| | SATURDAY NOTEBOOK | Gordon says NASCAR was right to cancel qualifying | |
|  | | CIA Stock Photo | Intermittent rain, along with 'weepers', or seepage through the racing surface, made conditions unsafe. | | By Reid Spencer / Sporting News Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. -- Jeff Gordon believes NASCAR made the right call in canceling Friday's on-track activity at Auto Club Speedway.
Intermittent rain, along with "weepers," or seepage through the racing surface, made conditions unsafe. The weepers frustrated speedway officials' efforts to dry the track, forcing cancellation of qualifying sessions for all three of NASCAR's top touring series.
"It just was wet," said Gordon, who according to NASCAR's rainout rules, will start second in Sunday's Auto Club 500 as the second-place finisher in 2007 owner points. "They would go through there with the jet dryer, and it just would continue to seep up through there. The way I've always approached it over the years looking at tracks like what we had today, is if you put your hand on it and you get no moisture back on your hand, then it'll dry up fast or you can go ahead and work around that. The tires will still grip to the track.
"But when you put your hand on it and you come back and it's wet with moisture, then you've got a problem. It was more the location of the spots that I saw. It was right in the entry of (Turn) 3, which is already a tricky spot here. And it was just a couple of feet above the groove that we run. So if you went down into the corner and you went across that and you hit one of those little spots, because there was a long streak of it but they were just little spots, you could get into some issues.
"Or, if you went down in the corner and you drifted up just a little bit, you're going to get into it as well. I thought NASCAR made the right call, and, of course, the weather kind of made the decision a little easier for them."
BOWYER, BURTON BURY HATCHET
The bottom line is that Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer were steaming after last Sunday's Daytona 500, and their frustration led to an angry exchange captured by TV cameras in the garage after the race.
Television reports alleged Burton was angry at his teammate for side-drafting off Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet and causing him to fall back through the field, but Burton indicated that wasn't the case.
"Clint and I were mad, but we weren't mad at what people thought we were mad at," Burton said. "The conversation that Clint and I had we'll keep to ourselves. There's no strife amongst the drivers -- there's none of that. We did have a discussion, and it is clear that you can't have productive conversations as soon as the race is over. . . I never at any point felt like Clint did anything to jeopardize my opportunity to win the race."
Bowyer was upset at being punted by Juan Pablo Montoya while leading with 17 laps left in the 200-lap event.
"Yeah, well, I mean it's not much fun when you get wrecked leading the 500," said Bowyer, who will start third on owner points in Sunday's race. "That's the race you want to win. But it just wasn't meant to be.
I probably shouldn't have been in that situation, and the deal at the end of the race with me and Jeff, I mean, you're ticked off.
"When you're leading the biggest race of the year and the one you want to win more than anything and things don't go your way, you're ticked off. I was mad. He was mad. And you just get over it. He called me at 8:30 the next morning and kissed and made up and went on about our day.
But that's part of the sport. You can't always put a smile on your face and be happy all the time."
NEWMAN HAD A FEELING
With an assist from Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman won last Sunday's 50th Daytona 500 with a last-lap pass, but he knew much earlier that he had a car capable of winning the race.
"At the halfway point when I pushed Kyle Busch (from) second into the lead past Jeff Gordon, I knew I had a car that was capable," said Newman, who will start 13th on owner points in the Auto Club 500.
"Everybody tries to be up front, and when you're up front at the halfway (point), usually it's a good sign that you have a capable piece -- and our Alltel Dodge Charger I thought was that.
"Down the backstretch (on the final lap) when I saw Kurt push me -- and when Tony (Stewart) pulled down -- that was the ultimate eye-opener for me. Obviously, I've been in that position before, and you never know until you cross the finish line."
| | Posted February 23, 2008 , 10:18 pm EST
Last Updated February 23, 2008 , 10:22 pm EST | | | | | | |
