Tweet
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Tony Stewart says he's tired of Jeff Gordon's "whining," and isn't worried about retaliation for the spinout Sunday that dropped the four-time champion from the top 10 in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings.
NASCAR on FOX: Pocono
Sun., June 12: Nextel Cup Racing presented by Subway on FOX, 1 p.m. ET
Gordon was hoping to became the most prolific winner among active drivers Sunday at Dover International Speedway. But that hope was put on hold in the 42nd lap - thanks to Stewart.
Gordon was exiting the second turn when the right front of a closely pursuing Stewart tapped his left rear, and Gordon hit the wall. Ricky Rudd, like Gordon a four-time winner on The Monster Mile, also crashed in the aftermath.
"I guarantee that next time Tony's in my way, it won't take but about a half a lap for him to be out of my way," Gordon said. "Tony was a little bit better than me, and no doubt I held him up. I just think he ran out of patience."
Stewart said he won't be intimidated by the threat.
"That's fine," he said. "We can get into a car crash. It really doesn't matter to me."
In the race, Greg Biffle got his series-leading fourth win of the season to close within 46 points of pacesetter Jimmie Johnson in the Nextel Cup standings. The victory in the $5.5 million MBNA 400 was Biffle's first at Dover International Speedway and the seventh of his career.
But the big hubbub was the feuding between two of the sport's most marquee names.
Stewart made no attempt to avoid blame for the crash, but said Gordon, Johnson and Ryan Newman don't understand the need to let a faster driver go by.
"If somebody does something to Jeff, it's always their fault," Stewart said. "Jeff's always whining like that.
"Everybody else was doing a pretty good job of give and take. It's just when you get around Jeff, I guess the rules are different with him."
Stewart said he got close to Gordon to let him know he was faster and expected to be let through. Had the situation been reversed, Stewart said he would have moved over.
The crash was another disastrous result for Gordon, whose 39th-place finish came on the heels of a 36th last week in the Coca-Cola 600, when teammate Brian Vickers wrecked him as Gordon was contending for the victory. Two weeks earlier, an accident in Richmond resulted in a finish of 39th for champion Gordon. He now trails series leader and teammate Johnson by 350 points.
Earlier Sunday, Delaware-based DuPont announced a two-year extension through 2008 of its primary sponsorship agreement with Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports team. DuPont has backed Gordon since his rookie season of 1993.
NASCAR on FOX: Pocono
Sun., June 12: Nextel Cup Racing presented by Subway on FOX, 1 p.m. ET
Gordon was hoping to became the most prolific winner among active drivers Sunday at Dover International Speedway. But that hope was put on hold in the 42nd lap - thanks to Stewart.
Gordon was exiting the second turn when the right front of a closely pursuing Stewart tapped his left rear, and Gordon hit the wall. Ricky Rudd, like Gordon a four-time winner on The Monster Mile, also crashed in the aftermath.
"I guarantee that next time Tony's in my way, it won't take but about a half a lap for him to be out of my way," Gordon said. "Tony was a little bit better than me, and no doubt I held him up. I just think he ran out of patience."
Stewart said he won't be intimidated by the threat.
"That's fine," he said. "We can get into a car crash. It really doesn't matter to me."
In the race, Greg Biffle got his series-leading fourth win of the season to close within 46 points of pacesetter Jimmie Johnson in the Nextel Cup standings. The victory in the $5.5 million MBNA 400 was Biffle's first at Dover International Speedway and the seventh of his career.
But the big hubbub was the feuding between two of the sport's most marquee names.
Stewart made no attempt to avoid blame for the crash, but said Gordon, Johnson and Ryan Newman don't understand the need to let a faster driver go by.
"If somebody does something to Jeff, it's always their fault," Stewart said. "Jeff's always whining like that.
"Everybody else was doing a pretty good job of give and take. It's just when you get around Jeff, I guess the rules are different with him."
Stewart said he got close to Gordon to let him know he was faster and expected to be let through. Had the situation been reversed, Stewart said he would have moved over.
The crash was another disastrous result for Gordon, whose 39th-place finish came on the heels of a 36th last week in the Coca-Cola 600, when teammate Brian Vickers wrecked him as Gordon was contending for the victory. Two weeks earlier, an accident in Richmond resulted in a finish of 39th for champion Gordon. He now trails series leader and teammate Johnson by 350 points.
Earlier Sunday, Delaware-based DuPont announced a two-year extension through 2008 of its primary sponsorship agreement with Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports team. DuPont has backed Gordon since his rookie season of 1993.
Comment