Post by dalejrfan on Jun 11, 2005 4:15:42 GMT -5
LONG POND, Pa. -- Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart swapped verbal barbs -- albeit through media mouthpieces -- last weekend at Dover after Stewart's Home Depot Chevrolet made contact with Gordon's DuPont Chevy.
Jeff Gordon was 27th in final practice Friday at Pocono. Credit: Autostock
No car wars?Gordon and Stewart talk about the Dover incident.
In separate interviews Friday at Pocono, the drivers said they had both made attempts to communicate this week, that the comments were made in the heat of moment and they had moved on.
"(Tony) called me this week and I called him back and left him a message," Gordon said. "I want to move on and move past it and go racing."
"There isn't a situation between the two of us," Stewart said. "I've called him three times and left him messages to call me, but I've been out of town for the past couple of days, so I don' know if he's called me or not."
Both drivers admitted pressure and frustration are constant companions in Nextel Cup racing for many competitors. After the wreck, Gordon was relegated to his third consecutive finish worse than 30th.
"I recognize that we have to race week in and week out," Gordon said. "We're trying to win a championship here, we're not trying to prove who can go out and wreck one another. It's not about that.
"We've had three rough weeks -- the last thing I need to be doing is worrying about Tony Stewart."
Gordon fell out of the top 10 in the standings, to 11th. For his part, Stewart finished only 15th at Dover, but moved up a spot in the standings, to fifth.
"I don't think there's anything there," Stewart said. "I know the stuff he said after the race was harsh (Gordon said 'I was pretty harsh as well.'), and then it kind of got me wound up, too, but I think that's heat of the moment stuff.
"Jeff is a professional and I don't think Jeff would ever take anybody out intentionally anyway. So after I got home, I didn't think there was too much truth to that, anyway."
Jeff Gordon was 27th in final practice Friday at Pocono. Credit: Autostock
No car wars?Gordon and Stewart talk about the Dover incident.
In separate interviews Friday at Pocono, the drivers said they had both made attempts to communicate this week, that the comments were made in the heat of moment and they had moved on.
"(Tony) called me this week and I called him back and left him a message," Gordon said. "I want to move on and move past it and go racing."
"There isn't a situation between the two of us," Stewart said. "I've called him three times and left him messages to call me, but I've been out of town for the past couple of days, so I don' know if he's called me or not."
Both drivers admitted pressure and frustration are constant companions in Nextel Cup racing for many competitors. After the wreck, Gordon was relegated to his third consecutive finish worse than 30th.
"I recognize that we have to race week in and week out," Gordon said. "We're trying to win a championship here, we're not trying to prove who can go out and wreck one another. It's not about that.
"We've had three rough weeks -- the last thing I need to be doing is worrying about Tony Stewart."
Gordon fell out of the top 10 in the standings, to 11th. For his part, Stewart finished only 15th at Dover, but moved up a spot in the standings, to fifth.
"I don't think there's anything there," Stewart said. "I know the stuff he said after the race was harsh (Gordon said 'I was pretty harsh as well.'), and then it kind of got me wound up, too, but I think that's heat of the moment stuff.
"Jeff is a professional and I don't think Jeff would ever take anybody out intentionally anyway. So after I got home, I didn't think there was too much truth to that, anyway."