Matt Kenseth finished 22nd at Chicagoland after leading 112 laps. Credit: Autostock

Clean vs. dirty racing: Kenseth wants clarity

Says NASCAR's lack of consistency sends wrong message

LOUDON, N.H. -- The NBA had the Jordan Rule.

Perhaps NASCAR has the Gordon Rule.

As in four-time Nextel Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

Jeff Gordon said anything from last week's tangle with Matt Kenseth is over. Credit: Autostock

KENSETH VS. GORDON •   Gordon spins Kenseth to get first victory at Chicagoland •   Kenseth says Gordon intentionally spun him •   Troubles follow Kenseth, even at Indianapolis testing •   Gordon says he's ready to make nice with Kenseth •   Has aggression gotten out of control on the racetrack? Big wreckJeff Gordon gets into the back of Matt Kenseth at Chicagoland Payback?Matt Kenseth is upset with Jeff Gordon after the wreck Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"You're putting me in a bad spot here," Matt Kenseth said Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway when asked if stars get preferential treatment from the sport's governing body. "NASCAR has a hard job and they do the best they can to be fair.

"But I certainly feel like sometimes being a competitor it's maybe not exactly the same for everybody."

The topic came up as Kenseth discussed last week's race at Chicagoland Speedway, where Gordon spun him out going for the lead with four laps remaining.

Kenseth immediately went on the radio and said, "There'll be a penalty if NASCAR's consistent. That was plain-as-day blatant."

While waiting on a reply, Kenseth said, "Probably not. He sells too many T-shirts."

Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champion, said NASCAR's lack of consistency sends the wrong message.

"It's very hard to understand and figure out how NASCAR works ... what's OK, what's not OK, what's going to be a penalty, what's not," said Kenseth, who qualified 24th for Sunday's race.

Gordon, who qualified seventh, reminded Kenseth wasn't penalized earlier this year for spinning him out in the final laps at Bristol.

"The thing I love is that he said let's see if NASCAR is consistent and they were very consistent -- exactly as consistent as they were in Bristol," Gordon said with a laugh.

Gordon was fined and placed on probation at Bristol for pushing Kenseth when Kenseth tried to approach him to apologize for the incident.

Kenseth said the bump at Bristol wasn't anything like the one at Chicagoland.

"First, I got knocked all the way from the lead," he said. "I probably hit him half as hard as he hit me at Bristol and he spun out. It was just bad timing. Barely touched him and I was trying to get by him on the last lap, so I think that's quite a bit different.

"But everyone's going to have their opinions about it."

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NASCAR president Mike Helton certainly did. He said the accident last week simply was a case of a faster car running into a slower car, which confused Kenseth more.

"So is that OK?" Kenseth said. "Is that OK if somebody gets spun out at Michigan and gets hurt? Is that all right? And it's the closing laps, is that OK or not OK? I don't really understand, so I need clarification."

Kenseth and Gordon talked on Wednesday during testing at Indianapolis.

"It was kind of one of them things where he came over and apologized but wasn't very apologetic," Kenseth said. "He almost acted like he was mad at me."

Gordon said the incident is over as far as he's concerned. As far as favoritism, he said drivers inside the top 10 are scrutinized more than anybody.

"If it does happen, it's all taken back away when you go through inspection," he said of favoritism. "The top 10 or so cars through the line get a much harder time than some of the guys back this way in the garage.

"We'll look at cars and say, 'How in the world did they get through with that when we couldn't get through with it two weeks ago?' If they do that, I don't feel they do, but if they do it balances itself out."