president Mike Helton gave during the drivers' meeting.
Earnhardt said Gordon's complaint was hypocritical.
"I pushed Jeff Gordon into the lead five freaking times," said Earnhardt, who finished 23rd after being knocked out of the lead on a last-lap crash with Jimmie Johnson and winner Brian Vickers.
"And every time I do that he complains that I'm bump-drafting in the corners. I'm just not going to push him anymore."
NASCAR, despite warning Earnhardt once late, for the most part sided with Earnhardt.
"We didn't see any excessive bump-drafting," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president for corporate communications. "I know Jeff had some comments about that, but we didn't see anything we needed to react to."
Gordon, who saw his championship hopes become damaged when he was caught up in a 10-car crash on Lap 139 of the 188-lap race, said there was more bump-drafting than he'd seen in a long time.
He said one of the worst offenders was Earnhardt, who put the bumper of his No. 8 Chevrolet under countless cars as he battled from a lap down to take the lead.
He didn't buy Earnhardt's explanation that he was pushing and not bump-drafting, even though Earnhardt was assured by NASCAR several times on his in-car radio that he was staying within the rules.
"If your bumper is touching the rear bumper of the guy in front of you it's bump-drafting," said Gordon, who slipped a spot in the point standings to seventh.
"Whoever is making that call for NASCAR, I'll put a passenger seat in and make him ride with me and tell me what he thinks. ... It's just a tremendous amount of bump-drafting going on out there. I don't understand why nothing's been done about it."
http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/10/08/dearnhardtjr.jgordon.talladega/index.html
Earnhardt calls driving style pushing; Gordon calls it dangerous
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
October 8, 2006
08:54 PM EDT (00:54 GMT)
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon apparently have a different definition of bump-drafting.
Gordon said the way Earnhardt pushed several cars around Talladega Superspeedway during Sunday's Nextel Cup race violated the warning that NASCAR president Mike Helton gave during the drivers' meeting.
Earnhardt said Gordon's complaint was hypocritical.
"I pushed Jeff Gordon into the lead five freaking times," said Earnhardt, who finished 23rd after being knocked out of the lead on a last-lap crash with Jimmie Johnson and winner Brian Vickers.
"And every time I do that he complains that I'm bump-drafting in the corners. I'm just not going to push him anymore."
NASCAR, despite warning Earnhardt once late, for the most part sided with Earnhardt.
"We didn't see any excessive bump-drafting," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president for corporate communications. "I know Jeff had some comments about that, but we didn't see anything we needed to react to."
Gordon, who saw his championship hopes become damaged when he was caught up in a 10-car crash on Lap 139 of the 188-lap race, said there was more bump-drafting than he'd seen in a long time.
He said one of the worst offenders was Earnhardt, who put the bumper of his No. 8 Chevrolet under countless cars as he battled from a lap down to take the lead.
He didn't buy Earnhardt's explanation that he was pushing and not bump-drafting, even though Earnhardt was assured by NASCAR several times on his in-car radio that he was staying within the rules.
"If your bumper is touching the rear bumper of the guy in front of you it's bump-drafting," said Gordon, who slipped a spot in the point standings to seventh.
"Whoever is making that call for NASCAR, I'll put a passenger seat in and make him ride with me and tell me what he thinks. ... It's just a tremendous amount of bump-drafting going on out there. I don't understand why nothing's been done about it."
http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/10/08/dearnhardtjr.jgordon.talladega/index.html
