General Discussion » Is Jimmy Johnson ill?
maybe he is tired of being a P/C poster child like hid Daddy Jeff Gordon.
Gordon unhappy with Johnson's actions
By Lee Montgomery
Monday, June 19, 2006
STEVE BENESH
BROOKLYN, Mich. - Jeff Gordon was upset with Hendrick Motorsports teammate and good friend Jimmie Johnson during Sunday's 3M Performance 400 Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.
Gordon has struggled in the last three races, enduring two crashes and a mediocre run at Dover that have dropped him from sixth to 11th in Nextel Cup points.
But early in Sunday's race, it appeared Gordon had shaken off any effects of the past three weeks, turning around what had been a poor 2005 performance at Michigan. He had finished 32nd and 15th at the 2-mile track last year, but after qualifying second, Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet was strong this time.
He led 50 of the first 68 laps, but it was a pair of three-wide encounters with Johnson that raised Gordon's ire. Gordon spoke to his crew over the team's radio about his displeasure, and the conversation was picked up by Fox television broadcasters.
"I'll definitely talk to him about it," Gordon said as rain pelted the garage after the race was called. "I didn't understand why the second he got a chance to take me three-wide when I was trying to pass somebody, [he did]. "We had a good car, and we were taking our time, making some passes, and he got inside me, made it three-wide twice. I just didn't think it was necessary at the time, and I was just asking for him to give me a little bit of a break and explain to me what was going on."
Gordon ended up finishing eighth, unable to rally after getting behind when others pitted for just two tires to gain track position. Johnson finished two spots ahead in sixth.
Johnson and Gordon hadn't spoken immediately after the race, and Johnson left without speaking with the media. When crew chief Chad Knaus was asked about the hard racing from start to finish, he said: "Everyone knew the weather was coming. When it starts to rain an intermittent rain like that, it becomes a series of sprint races combined. That is kind of what it was."
Gordon said he wouldn't have minded Johnson racing so hard later in the race. But one of Johnson's three-wide moves was before lap 30, and Gordon expected a little more give-and-take at that point.
"If we'd have been racing towards the end, I would have never said a word," Gordon said. "We were early in the race. I had a great car at the time. I had a better car than Jimmie at the time."
Still, it is likely the race at Michigan will soon be forgotten.
"It happens. We're competitors. We're going to race hard," Gordon said. "There are times when we race one another harder than we should, but I like to keep it down to when we're racing for position towards the end of the race. Jimmie and I race great together. We never have any issues, but I definitely did say something on the radio."
Mentioned Drivers: Jeff Gordon
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