NASCAR WCUP: Jeff Gordon Post Race Notes, Richmond
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
May 6, 2001Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet Monte Carlo:
"Well, you know he body-slammed me pretty bad there at the last corner. I mean it was just racing, but I was a little mad at him, you know. I thought it was a little uncalled for. He got a good re-start and he got underneath me but there was no reason for him to just slam me all the way up into the other lane. The Dupont Chevrolet was just great today. I thought we had a shot at winning there at the end. You never know what can happen with the old tires there on the restart. We might have had a shot at him (Stewart), but we'll never know now. But I'm real proud of Robbie (Loomis, crew chief) and these guys. They worked hard and came home with another runner-up finish. It's a good points day for us and we're real happy."
(What was Rusty Wallace's response?) "Well he's mad at me because of what happened afterwards 'cause I just thought it was uncalled for, what he did for going in there. He just said, 'Hey, I just drove in there and couldn't stop and just drove into you.' It's just short track racing with two to go.
"I knew on the long runs we'd be good and sure enough, these guys on the Dupont Chevrolet did an awesome job. The adjustments that we made just got the car better and better all night long. We got hung up there on a few cars, on some lapped cars. Tony (Stewart) had the car to beat tonight. He was real, real strong. He had us beat. But I thought I might have had a shot at him on that restart, but the car just didn't take off and then (I had) the deal with Rusty (Wallace.)
"I wasn't happy with what happened down in turns one and two, and I guess he (Rusty) wasn't happy with what happened afterwards. So I guess we're even. Before the race was over, he got underneath me. I gave him the inside. I wanted the outside. He drove into it real hard and just slammed into me and about knocked me into the wall. But we bumped and banged and had some good racing there. I finally got the spot back. Afterwards, I wasn't real happy about it."
Text Provided by Nancy Wager
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