R. Gordon penalized for incident with Johnson

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Impatience invariably results in trouble at Bristol Motor Speedway, a lesson Jimmie Johnson learned the hard way Saturday night in the Sharpie 500.

Johnson was two laps down on lap 371 when Mike Skinner got together with Casey Atwood in Turn 2, bringing out the night's 13th caution.

Five laps later the field was coming to the green flag, poised for a restart with 124 laps to go, when Robby Gordon got into the rear of the Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, sending Johnson hard into the outside wall.

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"The 31, that's just typical Robby. Real impatient," said a visually irritated Johnson as he exited the infield car center. "Evidently he wanted to restart in front of me. He beat my back bumper off for a lap trying to get me to move out the way while I'm trying to get my lap back, too.

"He had my rear wheels off the ground before we even took the green, and dumped me before we even crossed the start-finish line. I just don't understand why. I got drop-kicked coming to the green, just don't understand why."

For his antics, NASCAR docked Gordon two laps. The sanctioning body had reportedly warned him more than once during the race to settle down.

"Where do you want me to start with (NASCAR) -- Bobby Hamilton turns me, I didn't see him get a two-lap penalty," Gordon said. "I don't get it. I didn't hit Jimmie on purpose.

"I like Jimmie Johnson. I'm sure he's not going to have anything good to say about me, but it is what it is. Didn't mean to hit him. I guess I must have shifted into fourth gear before he did. I had a run on him and when he shifted gears, I got him.

"There's two sides to every story. The other side is, Jimmie being two laps down and me being one lap down, the courtesy wasn't there from him, anyways. I gave him a couple taps under that caution to let him know to let me go. I think he could have prevented the whole thing by moving out of the way the way most guys did that were two laps down."

Johnson, of course, disagreed.

"I guess he's a lap down and he thought he deserved to restart in front of me because I was two laps down," Johnson said. "He beat my bumper cover off with two to go trying to get by and I wouldn't let him by; so when we came to take the green he just had me sideways before we even took the green.

PHOTO GALLERY • Sharpie 500

"He was trying to blame it on me missing a shift and it's just him never using his head."

After going behind the wall for repairs, Johnson returned to the track in 35th position. He finished 38 laps down in 34th position. Hence, he suffered a hit in the points race.

He entered the event in third position, 60 points behind leader Sterling Marlin. After Saturday's accident, he ranks fifth, 145 points out of the lead.