NASCAR: robbie gordon issues apology, future in doubt?

Richard Childress has always run a class operation, i would not be suprised to see someone else in the #31 car before long :angry-smiley-034:

R. Gordon apologizes for Loudon incident
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
September 20, 2004
05:17 PM EDT (21:17 GMT)


LOUDON, N.H. -- Richard Childress Racing driver Robby Gordon issued a two-pronged apology Monday for his actions Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Gordon left the country on personal business Sunday evening following the Sylvania 300, but made a point of communicating a statement through his race team.

"First and foremost, I feel terrible for Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart, their teams, sponsors and car owners Joe Gibbs and Ray Evernham," Gordon's statement said.

"I allowed my frustration with (Greg Biffle) to affect two other teams, both of which have great shots to win a championship, and for that I am sorry.

"I also want to apologize to Cingular Wireless and everyone at Richard Childress Racing. We had a car capable of winning Sunday, and from my standpoint I was spun intentionally after I made a clean aggressive pass on the 16, and I showed poor judgment in trying to even the score."

Speculation immediately began Sunday evening that Gordon would be replaced in RCR's No. 31 Chevrolet for this weekend's race at Dover International Speedway, but a RCR spokesperson said at 3:30 p.m. Monday that Gordon was still the car's driver.

Gordon started 22nd Sunday and had raced up a number of positions to near the top-15 within the race's first 20 laps, before contact with Biffle's No. 16 Ford sent Gordon into the outside wall.

Forty-four laps after the green flag racing resumed, Gordon, who had made it into the top-10 following a competition caution at lap 37 and continued to race well up in the top 20, made contact with Biffle in Turn 2.

The resulting accident collected the cars of Chase for the Nextel Cup contenders Jeremy Mayfield, who was next to Biffle at the time, and Tony Stewart.

Gordon was penalized two laps and finished 32nd, seven laps down. Mayfield ended up 35th after running to the checkered flag while Stewart dropped out when he reportedly could not maintain the minimum speed and finished 39th.

Stewart fell from fourth coming into the weekend to eighth in the Chase standings, 124 points behind leader Dale Earnhardt Jr., while Mayfield is 10th, 142 points back.

Following the race, media members who waited near Gordon's transporter said he declined to answer questions.

"As for the post-race events, I chose not to speak with the media given the fact that I had nothing to say other than 'I'm sorry,'" Gordon said.

Published reports said Gordon got into a golf cart and then made an obscene gesture at the assembled media before leaving the garage area. Apparently, a question was posed to Gordon from the media group that contained an obscenity directed at the driver.

"One media member made what I felt was a very inappropriate comment to me because I would not answer his question, and he was the target of my gesture, not the media contingent as a whole," Gordon said. "That, too, was poor judgment and, in hindsight, I should have just walked away, so I also apologize to any media members and bystanders I offended.

"It was a bad day that just seemed to get worse and worse."

i love hearing these things from Robbie Gordon, he plays a good victim, even though the only thing he's a victim of is his own hot headedness. I have long felt that he brings all this upon himself. i saw the replay of the initial crash and to me it looked like he pulled in front of Biffle before he cleared him. I get nervous when I see Gordon anywhere near a driver that i like. I am really suprised that RCR keeps him on staff, he's in some kind of feud with someone, almost every other race. If he's not wrecking someone, he's wrecking him self. I have several friends that were huge RCR fans when Earnhardt Sr. was there, and they mad at him and Harvick because between the two of them, they have dismantled the Championship winning 3 team and brought the good name of RCR into disaray with their antics. Perhaps the addition of Jeff Burton will bring a calm, level head back to the team and straighten these guys out a little.