JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, involved in a multi-car accident on lap 302:
WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE:
“It knocked the wind out of me. I just saw the corner through my mirror, a car come into my left rear, and around I went in a hurry. I was hoping that I spun quick enough that I wasn’t going to spin to the inside wall. And then I hit really, really hard. I’m just so proud of these guys on the DuPont Chevrolet. We had an awesome race car tonight. I don’t know if we had a car capable of winning, but we were certainly going to give it a heck of a try and we certainly had a top-five car pretty easy. So, I hate it with the pit sequence and the pit strategy that was going on there that we lost all that track position. With 100 (laps) to go and everyone was just getting so impatient; you had to dive in there three-wide. I don’t know what happened behind me but somebody shot up and got my left rear and around we went.
“I must have hit the corner of that inside wall. Again, I wish they had a Safer barrier there. I seem to be able to find the ones without the Safer barrier. But what a shame, man. That DuPont Chevrolet was so strong tonight. I’m so proud of Alan (Gustafson) and these guys. I hate that we lost that track position there, you know, with all the pit sequences and pit strategies that were going on there. You know, with 100 to go, everybody is losing their patience, including me. We were all three-wide. I don’t know what happened. I just know that somebody got into my left rear and around I went.”
YOU SAID EVERYONE WAS LOSING THEIR PATIENCE OUT THERE INCLUDING YOU, IS THERE A LOT OF BEATING AND BANGING GOING ON OUT THERE?
“Well, there is 100 to go. I think it is a little early, but any time you have cars that stay out, cars that take two, cars that take four, they are going to be diving in there taking it three wide. I was having to do it to. I’m sure not blaming anybody else. Just kind of the circumstances when we’re like that. I just think that we got the bad end of it.”
YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO FIND THE SPOT WHERE THERE IS NO SAFER BARRIER:
“I know. I don’t know what it is. I’m not trying to teach anybody anything. I really am not. I think it is pretty well known we need safer barriers everywhere. You think it is a short track and everything but man, I hit a ton and hit right on the corner where you don’t want to hit. It definitely got my attention. That is for sure. It rang my bell
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