Gordon was celebrating his sixth victory of his magical season that appears to have him headed for a fifth Nextel Cup title when Busch walked into Victory Lane to congratulate him.
Later, Gordon thanked Busch for racing him so cleanly on the next-to-last restart when his car sputtered as though he was out of gas.
Team owner Rick Hendrick then said how proud he was of the 22-year-old driver who—he admits—has as much talent as anybody in the garage.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a situation in my 25 years where, you know, a guy knew he was going somewhere else and has stayed focused and determined to do the best he can, ” Hendrick said. “It’s been real impressive what he’s done. “
So what happened in between?
Busch grew up. David Newton, ESPN.com
The advisory came over the radio, in a voice that was kindly but stern. “No wrecks, OK? ” team owner Rick Hendrick asked his driver Kyle Busch. “Be smart. “
It was a brief request that heightened the tension in the final stage of Saturday night’s Bank of America 500, when Hendrick Motorsports’ top contender for the Nextel Cup championship found himself in front of the organization’s lame-duck driver with just five laps remaining. If Busch harbored any thoughts of revenge against his soon-to-be former employer—which released him from his contract to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr.—there was no better way to take it than by booting Jeff Gordon at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
The crowd of 185,000 held its collective breath, anticipating contact. Gordon drifted high. Busch dove low, pulling nearly alongside of the four-time Cup champion, in a move that smacked of belligerence. But in reality, it was anything but. Busch was doing just as his car owner had instructed, and preventing a wreck.
“He played it really smart, ” Gordon said later of his young teammate, who will compete for Joe Gibbs Racing next year. “He could have run right into the back of me and spun me out so easily. ” David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
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