Nationwide Post Race Quotes From Robby about Incident

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Joey Logano and Robby Gordon got into beating and banging on the track during the Zippo 200 on Saturday, resulting in a flat tire for both of them, then more contact and some hard feelings following the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen International.

The 19-year-old Logano, who eventually spun and hit the wall to finish 33rd, voiced his displeasure afterward with Gordon.

“He decided to wreck me under caution, which is not real cool, I think,” said the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. “It’s a pretty raw deal to race someone pretty stupid. You can’t fix stupid. It’s forever. … I got caught with an idiot.”

Gordon’s response?

“Whatever,” said the veteran driver/owner. “I’m not too worried about what Joey Logano thinks to be honest with you. The second time [when he wrecked] he got into somebody else. I don’t think he passed anybody without running into them first. That’s what he did to me. So it is what it is. He’s not going to run into me and think he’s going to go on by because he knocked me sideways. That’s just not the way it goes.”

It is unlikely Gordon and Logano will forget the incident soon.

“He cut down my left-front tire earlier and we got into a grudge match after that,” Logano said. “It was back-and-forth and back-and-forth into each other. Eventually a caution came out and he put me into the fence and my car went up in flames.

“That was real nice. You remember that stuff. Eventually it’s going to turn around and bite him because he races everyone the same way just like that. I don’t know if this is the one place he thinks he can run good so he beat the hell out of everybody. You just remember that. Eventually everyone is going to start doing that back to him. What goes around comes around.”

Gordon said Logano hit him first to start the exchange.

“He hit me first, so it all started with him making contact with my back bumper in Turn 11,” Gordon said. “That’s where it all started. If he can learn to pass me clean, I’m cool with it. But if he’s going to run into me, he’s going to get hit back. It’s just plain and simple.”

Neither driver competes in the Nationwide series full time. It was Gordon’s first start of the season in the series as he hoped to score a win on a road course where he has won in the Cup series.

Gordon had a long day after starting third. He got hit from behind and then into the back of Greg Biffle, who then spun Gordon. Even with front-end damage to his car – and even after heavy cosmetic damage after the tire issue that followed the first Logano incident – Gordon was running fast lap times. He had to settle for 14th.

“Until Logano got into me and got flat tires for both of us, we were hanging in there in eighth place,” Gordon said. “I got really, really aero tight with the hood being [bowed] up [from damage] like it was. All in all, we had a decent day.”

From Bob Pockrass, Scene Daily

UPDATE: Statement From Robby Gordon

"After reviewing the comments by Logano and the replay of the day's events, I felt that it was necessary to explain what happened during yesterday's race from my prospective.

This whole turn of events started with Joey running into the back of my No. 55 in Turn 10. He then knocked me sideways in Turn 11. To show him my displeasure, I ran him down towards the inside wall on the front straight. I tried to do a crossover move in Turn 1 to get back by him; however, I missed judged a little resulting in both of us getting flat tires.

During the final incident that ended Joey's day, we were racing for the lucky dog position. We both had good cars and were just trying to improve our finishing position for the day. After the bus stop chicane, Joey wrecked the No. 34 of Tony Raines. This contact allowed me to get underneath him in Turn 9. He saw that I was going to pass him for the Lucky Dog position, so he tried to block me. This maneuver resulted in his right rear tire connecting with my left front. From there, I felt he would be okay because he was in the section where the outer loop was. Rather than going down the inner loop, he decided to cut across the grass, hitting the tire barrier.

At the end of the day I'm just glad Joey is okay. This is a highly competitive sport, and we are all very passionate when we are on the track. Tempers have a tendency to flare, but hopefully in the future we will both race each other cleaner.

Under my own doing, I did stop by the NASCAR hauler this morning to converse with them about yesterday. There will be no repercussions from yesterday' events," commented Robby Gordon.

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right on good to hear.....its funny this made jayski .....the silly season is slow
Mystery Of Robby GordonThursday, August 06, 2009Posted By Jim Pedley 9:08 AM

Thirty-four weekends during the Sprint Cup season, it’s sad watching Robby Gordon on a race track. Painful, almost.
But on two race weekends each year, watching him and the No. 7 car is like watching Laurence Olivier act. It’s a thing of beauty. This will be one of those weekends.
Gordon does not really cut a sympathetic figure for many who make their living in the Cup garages.

