Accident ends Gordon's bid for historic win

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Jeff Gordon started the final Labor Day weekend running of the Mountain Dew Southern 500 with a shot at history. Instead, he was history before the halfway point.

Gordon, whose five Southern 500 victories tie him for first all-time with Cale Yarborough, was biding his time mid-pack behind rookie Casey Mears entering Turn 3 on lap 166 when Mears suddenly turned up the track and into Gordon's Chevrolet.

The resulting accident sent several cars to the garage for repairs, including Gordon's.

"Casey Mears is a good friend of mine but he needs a spotter," said Gordon, last year's event winner. "I don't know what he was thinking. I was on the outside of him, he's a lapped car, and just turned right, right into me. There wasn't anything broken on the car then. There's a whole lot broke now."

Mears also placed blame on his spotter, saying he was uninformed as to Gordon's whereabouts until it was too late.

"Somebody bottled up about three cars in front of us. I had a good run on Ricky Rudd, got off the corner and pulled down to the inside," Mears said. "Went to the inside, then went to pull back up the track and just ran right into Jeff.

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"Nobody ever said he was there or nothing. Right when I hit him it was like, 'Outside, outside.' It wasn't really my fault. If I'd known he was there I'd have never done it."

The accident marks the second consecutive week Gordon met an early fate. Last weekend at Bristol, he was contending for the win in the Sharpie 500 when Matt Kenseth wrecked him out of the race.

Moreover, Sunday's misfortune marks the fourth time in the past six races the four-time Winston Cup champion has been involved in an accident. He has five DNFs in 2003 -- all the result of on-track accidents -- and over the past seven races has finished better than 24th just once.

"We're very frustrated right now with the way things are going," Gordon said. "We were having a frustrating day. The car wasn't working really well. And it's been a rough month. It's beyond frustrating. I can't wait to get August over and get on to September."

After spending 46 laps in the garage for repairs, Gordon returned to the track on lap 212 in 31st position.