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Gordon calls for NASCAR to reduce bump-drafting
By Lee Montgomery
Friday, October 13, 2006
CONCORD, N.C. - Jeff Gordon said that if NASCAR policed bump-drafting at Talladega Superspeedway better during last week's UAW-Ford 500, the controversial finish may never have happened.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers were trying to draft past leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap, with Vickers attempted to bump Johnson into the lead. Instead, Vickers tapped the right-rear of Johnson's car, sending it into Earnhardt Jr.'s and allowing Vickers to get by both for the victory.
"In my opinion, had they stopped the bump-drafting earlier in the race, Jimmie may have had to settle for second or third in that race," Gordon said Thursday afternoon. "Maybe he wouldn't have gotten a push like that from Brian."
Gordon was again adamant about halting the practice of bump-drafting.
"If NASCAR does not stop bump-drafting, then those things are going to continue to happen," Gordon said. "They are not doing anything about bump-drafting. Because the track had more grip, and the cars were more under control, they thought, 'Well, OK, it's OK to do it.'"
NASCAR Vice President Robin Pemberton said NASCAR warned Earnhardt Jr. once about too much contact with the car in front of him.
"Bump-drafting is a term that is commonly used. What we didn't want going on was the slamming that we had the past few years," Pemberton said. "We know there will be incidental contact or they will be pushing each other.
"Everybody thinks all of it is bump-drafting anytime you touch somebody and it's not. ... We didn't see anything that was wrong."
After crashing out of the race, Gordon pointed the finger of blame at Earnhardt Jr. for going over the bump-drafting line. Gordon said Friday he only did that to emphasize to NASCAR how out of control the practice has gotten.
"Things were taken out of context with Junior," Gordon said. "I was just trying to point out to NASCAR that Junior was probably the most obvious one, so I thought, 'Hey guys, look at what he's doing.' We need to stop this, or it's going to get out of control."
Gordon said Earnhardt Jr. is "one of the best drafters out there."
"I don't want to throw him under the bus," Gordon said. "The thing was misled as to me just complaining about Junior. I was just try to make it obvious to NASCAR as to what kind of bump-drafting was going on out there."
But if NASCAR does nothing about bump-drafting, Gordon said, and Earnhardt Jr. and others abuse the tactic, he would be forced to.
"I don't have a problem with a guy who wants to push you," Gordon said. "You're tying to get momentum from the guy behind you He's pushing you all the way through the corner. What happens is, he gets in position, and you're the leader, he just pushes you in the corner until you can't turn the wheel, and he turns right underneath you. If that's the way he wants to race, then we're all going to be forced to race that way.
Mentioned Drivers: Brian Vickers
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -108 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -169 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | -211 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -285 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -289 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -321 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | -352 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | -411 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | -476 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | -520 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -666 |
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