NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
FOOD CITY 500
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RACE NOTES & QUOTES
MARCH 18, 2012
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – Sidelined in crash with No. 88 (Earnhardt Jr.) on Lap 359:
DALE EARNHARDT JR. SAID YOU GUYS BARELY BUMPED. WHAT IS YOUR VERSION OF THE SITUATION?
“I think we bumped more than we should have is the way it looks like. We definitely didn’t hit in the right location, because I think the tailpipe or something just cut the left-rear (tire) immediately. We didn’t hit that hard. We were a little bit too tight and he was pretty good on the restart there and we were racing hard. I know that it wasn’t intentional, but it certainly ruined our day. I hate it for Drive To End Hunger. I encourage everybody to text ‘hunger’ to 50555. I hate it for this race team. There were times we had the best car out there and I think we could have got back to that before this thing was over.”
WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE? WAS THERE CONTACT WITH YOUR TEAMMATE, DALE EARNHARDT, JR.?
“There was contact. Just hard racing here at Bristol. We weren’t very good there on the restart; we were a little bit too tight still. We were making adjustments there to fix that. We were really strong earlier in the race. I was looking forward to getting to the end. Junior (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) got underneath me. When he got into me, it looked like the tailpipe just caught the left rear (tire) and cut the left rear. I don’t know what cut the left front (tire), but something cut the left front too and so around we went. I knew it immediately, and I let off trying to keep it out of the wall, but there was no chance. Ruined our day. Hate it for this team. I hate it for Drive To End Hunger, and I want to thank them for everything they do. I want to encourage everyone to text Hunger to 50555.”
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