Some peers don’t dig him because he can be a bit of a hot head on the track. He’s been known to be overly aggressive — those things which push him in his pursuit of victory have pushed him over the edge. He does the kind of things that drivers in 20th-place cars do as they pursue top-10 finishes.
Some in the media don’t dig Gordon because he trades surliness and charm in and out the way others trade tires in and out during Goodyear testing. I have been on both ends. One of the top interviews I had in the sport was a time at the Brickyard. We sat in his hauler during qualifying watching a timing and scoring monitor. As we did, he explained in wonderful, enlightening detail his thoughts as car after car attempted to knock him from the field.

Then, a couple seasons later I was part of the group of reporters whom Gordon flipped off as he drove away in a golf cart. It was at New Hampshire, I believe.
There is very little conflicting opinion, however, when it comes to views of Gordon’s driving talent. The man can drive anything and drive it fast. Fenders, no fenders. Southeastern asphalt, Baja sand. There was a time years ago when a favorite saying among media around the country was that Jeff was the second-best driver named Gordon in this country.

So why does Jeff Gordon have 82 Sprint Cup victories and Robby just three?

No comment.

No matter how much you dislike Robby Gordon, you have to feel pain down in the gizzard as he bounces off of walls and heads to the garages 200 laps into a 250-lap race.
At ovals, that is.
This weekend the racing is on the very technical road course at Watkins Glen and chances are high that the auto-racing artistry of Robby Gordon will do its bi-annual bloom thing.

Will he win? Probably not. His equipment, as usual, is several cuts below his skill level.

But it will be fun to watch. Like Olivier working off a script that could have used more tweaking before lights, camera and action.
Posted In: Robby Gordon, NASCAR, Watkins Glen International Speedway
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NASCAR Jack: The other Gordon in NASCAR
By NASCAR JACK | August 6, 2009 |

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It’s pretty easy to forget there are two guys with the last name of Gordon who are NASCAR regulars. Sitting in 34th in the standings and an afterthought to Jeff, Robby Gordon (15-1) continues to struggle to stay alive as an owner-driver.
He doesn’t have the kind of dough behind him that Tony Stewart (9-2), another owner-driver has, but the fiery driver of the No. 7 Toyota gathers attention every once in a while with his aggressive driving habits.

The other Gordon was penalized five laps at Pocono last week because of a run-in with David Stremme, but I say this was earned by reputation not by anything he did. He hasn’t squabbled publicly with NASCAR for several years but those guys have long memories and are still stinging from the lashes delivered by Robby’s tongue.
He has a win at Watkins Glen and seven top 5 finishes, so he is a lot higher up the odds board than he will be for any other race.

I would like to see the rebellious Robby have a helluva race in the Heluva Good. Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.
By the way, that's a helluva bad name for a race.
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When Robby has a great day on the track everyone is happy.
When Robby has a bad day on the track everyone posts "hang in there Robby"
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When Robby puts his bumper into someone and gets penalized , the "on the fence Robby fans" bash him and his true die hard fans weigh the pros and cons of what happened and offer an opinion or two of why and how come along with a supportive "I'm still your fan Robby and I always will be!"
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I don't care who you are or where you stand but I will say this , IF! If the Dale Jr. / Brian Vickers wreck at Daytona never happened , Robby would have started the season on a positive note and that momentum would have carried over to the next race and the one after etc... If Robby was in the top 15 in points right now , I seriously doubt that he would do anything to destroy that. Robby started this season out devastated. BUT he has NEVER given up!
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Keep in mind that after every race is over Robby has to get out of his car.
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When he is out he has to look at his car and see what happened during the race. Did I cut a tire down? Did I get involved in a wreck? Did someone get into me and send me off to hit a wall and total my car after I hit him several times because...?
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What ever the question and what ever the answer is , It all comes down to one thing and one thing only after each and every race after he asks himself DID I.... He always has to add at the end of the question " A car that comes right out of my pocket." -

