Burton satisfied with penalty on Gordon

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor


STEPHEN HAWKINS

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas - Jeff Burton is satisfied with the penalty NASCAR imposed against Robby Gordon, even though it doesn't help Burton in the championship Chase.
NASCAR ruled that Gordon intentionally threw a piece of roll bar padding on the track at Atlanta last week. The ensuing caution benefited Gordon, who went on to finish 10th, but hurt Burton, who was a lap down and wound up 13th.
"Once it's happened and they threw the caution, the damage was done for us. There's no going back on that," Burton said Friday. "Robby was only doing what he needed to do for himself and, by the way, people have been successful doing that in the past. He did what has worked in the past, and I don't blame him."
Burton goes into this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for fourth in the Nextel Cup standings, 84 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.
Gordon has denied any wrongdoing by the team he owns and will appeal. He was docked 50 driver points and 50 car owner points and fined $15,000.
When the caution came out with about 35 laps left at Atlanta, Gordon got NASCAR's "free pass" to get back on the lead lap. Burton was trying to make up for lost lap from an early incident and needed another round of green-flag pit stops for the chance to catch up.
Burton asked NASCAR to review, which led to the penalties against Gordon.
"I was upset it had such a negative impact on us. It had nothing to do with Robby," Burton said. "Rules are good only if they're enforced. ... If we don't, then the racetrack continues to get full of roll bar pads."
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DALE'S DIP: Some bumps and dips have been on other tracks so long that they have names, such as "Humpy Bumps" at Charlotte and the "Tunnel Turn" at Pocono. How about "Dale's Dip" at Texas?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed concern Friday about a dip over the tunnel between Turns 1 and 2 at Texas, where he got his first Cup and Busch victories and his six top-10 finishes are more than any Nextel Cup driver.
"The asphalt or the dirt underneath the asphalt has settled over the tunnel, which it does at every race track that they build. But it seems to be more pronounced here," Earnhardt said. "That will hold this place back for years to come until they repair that as far as being able to run two and three wide through that corner."
TMS president Eddie Gossage said Earnhardt is the only driver he has heard complain about the portion of track over the South tunnel.
"There's one bump in the whole race track," Elliott Sadler said.
Kevin Harvick doesn't have any problems with Texas and said he doesn't think any of the bumps "are any worse than they have been in the past."
Gossage said the track, which is completing its 10th season of racing, is surveyed at least twice a year and that the tunnel area hasn't changed in three years.
"I think we've got a great track record and if there's something wrong with the race track, all he has to do is let us know about it," Gossage said. "I love Junior, and we'll take a look at it after the race is over. It's no big deal."
 
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