Then he has to make eye contact with his crew chief and his crew that has to put the car "in whatever condition , good or bad" into the hauler. What if anything does he say to his crew chief or to any of his crew? What about the next day at the shop when he walks into where his cars get built and repaired?
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After the last race of this season Robby will see where he finished in the points and then every lap of every race will play back in his mind. Woulda , coulda shoulda at that point is pointless but he will wish that things could have been different. Toyota , Jim Beam etc...Will be there for him when the 2010 season starts up.
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What will he do different in 2010? The higher up in the points the more money you make. More TV time etc...
Joey is going to be a great driver but his head is way to big. He has one rain shortned win and thats it. He wasn't even a threat on Saturday. I am just mad that Robby wasted his time dealing with him when he had a chance to win. As for Joey comments. grow up! That Ron White line was funny 4 years ago but coming from the mouth if a 19 year old spoiled rich kid just shows how much Joey has to learn. I love that Robby was showing some " Earnhardt" but picking a fight with Joey Lagono is like picking a fight with a little girl on the playground.
Hello to all of the "pretend" fans on this site. What RG did to Logano was in line and happens all of the time. How quickly we forget the legacy left behind by #3---Dale. Listen, the first problem with these posts are that you're making comments from your couch with the thermostat set on 72 and nothing on the line. Have any of you ever, EVER, lined it up in an ultra competitive sport. My guess is NO, NO, NO, NO. RG has the passion of a Brett Favre and has his eyes on getting to the front. Yes, RG, does let his passion get the best of him at times. Yes, it would be nice if he had an anger coach to keep him focused during the race. NO, I don't want him to ever race without his passion---if so I would switch drivers and root for a start and parker. Come on people---wake up.
This is why Robby is so far down in the points each year. How many points (poor finishes) has he got this year because of the way he reacts "with passion" to a racing situation. You can't cry about how much it costs to run an independant team or how much it costs to build a car if you go out and play bumpercars each week.
My friends up here have bet each week about who is going to bring out the first caution. The driver that gets picked most is...... Robby. Just race to dam car.
I was at the race Saturday, surrounded by numerous RG fans and everybody loved how RG raced Logano and watching him race back up to 14th. It was downright exciting to watch him actual competing and passing cars. It is a shame their strategy didn't pay off, but it was awesome seeing Robby being extremely competitive in person.
It was great to see him competing and passing cars.... but where did he finish, and why was he there? That's the point of the story.
I wish that Robby would focus on winning and taking care of his car. I know he is an assertive driver and that is one of the things that we admire and like about him. However, he is becoming distracted and losing his focus on what is important - winning! Unfortunately, this is not the old school NASCAR where these type tactics were much more common. At his age and with his experience, Robby should be a leader in NASCAR and looked up to by the younger drivers. Whether he wins or not - he should realign his focus on doing whatever it takes to win or have a good solid finish with a car in one piece! I would like to see him bring in a talented driver so that he could secure his position as an owner in Sprint Cup. This would allow him to focus his considerable energies on off road, cheering his cup driver, and courting sponsors.

It is really hard to watch your favorite driver caught in controversies so frequently; I am not sure what is required (anger management courses ;-) to get Robby to stop focusing on who bumped into him and plotting revenge versus shrugging it off and keeping his eyes on the prize - WINNING! Racing should not be an eye for an eye etc., but perseverance and keeping a cool level head. It was really hard watching the Nationwide Race on Saturday -- we wanted him to do really well and show everyone that he is a talented class act. Getting back at someone who bumped you at the expense of a win and an intact race car is nuts! We are still cheering for Robby, of course, but want him to show everyone just how good of a driver he really is...and WIN!!
I hear you.
I think you nailed it Karen, Robbys performance this weekend was a joke..... Sorry Rob, im a big fan
but really disapointed in your performance at the glen...
@Scott...It was the glen, expectations and frustration was high. Came back from 2 laps down to finish 18th. And you're disappointed in his performance? Considered it a joke?

@Karen...plotting revenge? He reacted out of passion. How many here among us have never lost our temper? Robby's been wrecked quite often when he hasn't gone back after the culprit. This weekend wasn't one of them.

Everybody has their own way they would do things, but complain when RG does it his way. Just curious as to how y'all define fans cause you sure don't sound that way.
Well I have to agree with Karen on this somewhat. No question tempers flare and these things happen, however its really about keeping your eyes on the prize and getting what you want. Did Robby get what he wanted from his run at the Glen or anywhere that there is a run in with another driver. You gain nothing other then some TV time which is good of course and some press. However I agree at his age he should be a bit more calm and collective and again focus on what you want the goal not the moment. However to each his own and we are all who we are but then I am not spending lots of sponsership dollars either. The good news was the team did really well overcoming that bad power steering pump and the car never was a top ten car all day so they made the best of what they were dealt. But I think if you take emotions out of these sort of things how many points do you gain in a season. I am just looking at it analyticaly and I will always be a fan regardless.

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